Soft Beer Pretzels Food

SOFT BEER PRETZELS WITH BEER CHEESE DIP

Steps:

• Warm the beer to 110-115°F.
• In a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, add the warm beer, sugar, kosher salt, then sprinkle the yeast on top. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes, or until it starts to get foamy.
• Add the butter and the flour. Turn the mixer to low to medium speed and mix until dough comes together.
• Increase the mixer speed to medium and knead for 4-5 minutes. Dough should be smooth and clinging to the dough hook (not stuck to the side of the bowl).
• In a clean bowl, add enough oil to coat the inside of the bowl (can spray with cooking spray or add about 1 teaspoon of oil and brush to coat inside of bowl) Quickly form the dough into a ball and place in the bowl, turning once to coat the dough in oil.
• Cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel, then allow to rise for about 1 hour, until dough has doubled in size.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Line two baking sheets (Use silpat or parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray)
• In a large pot, bring 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a boil.
• Meanwhile, shape pretzels. Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled surface and divide into 8 pieces. Flatten each piece into a rectangle, then roll into a cigar shape. Pinch the seams together. Then roll the dough out into a 24 inch rope. Bring the two ends of the rope up to form a "U" shape. Twist the two end pieces around each other once, then cross the end pieces back down to the bottom of the "U" to complete the pretzel shape. (See above photo)
• When all pretzels are shaped, add them 2 at a time to the pot of boiling water, allow them to boil for 30 seconds. Then remove from the water with a spider or large spatula and place on the baking sheets.
• Brush each pretzel with the egg mixture and sprinkle with kosher salt.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes or until browned.
• Serve with beer cheese dip (below)
• Preheat oven to 350°F
• In a medium bowl, stir cream cheese until smooth. Add the grated cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup of the grated mozzarella, stir to combine.
• Add the garlic powder, beer and hot sauce, stir until completely mixed.
• Pour into a baking dish* and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of mozzarella on top.
• Bake for about 15 minutes or until melted and top is golden.
• Garnish with chopped parsley if desired and serve.

SOFT BEER PRETZEL NUGGETS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, heat beer to 110°-115°; remove from heat. Stir in yeast until dissolved. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, salt, yeast mixture and 3 cups flour; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Preheat oven to 425°. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide and shape into 8 balls. Roll each into a 12-in. rope. Cut each rope into 1-in. pieces., In a Dutch oven, bring 10 cups water and baking soda to a boil. Drop nuggets, 12 at a time, into boiling water. Cook for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain well on paper towels., Place on greased baking sheets. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water; brush over pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt if desired. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to a wire rack to cool. Freeze option: Freeze cooled pretzel nuggets in airtight containers. To use, thaw at room temperature or, if desired, microwave on high 20-30 seconds or until heated through.

SOFT BEER PRETZELS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, heat beer to 110°-115°; remove from heat. Stir in yeast until dissolved. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, yeast mixture and 3 cups flour; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Preheat oven to 425°. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide and shape into 8 balls. Roll each into a 24-in. rope. Curve ends of each rope to form a circle; twist ends once and lay over opposite side of circle, pinching ends to seal., In a Dutch oven, bring water and baking soda to a boil. Drop pretzels, 2 at a time, into boiling water. Cook 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain well on paper towels., Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and water; brush over pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt if desired. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Remove from pans to a wire rack to cool. , Freeze option: Freeze cooled pretzels in freezer containers. To use, thaw at room temperature or microwave each pretzel on high until heated through, 20-30 seconds.

SOFT PRETZELS

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, mix 2 tablespoons warm water with the yeast to dissolve it. Then stir in the remaining warm water and brown sugar. Place bowl on a mixer and using a dough hook, gradually add the flour and continue mixing until it forms a ball. Turn it out onto a work surface and knead the dough to make it smooth. Use enough flour on your work surface so the dough is not sticky.
• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
• Butter 2 sheet pans. Bring 2 quarts of water and the baking soda to boil in a large saucepan. Cut dough up into golf ball size pieces. Then roll them into 1/2-inch thick worms. Form a U then cross the ends, twisting at the middle. Fold the ends back down to meet the U (which is now an O) and press to secure the dough. Drop it into the boiling water for 30 seconds then fish it out and place it on the greased sheet pan. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown.

BEER CHEESE AND SOFT PRETZEL BITES

Steps:

• Make the soft pretzel bites: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a cooling rack covered with paper towels.
• Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large stockpot. (It may seem like a small amount of water for a large pot, but once you add baking soda it'll foam up.)
• While the water comes to a boil, place the dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 4 equal pieces. Roll each portion into a long rope. Cut the ropes into 1-inch pieces.
• When the water is boiling, add the baking soda and sugar. Cook the dough pieces, in batches, for 30 seconds. Drain on the paper towels.
• Whisk together the egg yolk and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Dip the tops of the pretzels in the egg wash and sprinkle with salt. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake until the pretzel bites are nicely browned, 9 to 10 minutes.
• For the beer cheese: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook until foamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the beer until the mixture is smooth, then add the half-and-half. Simmer until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and House Seasoning. Gradually add the cheese and stir until smooth. Season to taste. Serve the pretzel bites with the beer cheese.
• Stir together the garlic and onion powders, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container.

