What goes together better than beer and pretzels? Not much that I can think of! That’s why I put them together into one delicious recipe. I’m always looking for new ways to combine fun flavors, and this pretzel was a delicious success.
—ALYSSA WILHITE WHITEHOUSE, TX
PREP: 1 HOUR + RISING • BAKE: 10 MIN. • MAKES: 8 PRETZELS
1 bottle (12 ounces) amber beer or nonalcoholic beer
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
TOPPING
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
Coarse salt
1. In a small saucepan, heat the 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).
2. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 425°. Punch the dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide and shape into eight 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.
4. In a Dutch oven, bring water and baking soda to a boil. Drop pretzels, two at a time, into boiling water. Cook 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain well on paper towels.
5. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and water; brush over pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to a wire rack to cool.
FREEZE OPTION Freeze cooled pretzels in resealable plastic freezer bags. To use, thaw pretzels at room temperature or, if desired, microwave each pretzel on high 20-30 seconds or until heated through.