My son Brody is an absolute gourmet pretzel lover. Whenever we are at a restaurant and they have a pretzel or pretzel bites on the menu, he has to order them. So when it was his birthday this summer, he asked if he could have pretzels! So I decided to tackle homemade pretzels all on my own. Honestly, they are so delicious but totally take some work! They were actually pretty fun to make and we had an assortment of pretzels and pretzel bites. I thought this would make the Super Bowl app; so if you are having people over, you need to try these!
Homemade Pretzels and Beer Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups lukewarm water
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool
- 3 and 3/4-4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for hands and work surface
- coarse salt or coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Baking Soda Bath (See Recipe Note)
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 9 cups water
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- Whisk the yeast into warm water. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Whisk in salt, brown sugar, and melted butter. Slowly add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon (or dough hook attached to stand mixer) until dough is thick. Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add 1/4 – 1/2 cup more, as needed. Poke the dough with your finger – if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for 3 minutes and shape into a ball. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. (Meanwhile, I like to get the water + baking soda boiling as instructed in step 6.)
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Silicone baking mats are highly recommended over parchment paper. If using parchment paper, lightly spray with nonstick spray or grease with butter. Set aside.
- With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 1/3 cup sections.
- Roll the dough into a 20-22 inch rope. Form a circle with the dough by bringing the two ends together at the top of the circle. Twist the ends together. Bring the twisted ends back down towards yourself and press them down to form a pretzel shape.
- Bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 1-2 pretzels into the boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Any more than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste. Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels. If desired, you can cover and refrigerate the boiled/unbaked pretzels for up to 24 hours before baking in step 7.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and serve warm with cheese dip.
- Baking Soda Bath (Step 6): The baking soda bath is strongly recommended because it helps create that chewy texture and distinctive pretzel flavor. If skipping, brush the shaped and unbaked pretzels with a mixture of 1 beaten egg + 1 Tablespoon of dairy or nondairy milk. This is known as an egg wash. Sprinkle the brushed pretzels with salt. The egg wash will help the salt stick. If you don’t have an egg, simply brush with 2 Tablespoons of dairy or nondairy milk.
Beer Cheese Dip
via Celebrate with Babs Cookbook
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup dark lager, room temperature
- 3/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Gruyere cheese
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- Soft pretzels, tortilla chips, veggies, apples, pears, brats, nachos, hot dogs, etc. to serve
Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flower to make a roux, cooking for 30 seconds while constantly whisking.
2. Continue whisking while slowly pouring in the dark lager. Simmer for about 3 minutes, whisking constantly.
3. While whisking continuously, slowly pour in the milk. Simmer for about 3 minutes, whisking constantly.
4. Whisk in the Dijon, garlic powder, salt, and paprika. Remove from heat.
5. Stir in the shredded cheeses, about 1 cup at a time. Continue adding the cheese and whisking until thickened, creamy and smooth.
6. Pour the dip into a 1-quart (1 L) bowl. Serve immediately with soft pretzels, tortilla chips, veggies, apples, pears, brats, nachos, hot dogs…you get the picture!
