I've been meaning to make a "soft pretzel panzanella"- that is to say, a bread salad using soft pretzel croutons. I'd like to experiment with all the classic South Philly flavors- broccoli rabe, sharp provolone, etc., with some sort of mustard-y vinaigrette. I made an iteration once that didn't quite do it for me. I haven't had occasion to try again, but now that tomato season is almost upon us...
That sounds fantastic! And I love the idea of using soft-pretzel for things other than buns. I've been tossing about a savory bread-pudding with pretzel and maybe a lighter mustard binder. On a related German note, I got bored at work one day and worked our beer-batter into a crepe batter and made beer-crepes with whole-grain mustard, pickle, and sliced bratwurst as a filling. That was delicious.