• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
dirndl kitchen
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
    • Main Courses
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Bread & Rolls
    • Pastries
    • Cakes
    • Sides
    • Drinks
    • Christmas
    • Oktoberfest
  • About
  • Newsletter
  • Membership & Courses
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
      • Main Courses
      • Appetizers
      • Breakfast
      • Bread & Rolls
      • Pastries
      • Cakes
      • Sides
      • Drinks
      • Christmas
      • Oktoberfest
    • About
    • Newsletter
    • Membership & Courses
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » German Recipes

    Soft Pretzel with Bacon and Cheese (Schinken-Käse Brezelstange)

    Published: May 13, 2021 · Modified: Aug 14, 2023 by dirndlkitchen · This post may contain affiliate links · 9 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    This soft pretzel with bacon and cheese is a copycat recipe of the famous German Ditsch bakery's addictive 'Schinken-Käse Brezelstange.' And to me, it tastes exactly like it (if not better!). I top my soft homemade pretzel sticks with high-quality ingredients, such as uncured bacon and Emmentaler cheese to get the authentic, addictive taste.

    holding a soft baked pretzels with bacon and cheese

    What is Ditsch?

    Ditsch is a German pretzel bakery and as you may have guessed, they only bake pretzels (or Brezeln in German)! They are a walk-up bakery where you order things to-go only.

    baked pretzels topped with cheese and bacon on a wooden board

    You will often find Ditsch bakeries in German city centers or at train stations and airports as it's super convenient to just quickly grab a pretzel. Ditsch offers A LOT of different varieties of pretzels including classic German pretzels, pretzel sandwiches, and pretzel croissants.

    But the showstopper and my FAVORITE is the Schinken-Käse Stange, a double pretzel stick topped with ham and cheese. Learn to make these bacon and cheese-topped soft pretzels using this authentic and complete recipe with easy-to-follow instructions.

    taking bacon cheese pretzels on a picnic

    We even had a little backyard picnic with our bacon and cheese pretzels. We love Picnic Time products for its beautiful and super functional picnic gear, serving boards even even beer coolers!

    How to make soft pretzels with bacon and cheese

    Making these soft pretzels with bacon and cheese is easier than you think (and I promise you'll love them and may not want to share them!).

    I based this recipe on my famous authentic German pretzel recipe. Instead of featuring the iconic pretzel shape, I turned it into sticks. I then paired up two of these pretzel sticks by laying them next to each other, giving me enough surface to top them with plenty of cheese and bacon.

    dipping pretzels in lye solution using a steel skimmer

    As for the bacon, you would use a lean, smoked ham in Germany (and you can already buy it cubed there). But this type of ham is impossible to find in the USA. The most authentic substitute I have been able to come up with is thick-cut bacon. I trim off any excess fat, then dice it up into small bits.

    As for the cheese, I use Swiss cheese like Emmenthaler. You can also use Gruyère cheese, an aged type of Swiss cheese, giving this pretzel stick a more rustic flavor.

    pretzels before baking topped with cheese and bacon

    The authentic pretzel taste comes from dipping the pretzel sticks in a lye solution. And believe me, it's worth it and nothing to be scared about. There are a few tips I am sharing in the recipe card for using real lye that you should be aware of. I know you will love the authentic pretzel taste!

    Ingredients

    Other than lye, none of the ingredients to make bacon and cheese pretzels are hard to find.

    • Flour. I use all purpose wheat flour.
    • Yeast. Active-dry yeast is my go-to for yeast-based baking. I always keep it sealed and in the fridge, so it stays fresh for longer.
    • Brown Sugar. I use light brown sugar and just a little bit in my pretzel dough. Don't have brown sugar on hand? Just use regular sugar.
    • Butter. I add a little butter to my pretzel dough, which makes it incredibly smooth and helps to create small air pockets thoughout the dough.
    ingredients for bacon and cheese pretzels
    • Salt. I use fine pink sea salt in all of my baking.
    • Lye. I buy mine online and always buy the kind with a childlock lid. I store it in the back of an upper cabinet with our medicine to keep it away from our kids.
    • Cheese. I usually use some kind of Swiss cheese for my bacon cheese pretzels, such as Emmentaler (mild) or Gruyère (aged and more rustic). You can also use other cheeses such as Gouda or even Cheddar.
    • Bacon. I buy thick-cut bacon, trim off the fat and then small dice it.

