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Sourdough Soft Pretzels with Stout Beer Cheese Dip

Do you still need an appetizer for the 4th? Here’s one that will make a hit with your friends and family – Sourdough pretzels and dip!

I made the pretzels into sticks. They are a more manageable portion and so much easier to push into the thick, cheesy, beer and mustard dip!

What you need:

Pretzels

Dip

How to Do it:

To make the pretzels – 

Mix the starter, sugar, salt, yeast and beer. Cover and let sit in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

 

 

 

 

Melt the butter. Stir 2 ½ flour into the starter mixture and slowly mix in the cooled, melted butter. Gently knead to mix all the ingredients together well. You should have a moist, but firm roll of dough. If it’s too wet, add the remaining flour.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk. Depending on the weather, this could take anywhere from 3 hours to overnight (sourdough rises slowly).

When it has doubled, turn out onto a floured surface and knead 9 – 10 times to make a smooth dough. Return to a clean bowl, cover and let rise another hour or two. It won’t rise a lot this time.

Turn out onto a floured board and roll to about ¾ to 1 inch thick. Cut the dough into strips – 1 inch wide and 4 inches long.

 

 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 450°.

Bring the water to a boil and add the baking soda. When there is a rolling boil, gently add the pretzel sticks, one at a time, and boil for about 1 minute. They will come up to the top when they are ready.

Remove from the water and drain on a clean dish towel. Place the strips on a baking sheet. Brush the tops with the egg, then the salt.

Place in a preheated oven for about 10 – 15 minutes, until they are a rich, golden brown. Set on a cooling rack when done.

While the pretzels are baking, make the cheese dip.

Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan. Stir in the flour and cook until the flour is just slightly starting to brown. Using a whisk, stir in the beer, paprika, and mustard.

 

When it is blended, add the milk and continue to whisk until it is all mixed together and starting to thicken.

With a wooden spoon, stir in the cheese and continue to stir until it is all melted. You can add salt and pepper to taste if you like. Also, a touch of cayenne is also good.

Serve the warm pretzels and sauce together, or store airtight in the refrigerator and reheat.

Makes about 12 pretzels.

Note: the alcohol cooks out of both the pretzels and the dip, leaving behind the rich malty flavors of the beer.

© Copyright 2018 The Lazy Gastronome

 

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