Homemade pretzels do take a little extra effort but the pay off is worth it. Especially when you use beer instead of water.
I may never make pretzels with water ever again. The smells that were wafting through the air while I prepared these things… dude. Thankfully those smells were not deceiving because they tasted just as good. These were made for a friend’s fondue party last weekend. Originally I had planned on making a Guinness cheese dip to pair with them but decided the cheese fondue would be sufficient. And oh it was. A few people dunked the entire thing into the cheese resulting in what looked like a heavily frosted cinnamon roll. And now I want to make savory pretzel cinnamon rolls. This is how my brain works folks.
One year ago: Reuben Mac & Cheese
Two years ago: Nutella & Oreo Car Bomb Lasagna
Three years ago: Small Batch Green Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Six years ago: Nutella Fruit Dip
GUINNESS SOFT PRETZELS
Makes 16 large or 32 miniature
Ingredients:
2 cups warm (100-110°F) Guinness stout beer
3 Tbsp sugar, divided
1 packet (2-1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp canola or olive oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1 egg lightly beaten with 1 Tbsp water
Coarse salt
Directions:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or a large bowl) stir together warm beer and 1 tablespoon sugar (will foam up, allow foam to settle). Sprinkle with yeast, and let sit 10 minutes or until foamy.
- Add 1 cup flour to yeast and mix on low until combined (alternatively in a large bowl stir with wooden spoon). Add salt and 4 cups more flour, and mix until combined. Beat on medium-low until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Add another 1/2 cup flour if the dough is still sticky, and knead until combined and smooth.
- Pour oil into a large bowl and swirl to coat sides. Transfer dough to bowl, turning dough to completely cover all sides. Cover with a kitchen towel, and leave in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size.
- Heat oven to 450°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Punch down dough to remove bubbles. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Knead once or twice, divide into 16 pieces for large or 32 for miniature pretzels. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Roll one piece of dough at a time into an 18-inch-long strip for large or 10-inch for miniature. Twist into pretzel shape; transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Let pretzels rest until they rise slightly, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, fill large, shallow pot with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Add baking soda and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and reduce to a simmer. Add three to four pretzels to water and poach 1 minute on each side. Use slotted spoon to transfer pretzels to prepared baking sheets. Continue until all pretzels are poached.
- Brush pretzels with egg mixture and sprinkle with salt. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack, or eat warm*.
* Pretzels are best when eaten the same day, but will keep at room temperature, loosely covered, for two days. Do not store in a tightly covered container or they will become soggy.
Source: Adapted slightly from my Homemade Soft Pretzels.
4 comments
These pretzels are looking so delicious and mouth watery. I too agree making them is tiring job but they are worth it. Being a baking lover I can prepare this dish after a lot pain also.
OMGGGG! I just make pretzels for the first time last week and homemade pretzels are INSANE. I can’t even imagine how delicious they’d be using Guiness. This is total genius :)
I’ve never paid attention to pretzel-making before (it’s the beer that got me), and I find it interesting that they have the poaching in common with bagel making. Now I need an occasion to make them for, since they won’t keep long enough for us to eat them at a reasonable pace. :-)
Yes very similar to bagels! And are you saying that eating the entire batch yourself isn’t reasonable? O:-) Haha you could freeze them.