    Video

    Watch this short video showing you how to make bacon and cheese pretzels at home.

    pretzels with bacon and cheese on a wooden board

    Soft Pretzel with Bacon and Cheese (Ditsch Copycat Schinken-Käse Brezelstange)

    Author: Sophie Sadler
    This soft pretzel with bacon and cheese is a copycat recipe of the famous German Ditsch bakery's addictive 'Schinken-Käse Brezelstange.' And to me, it tastes exactly like it (if not better!). I top my soft homemade pretzel sticks with high-quality ingredients, such as uncured bacon and Emmentaler or Gruyère cheese to get the authentic, addictive taste. They're the perfect treat to go with a cocktail or on the side with dinner (or is dinner really the side here?). This recipe is based on my super popular soft German pretzel recipe.
    4.92 from 12 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 35 minutes mins
    Resting Time 2 hours hrs
    Total Time 2 hours hrs 35 minutes mins
    Course Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Snack
    Cuisine Bavarian, German
    Servings 8 pretzels
    Calories 394 kcal

    Equipment

    • Skimmer
    • Stainless Bowls
    • Baking Sheets
    • Parchment Paper
    • Grater

    Ingredients
     
     

    Pretzel Dough

    • 500 grams all-purpose flour
    • 7 grams active dry yeast 1 little pouch
    • 15 grams brown sugar use regular sugar if you don't gave brown sugar
    • 30 grams butter
    • 10 grams salt
    • 275 grams lukewarm water

    Lye Solution

    • 500 milliliters cold water It's important to mix the lye into the cold water, not the other way.
    • 20 grams lye lye comes in dry granules

    Pretzel Toppings

    • 100 grams Swiss cheese I usually use Emmentaler or Gruyère, which are both different types of Swiss cheeses. You can also use Gouda or even Cheddar.
    • 150 grams bacon I buy a thick-cut bacon & trim off the excess fat. Then small dice it.
    Shop Ingredients on Jupiter

    Instructions
     

    • To make your pretzel dough, combine brown sugar, dry yeast and barely warm water and allow to sit for 5 minutes until the yeast starts to activate and bubble.
    • In a large bowl, combine sifted flour, salt, room temperature butter (heat for a few seconds in microwave if too cold) with the yeast mixture. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes or until you achieve a smooth, elastic dough.
    • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and place in a warm spot. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours. You can also prepare the dough the night before and keep it in the fridge.
    • When ready to start working with the dough, preheat your oven to 420℉ or 220℃. Prep two baking sheets with parchment paper.
    • Divide your pretzel dough into 16 equal pieces. I divide the dough in half, shape two long logs and divide each log into 8 equal pieces using a knife or dough cutter.
    • The roll each piece out to 10 inch (about 25 cm) long logs, tapering both ends. Place 2 logs next to each other on the parchment paper covered baking sheets to make 8 double log pretzel sticks (view photo). Cover and allow to rest in a warm spot for 20 minutes.
    • Prepare your lye solution by carefully whisking the lye into the cold water, not the other way around. Carefull and ideally wearing rubber gloves and a steel skimmer, submerge one pretzel stick at a time in the lye solution for about 10 seconds, then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
      dipping bacon cheese pretzels in lye
    • Top with the shredded cheese and small diced, trimmed bacon.
      soft pretzels topped with cheese and bacon before baking
    • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes on the middle rack. Serve warm or cooled, ideally the same day.
      bacon cheese pretzel sticks on a baking sheet
    • Store leftovers in your fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. When ready to reheat, run some water over the pretzel sticks, then bake for 5 to 8 minutes at 350℉ (180℃).

    Video

    Notes

    Variations

    Don't have bacon on hand? Top your pretzels with any pizza-type toppings like pepperoni, salami, sliced veggies, etc. Also feel free to play with using different cheeses. Your creativity has no limit.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 394kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 13gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 681mgPotassium: 126mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 219IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 141mgIron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More German Recipes

    • plate of fried chicken wings and a slice of bread
      The BEST Fried Chicken Wings (Flieten)
    • meats and cheese boards on picnic blanket
      Austrian Meat and Cheese Board (Brettljause)
    • potato pancakes on a white plate with applesauce
      German Potato Pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer)
    • baked cod in a skillet with creamy mustard sauce
      Easy Baked Cod in Creamy Mustard Dill Sauce

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.92 from 12 votes (9 ratings without comment)

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Stephany

      June 26, 2023 at 6:36 pm

      Hello!
      I would love to make these and am wondering if you cook the bacon before sprinkling it on top or just let it cook with the pretzel?

