Soft Pretzels, Marinara and Cheese Sauce

Cook the Season: Fall

Soft Pretzels, Marinara and Cheese Sauce

A hands-on baking class made from scratch, with flour, dairy and produce from local farms and our own garden.

Golden, salty and twisted by hand: every cook shaped their own pretzels.

In this class, our young chefs mixed and kneaded their own dough, twisted it into classic pretzels, and gave it a quick dip before it hit the oven. While the pretzels baked, we simmered a fresh tomato marinara and whisked up a silky cheese sauce for dipping. Real flour, real butter, nothing from a box.

What we learned

• Every cook made their own dough

  Each chef measured, mixed and kneaded a personal batch, and learned how a pinch of yeast wakes up and puffs the dough into something soft and stretchy.

• The secret behind that pretzel crust

  A quick dip in a baking soda bath before baking is what gives a pretzel its deep golden-brown shine and its signature chew. We watched the difference happen right in the oven.

• Farm-fresh tomato sauce

  Our marinara started with ripe fresh tomatoes from Live Earth Farm, plus local garlic, onions and garden herbs, with no cans and no jars. Simmering them slowly turned a pile of produce into a thick, bright sauce for dipping.

• Cheese sauce that melts smooth

  We shredded our own block cheese, because the coating on pre-shredded cheese keeps it from melting into a silky sauce. A little technique at the stove did the rest.

Meet our local partners

Great food starts with the people who grow and make it. Thank you to the farms and makers behind this class.

• Melgard Farms Freshly milled flour @melgardfarmmill
• San Martin Dairy Fresh dairy, San Martin, CA @sanmartinmilkcompany
• Raw Farm Raw butter, Fresno, CA @raw_farm_usa
• Live Earth Farm Fresh organic tomatoes, Watsonville, CA liveearthfarm.net
• Alberto’s Farm Organic garlic and onions, Morgan Hill Farmers Market
• Spade & Plow Organics Organic onions, San Martin, CA @spadeandplow
• Chef Deborah’s Garden Basil and oregano, Morgan Hill, CA

Make them at home

Download the recipe card for the soft pretzels, fresh tomato marinara and cheese dipping sauce.

Download the recipe card (PDF)

Shopping local keeps food fresh and supports families in our community. Next time you’re at the farmers market, look for these growers and tell them Artisanal Academy sent you.

See upcoming classes

See you in the kitchen,
Chef Deborah

Follow along and tag us @ArtisanalAcademy.