Soft Pretzels & Beer Cheese Dip

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Soft Pretzels & Beer Cheese Dip

Yield: 10

Author: Sally's Baking Addiction / Spend with Pennies

Prep time: 25 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (lukewarm– no need to take temperature but around 100°F (38°C) is great)
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) 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 (469-500g) all-purpose flour plus more for hands and work surface
• coarse salt or coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Baking Soda Bath

• 1/2 cup (120g) baking soda
• 9 cups (2,160ml) water

Beer Cheese Dip

• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup milk
• ⅔ cup beer
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups sharp cheddar shredded
• 1 cup gruyere or swiss cheese, shredded

Instructions

Pretzels

1. 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.
2. 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.)
3. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Set aside. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 1/3 cup sections.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Beer Cheese Dip

1. Melt butter, flour, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper over medium heat in a saucepan. Cook 1 minute.
2. Stir in milk and beer a bit at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Continue cooking over medium heat, add in mustard and Worcestershire, cooking sauce until thick and bubbly.
3. Reduce heat to low, add cheeses, and stir just until melted and smooth.
4. Serve warm with vegetables, tortilla chips or soft pretzels.