      Reply
      • dirndlkitchen

        September 01, 2023 at 4:54 am

        I actually do not cook the bacon before. I do trim off the fattiest pieces though. You could certainly also cook it before, but it will crisp up in the oven during baking.

        Reply
    2. Jenn

      August 15, 2023 at 8:35 pm

      5 stars
      This was fabulous! Danke für das Rezept. I’ve been so scared to try making these on my own. But they take me right back home.

      Reply
      • dirndlkitchen

        August 29, 2023 at 5:37 pm

        SO SO happy you loved my bacon cheese pretzels!! Let me know why you were scared, please! Nothing scary about it! Freue mich aber, dass du dich getraut hast!

        Reply
        • Sarah

          January 20, 2024 at 10:25 am

          5 stars
          I made this recipe with Cuputo Gluten Free bread flour. The only change I had to make was adding some additional water. The dough does not roll out like regular flour, but the taste and texture is great! I use the same dough to make some pretzels and buns!

          Reply
          • dirndlkitchen

            January 25, 2024 at 2:40 pm

            This is such great feedback! Have you tried using Cup4Cup flour with gluten free yeast dough? My aunt said she had great success with it, too!

            Reply
    3. Sarah

      January 20, 2024 at 1:57 pm

      5 stars
      I made this recipe with Cuputo Gluten Free bread flour. The only change I had to make was adding some additional water. The dough does not roll out like regular flour, but the taste and texture is great! I use the same dough to make some pretzels and buns!

      Reply
    4. Mimi

      October 21, 2024 at 7:57 pm

      Follow up. How do you dispose of the lye solution? Google is not helpful. Danke vielmals !

      Reply
      • dirndlkitchen

        March 05, 2025 at 4:55 pm

        It's okay to pour your lye solution down the drain and then run cold water after it. Especially with this small of an amount. In fact, if you have a clogged toilet, it could even help you get it unclogged! 🙂

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Sophie Sadler dirndl kitchen headshot

    Hallo! I'm Sophie Sadler, cookbook author of 'The German Home Kitchen', coming this September, and German food blogger at dirndl kitchen since 2015. I am so happy you’re here! 🥨

    I moved from Trier, Germany to the U.S. in 2009 and soon terribly missed the flavors of home. Crusty German bread, flaky pastries, afternoon Kaffee & Kuchen, and, of course, Döner Kebab and pretzels! So, I started sharing my love for German food and traditions with fun, easy-to-follow recipes. Stay a while, bookmark some recipes, and let’s cook together!

    🥐 Join Plunderteig 101, which is my German Pastry School!
    🇩🇪 Become a Member to get exclusive recipes & behind-the-scenes content.
    📩 Subscribe to My Free Newsletter to get German food inspiration straight to your inbox!
    📚 Pre-Order My Cookbook The German Home Kitchen (Coming Sept 2025!)

    Mit viel Liebe,
    Sophie 💛

    More about me →

    Trending

    • German pretzels served with Obatzda
      Authentic, Soft German Pretzels (Brezeln)
    • Doner Kebab recipe chicken dirndl kitchen
      Döner Kebab Recipe (Chicken Version)
    • kartoffelsalat mit wurstchen german christmas eve meal dirndl kitchen
      German Potato Salad with Würstchen
    • a Berliner German donut from the inside
      How to make Donuts (German Berliner)
    • pretzel beer bubble bread sitting on a marble platter
      Pretzel Beer Bubble Bread
    • slices of apple cake on platter and plates
      Easy German Apple Cake (Apfelkuchen)
    • Rumtopf recipe German rumpot diary tagebuch4
      Rumtopf Tagebuch: German Rumpot Recipe
    • a large bowl of creamy pasta salad
      Creamy Pasta Salad Recipe (Nudelsalat)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up for new recipes

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 dirndl kitchen

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.