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Easy Soft Pretzels with Beer Cheese

  • Yield: 6-12 pretzels 1x

Ingredients

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Easy Soft Pretzels

  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (1 packet)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup baking soda, dissolved in 4 cups warm water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • Pretzel, kosher, or coarse sea salt

Beer Cheese Dip

  • 4 ounces cheese (try cheddar, Jack, mozzarella)
  • 2 ounces low fat cream cheese
  • 2 ounces beer
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Optional: 1 teaspoon hot sauce or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Garnish: Chopped parsley, chives, or green onions

Instructions

Easy Soft Pretzels

  1. Preheat oven to 425F. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water (I like to use a whisk).
  3. Mix in salt and flour, one cup at a time. If the dough is still sticky, add more flour 1/4 cup at a time. Dough should bounce back when you poke it with two fingers.
  4. Knead for about 3 minutes, either in the stand mixer or on a clean, floured counter. Form into a ball.
  5. Use a bench scraper to cut dough into equal pieces. 6 pieces will give almost mall-sized pretzels; 12 will produce modest, single-serving sized pretzels.
  6. Roll each piece into a skinny rope and form into the shape of your choice. Place each pretzel on the baking sheet.
  7. Use a slotted spatula or other utensil to dip pretzels one by one briefly into baking soda water. Place back on the baking sheet.
  8. Brush pretzels with egg wash (optional: turn and brush the bottoms also). Sprinkle generously with salt.
  9. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn heat up to broil and broil for 1-2 minutes, or until tops are perfectly golden-brown. Remove to cool on a wire rack.

Beer Cheese Dip

  1. In a medium bowl, stir cream cheese until smooth. Mix in remaining ingredients. If desired, top with a little extra cheese for effect.
  2. Pour into an oven-safe serving dish. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until everything is melted and cheese on top starts to turn golden.
  3. Allow to cool a bit before topping with chopped herbs and serving with warm pretzels!