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Happy almost-Super-Bowl! I couldn’t help myself from making another pretzel recipe for the game.

We will be watching the big game by ourselves at home, in our pajamas. With tons of food – way, way too much for 2 people.

Actually, we don’t usually watch the game in solitude like this, but my current job is a lot more socially stimulating than the one I had for the past few years, and being an introvert (in the sense that talking to people drains me of energy), I find myself needing more down time at home than I used to. I think you’ve gotta listen to your body on these matters. Plus, we won’t have rowdy guests to complain about afterward and everything we eat gets to be vegan. I’m trying some recipes from other bloggers that I’ve had my eye on for a while, so it should be fun 🙂

I know it’s a little late to add a yeast bread recipe to your Super Bowl lineup, but maybe for watching the Olympics? Or anytime, really. These baked pretzel empanadas are pretty insane. It kind of reminds me of Hot Pockets, back when I used to subject my body to ingesting those (college/grad school). They had a pretzel bread version that was definitely my favorite.

So consider these pretzel empanadas to be like pretzel Hot Pockets, except that they leave you feeling satisfied and happy, instead of leaving you full of disappointment and empty calories.

Hope that whatever you’re doing for the Super Bowl (or whatever you are doing this weekend instead) is relaxing & fun!

5 from 1 vote Print Baked Pretzel Empanadas Empanada dough is stuffed with a variety of fillings, and then baked (not fried!) with a pretzel style crust for a moreish fusion food. Prep Time 40 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Total Time 55 minutes Total Yield 16 empanadas Calories Per Serving 134 kcal Author Yup, it's Vegan Ingredients Dough: 1 and 1/2 cups warm water

1 package active dry yeast (2 and 1/4 tsp)

1 tbsp maple syrup

2 tsp salt

2 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 and 1/2 tbsp neutral oil (I used grapeseed oil)

1 and 1/2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce (or substitute additional oil) Crust: 5 cups water

5 tbsp baking soda

coarse salt Filling: see recipe notes for suggestions Instructions Proof the yeast: Gently stir together the warm water, yeast and maple syrup in a large bowl. Wait 5-10 minutes or until you can see it starting to foam. Make the dough Add the salt, flours, oil, and applesauce, and mix together. If mixing by hand, knead for 5-10 minutes, until dough is smooth and stretchy. If using a Kitchenaid or other stand mixer, run it on low for about 2 minutes and then increase the speed, mixing for about 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Lightly spray the top of the dough with cooking oil and cover it with a damp towel, then set in a warm area for about 90 minutes, until doubled in size. Fill the empanadas and prepare them for baking Divide the dough into 16 approximately equal-sized balls and prepare two baking sheets lined with parchment paper or Silpat sheets. Keep the damp towel covering the ones you are not working with, whether filled or un-filled. Take a ball of dough and flatten/roll it out into a disc shape, between 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch in thickness. You'll need to feel it out here and see what works best for your dough. If needed, lightly oil the surface that you use for this step - I wouldn't recommend flouring it. Add a small scoop of your filling - approximately 1/4 cup - onto one half of the disc. Fold the other half of the disc over and use a fork to press the edges together and seal the filling inside. When all of the empanadas are filled, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring the water to a rolling boil in a saucepan and add the baking soda. One by one, gently drop the empanadas into the water for only 10 seconds, until they float back to the top, remove them with a slotted spoon, and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle coarse salt over the tops of the empanadas while they are still wet from the baking soda wash. Bake: Bake at 450 Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes, until they feel firm and the tops are a nice golden brown. Caution: insides will be extremely hot. Recipe Notes Here are the fillings we used:

Cauliflower and roasted garlic puree + roasted red bell pepper slices; soyrizo + caramelized onions (soyrizo recipe link is in the post) Some other fillings that I think would be really tasty are refried beans and salsa, spinach artichoke dip (recipe link is in the post), or pizza sauce and cashew mozzarella (see pizza bread recipe link is in the post). But you can fill them with whatever you desire! NUTRITION: Nutrition data excludes fillings. Nutrition Facts Baked Pretzel Empanadas Amount Per Serving (1 empanada without filling) Calories 134 Calories from Fat 18 % Daily Value* Fat 2g 3% Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Sodium 285mg 12% Carbohydrates 25g 8% Fiber 3g 13% Sugar 1g 1% Protein 4g 8% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

A few filling ideas:

Vegan spinach artichoke dip

Cashew mozzarella and pizza sauce

Homemade soyrizo

Submitted to Yeastspotting.