Soft Beer Pretzels

To my fantastic husband…..

I filched one of your dark beers- BUT it was done in the name of a FANTASTIC pretzel so it HAD to be done!

Love, Your Wife

Now that I feel no guilt…Let me talk to you for a minute about these pretzels!

Think of the best soft pretzel you’ve EVER had and then dismiss it…THAT’S what’s going on here, nothing will exist after these pretzels…they’re everything- THE END!

I apologize for not taking as many pictures as I usually do….It was one of THOSE days! Ya know the ones where you start 15 projects and then realize it’s 6 pm and they are ALL halfway done. Welcome to my day

So let’s get twisted….

Basic Ingredients:

1/3 cup warm water

1 pkg yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp )

1 1/2 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup dark beer

3 3/4 cup flour

2 cup hot water

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg, beaten

Add In Ideas:

Caramelized Onions (crispy)

Chopped Pepperoni

Assorted Cheeses

Jalapenos

Directions:

In a large bowl, place the warm water and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let this set for 5-10 minutes or until foamy.

To the bowl, add the sugar, oil, 1 teaspoon of the salt, beer (add slowly), and the flour. Combine to make a soft dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface

With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for ten minutes.

Please, please, please I implore you….Don’t skimp on the kneading time. I know there are some that believe it really isn’t THAT important to knead as long as the recipe says to. I don’t like to argue…but on this point I will

The dough needs to be elastic and smooth…that only happens with the correct kneading. Anywho…..

After you have KNEADED the dough, place in a greased bowl and turn over so the greased side is up.

Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm place for at least an hour, or until doubled in size.

Punch dough down and divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 15-20″ rope.

Now here’s where I can’t control myself….Some people are fine with plain pretzels, but nooooo not me…I can’t leave anything plain.

So for these pretzels, I pulled out some goat cheese and onions.

I caramelized the onions in a small pat of butter, some leftover beer from the dough, and sprinkled on some sugar at the end. I’ll let the picture do the rest of the talkin’

I allowed the onions to dry on paper towels in order to get them nice and crisp.

After the dough ropes were rolled, I flattened each out and sprinkled on little bits of goat cheese and added some onion pieces. I folded the dough back over the filling and pinched to seal.

I realize this is a little bit of a pain but OH MAN is it worth it. Fill with whatever your heart desires…or simply add some ingredients to the tops of your pretzels in a later step.

Grabbing the ends of the ropes, twist into the shape of a pretzel and set aside.

Grease two baking sheets and set aside.

When all your pretzels are shaped….Place the HOT water and baking soda in a pie plate and quickly dip each pretzel in the water and place on the greased sheets.

Cover with towels and allow to rise again for 20 minutes in a warm area.

Brush the pretzels with beaten egg and add toppings if desired. I sprinkled some more crispy onions on the ones with goat cheese inside, and also made some with pepperoni and jalapeno slices. Ahhhh mazing!

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. If you have left your pretzels plain, brush them with a little melted butter after removing them from the oven. If you have toppings on them, you will just brush them off by adding the butter so skip that step.

Allow them to cool slightly….IF YOU CAN!

To make this one cloud under heaven, I made a Beer and Cheese fondue to dip these puppies in.

1 lb. shredded sharp cheddar

1 tablespoon flour

1 1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard

several dashes of tabasco

1 cup beer (whoever said less is more was crazy)

2 teaspoons worcestershire

~Mix the flour with the cheese. Bring beer to a medium boil in a sauce pot. Slowly add handfuls of cheese and allow to melt with each addition. When you have completely melted all of the cheese, add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Keep on a low heat until serving.

Here are the pretzels…You can make them plain and simple, fancy, or absolutely crazy…the possibilities are endless (especially if you’re drinking the beer)

Signing Off,

Modern Mrs. Cleaver

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