THE BEST PHILADELPHIA SOFT PRETZELS EVER

Steps:

• In mixing bowl add warm water and yeast. Stir until the yeast is completely dissolved.
• Add the sugar. Stir. Gradually stir in the flour. The dough will become stiff and dry. That's what you want.
• Sprinkle some flour on the counter or on a board. Flour your hands, too. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes.
• Form the dough into a ball. Place the ball of dough back in the bowl and cover the bowl with a dish towel. Let the dough rise in a warm, dark place for at least 30 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.
• While the dough rises, heat the oven to 400F degrees. Grease or butter a cookie sheet.
• Fill a saucepan half full of water, add the baking soda, and bring the water to a slow boil.
• When the dough is finished rising, put it on a floured surface. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough into a square shape, about 1/4-1/2 inch (6-10 mm) thick. Cut the dough into 1/2-inch (or so) wide strips. They don't have to be perfect.
• Twist each strip into a pretzel shape, pinching the ends so they don't fall apart. Be careful not to let the strips stretch too thin as you handle them.
• Place a pretzel on a spatula and lower it into the boiling water for 5-10 seconds. It will puff up and float. Use the spatula to remove the pretzel from the water. Place the pretzel on the greased cookie sheet. Repeat this with the other pretzels.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg for 1 minute. Use a pastry brush to coat the top of each pretzel with the egg. Sprinkle salt over the pretzels.
• Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Serve with warmed mustard or melted cheese. YUM!

TRADITIONAL SOFT PRETZELS

Steps:

• Mixing and proofing:
• Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl. Add the barley malt syrup, stirring until it is dissolved. Allow the yeast to bloom until it is foamy, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the flour, beer, butter, and salt and continue stirring to form a shaggy mass. Attach the bowl and the dough hook to the stand mixer and begin kneading on medium-low speed. After about 1 minute the dough will form a smooth ball. The dough should be quite firm and may be slightly tacky, but not sticky. (If it is sticky, add a little more flour, about 1 tbsp at a time, and knead it in until the dough is smooth. If the dough is too dry to come together, add more water, 1 tsp at a time.) Continue kneading the dough on medium-low speed until it is elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Alternatively, turn the shaggy dough out onto an unfloured work surface and knead it by hand.
• Choose a bowl that will be large enough to contain the dough after it has doubled in size, and grease it lightly with butter. Transfer the dough to the greased bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Put the dough in the refrigerator to rise for at least 8 hours, and up to 24 hours, for optimal flavor.
• For quick pretzels, allow the dough to rise at room temperature (in a warm spot) until it has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Shaping:
• Line two 12-by-17-in/30.5-by-43-cm rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
• Turn the dough out onto an unfloured work surface and firmly press it down to deflate. To form the classic pretzel shape, cut the dough into eight equal portions. Work with one piece of dough at a time and keep the rest covered with a damp, clean kitchen towel. Pat a piece of dough down with your fingertips to form a rough rectangle about 3 1/2 by 5 1/2 in/9 by 14 cm. Beginning on a long side, roll the dough up tightly, forming it into a little loaf. Pinch the seam together. Shape the dough into a rope by rolling it against the work surface with your palms and applying mild pressure, working from the center of the dough out to the ends. If you need more friction, spray the counter with a little water from a squirt bottle or drizzle a few drops of water and spread it with your hand. Once you can feel that the dough rope doesn't want to stretch any farther (usually when it is between 12 to 16 in/30.5 to 40.5 cm long), set it aside to rest and begin shaping another piece in the same manner. Repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough.
• Return to the first dough rope and continue rolling it out to a length of 24 to 28 in/61 to 71 cm, leaving the center about 1 in/2.5 cm in diameter and tapering the ends thinly by applying a little more pressure as you work your way out. Position the dough rope into a U shape, with the ends pointing away from you. Holding an end in each hand, cross the ends about 3 in/7.5 cm from the tips and then cross them again. Fold the ends down and press them into the U at about 4 and 8 o'clock, allowing about 1/4 in/6 mm of the ends to overhang. Place the pretzel on one of the prepared baking sheets and cover it with a damp towel. Repeat this process with the remaining dough, spacing out the pretzels on the baking sheets at least 1 in/2.5 cm apart and covering them with a damp towel.
• Allow the covered pretzels to rise at warm room temperature until they have increased in size by about half, 20 to 30 minutes. (The pretzels can be refrigerated at this point, covered tightly with plastic wrap, for up to 8 hours before dipping and baking them.)
• At least 20 minutes before baking, position one rack in the upper third and another rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 500°F/260°C/gas 10.
• Dipping:
• Prepare the lye solution or baked baking soda solution.
• Use a large skimmer to gently dip the pretzels in the lye or baked baking soda solution, one or two at a time. Leave them in the solution for about 20 seconds, carefully turning once after 10 seconds. Remove the pretzels from the liquid, drain, and return them to the baking sheets, spacing them at least 1 in/2.5 cm apart. If the ends come detached, simply reposition them. Repeat with the remaining pretzels.
• Topping and baking:
• Use a sharp paring knife or razor blade to cut a slit about 1/4 in/6 mm deep in the thickest part of each pretzel (the bottom of the U). Top them as you choose, if desired. Bake the pretzels until they are deep mahogany in color, 8 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Transfer the pretzels to a rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving. The pretzels are best enjoyed the day they are made, ideally warm from the oven or within an hour of being baked.
• Storing:
• To store the pretzels, allow them to cool completely and then wrap each one individually in plastic wrap. Store them at room temperature for up to 2 days, or put the plastic-wrapped pretzels in a resealable plastic freezer bag and freeze them for up to 1 month. Reheat the pretzels in a 350°F/180°C/gas 4 oven for about 5 minutes, or for 10 to 12 minutes if frozen.