You know that smell when you walk by an Auntie Anne’s Pretzels stall in the mall? If you’re anything like me, it’s a pretty hard smell to resist. Buttery baked dough heaven is what I call that smell. Well today, I am going to share with you a recipe to make your own soft pretzels at home, but with a twist (ha get it.). These pretzels are made with beer and are a little more reminiscent of those I remember from our fun beer garden days in New York. (Seems so long ago there was a time we were fun and used to enjoy long, relaxing days with friends at the beer garden.)
Well, those beer garden days might be over (for now) but that doesn’t mean we have to also miss out on the delicious, soft beer pretzels. Now we can enjoy them at home with a few staple ingredients and not much time at all. I hadn’t made pretzels in forever and I was surprised at how quick and easy these were to make. The dough was a dream to work with and Mr. T and Miss Sparkle had fun helping me punch and knead it. And Mr. T couldn’t get over the fact there was beer in the recipe and he was actually going to be allowed to eat some. (Don’t worry, the alcohol bakes off.). And for those who might say they don’t like the taste of beer (I’m one of those people….gasp,) you don’t really taste it.
Besides the beer, the rest of the ingredients are pretty straight forward and consist of staples like flour, salt, sugar, butter, an egg and half a cup of baking soda. If yeast is hard to come by during these days of heavy bread baking by everyone at home across the world, I definitely suggest trying these as soon as you can get your hands on some. They have been the quarantine snack of dreams for us this week. In fact, my oldest said, “these aren’t a snack, this is a treat!” Dip them in mustard, ketchup, cheese sauce or eat alone. Trust me, any which way they are absolutely scrumptious.
The recipe makes for 8 “classic” sized soft pretzels but you can make them smaller (or bigger) as you wish. You can bake them all off at once and then store the leftovers, if there are any, at room temperature for a couple days or in the fridge a bit longer. They re-heat up beautifully in the oven. I haven’t yet tried freezing the shaped, unbaked dough and baking later, but I will report back once I do. I’m inclined to say it should work.
Soft Beer Pretzels
Ingredients
- 12 oz beer
- 1 pak (2 1/4 tsps) instant yeast
- 4 cups (512g) all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
- 1 1/2 tsps kosher salt
- 2 tsps brown sugar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsps butter, melted & slightly cooled
For the hot water bath:
- 9 cups water
- 1/2 cup baking soda
For the tops:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp water
- coarse sea salt
Instructions
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Heat the beer in a small saucepan to between about 110-112F (a little warmer than lukewarm.) Then stir in the yeast until dissolved and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, add about 3 cups of flour, the salt, sugars, melted butter and beer/ yeast mixture and mix on low until smooth.
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Start to slowly add in the remaining flour until it forms a a soft, slightly sticky dough, using a little more flour as necessary. (The dough shoudn't really stick to the sides of the bowl.)
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Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 6 minutes. Then place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turning over once to coat the top. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area for about an hour or until it doubles in size.
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Towards the end of the proofing time, preheat the oven to 425F/ 218C and line two sheet trays with parchment paper. Put the 9 cups of water and 1/2 cup of baking soda into a large pot and bring to a boil.
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Once the dough has doubled, punch the dough slightly and place onto a lightly oiled surface. Evenly divide into 8 pieces.
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To shape the pretzels, roll each piece into a 24" rope. Shape into a wide U, start to make a heart and then twist the two ends over eachother and criss-cross down into the classic pretzel shape, pushing the ends into the dough a little to secure. (see below pictures)
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Once all the pretzels are shaped, carefully drop 2 pretzels at a time into the boiling baking soda water for 30 seconds. (be sure not to leave longer than 30 seconds or the taste will be negatively affected.) Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a piece of parchment paper while you finish the rest.
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Transfer the pretzels to the prepared baking trays. Then make an egg wash by whisking the egg yolk and tablespoon of water.
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Brush the tops of each pretzel with the eggwash and give a generous sprinkling of the course sea salt. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 -14 minutes until golden brown. Cool slightly on a wire rack and enjoy with your dip of choice.
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Store leftover pretzels in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, in the refrigerator for 5 days or in the freezer for a few weeks. Pop in the oven to re-heat.
This recipe makes such amazing savory pretzels! I was nervous about working with dough but it really was easy to work with and a fun way to satisfy a craving. I’ll be making these again.