Beer Infused Bavarian Soft Pretzels with Jalapeno Cheddar Dip
Beer Infused Bavarian Pretzels! Yeasty soft pretzels get an extra boost of flavor from a cup of beer in the dough. Serve with a warm Jalapeno Cheddar Dip or a squiggle of mustard. Of course they go perfectly with a cold beer.
I figured if beer is so good with a pretzel, it should also be good in a pretzel.
This recipe was adapted from the many recipes I found on-line, switching out most of the water for beer. The beer gives the pretzels a really nice flavor.
Don’t skip boiling the pretzels in the baking-soda-water since that’s what gives a pretzel the singular crust and color that makes it a pretzel rather than a roll with a funny shape.
You can see how to shape and handle the pretzels in the photos in this post. The only other word of caution is to make sure to oil the parchment paper.
Normally nothing sticks to parchment – I’m not sure why, but the pretzels stuck like crazy when I baked them on un-oiled parchment. If you have a silpat that may work, but I didn’t try it so can’t say for sure.
Scroll through the process photos to see how to make Beer Infused Soft Pretzels:
Jalapeno Cheddar Dip is the prefect partner for these pretzels. You can leave out the jalapeno if you don’t want any heat.
You can also serve Beer Infused Bavarian Soft Pretzels with your favorite mustard or dip. So pour yourself a cold-one and enjoy!
You might also like these Pumpkin Spice Ale Soft Pretzels.
If you’ve got a Sourdough Starter, try these wonderful Sourdough Soft Pretzels.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a star rating and a quick comment. Ratings and comments help my recipes show in search results. Thanks!
Beer Infused Bavarian Soft Pretzels and Jalapeno Cheddar Dip
Ingredients
Pretzels
- 4 oz warm water (½ cup)
- 8 oz beer (1 cup, room temperature)
- 1 ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast
- 17 ½ oz unbleached all-purpose flour (3 ½ cups, see note)
- 2 ½ oz baking soda (⅓ cup (for boiling))
- 1 egg white (lightly whisked)
- salt and seeds for garnish
Jalapeno Cheddar Dip
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 8 oz whole milk (1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon brown mustard
- 6 oz sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 fresh jalapeno (stem and seeds removed, minced)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine4 oz warm water, 8 oz beer, 1 ½ teaspoon table salt, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast and 2 cups of the flour. Mix with the paddle on low speed until it forms a thick batter.
- If using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook. Add the remaining flour and mix until the dough gathers on the hook and clears the sides of the bowl. If mixing by hand add the flour using a wooden spoon and/or a plastic bowl scraper. Knead the dough for 5 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
- Dump the dough onto a floured surface and knead to form a smooth ball. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to double in volume, about 1 – 1½ hours.
- Combine the 2 quarts of water 2 ½ oz baking soda in a large pot. Bring the water to a boil while shaping the pretzels. Preheat the oven to 475 °F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and coat the parchment paper with vegetable oil
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces
- Shape each piece into a rope. Using flat hands, roll the dough back and forth moving your hands in opposite directions from the middle of the rope towards either end. If the dough gets sticky dip your hands in flour and continue. The dough should stick to the surface just a little so that the friction will allow you to pull the dough into a long rope. The longer and thinner the rope the more open the pretzel shape will be. Try to get the rope to about 20"-24"
- To form a pretzel lift the dough rope on either end and allow the middle to sit on the surface, forming a "U" shape. Twist the ends of the rope together 2x and fold the twist over and rest on the center of the "U". Lift the pretzel by the two top loops and place on the oiled parchment paper.
- Once the baking soda water is boiling drop a few pretzels into the water for 30 seconds. (Don't overcrowd the pan).
- Set the boiled pretzels onto a cooling rack and allow them the drain while you boil the remaining pretzels.
- Transfer the pretzels to the baking sheets (lined with oiled parchment). Brush each pretzel with egg white and sprinkle with coarse salt, and seeds of your choice.
- Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes, turning the sheets halfway through baking so they brown evenly.
- Enjoy them warm with Jalapeno Cheddar Dip, mustard, or your favorite pretzel dip.
Jalapeno Cheddar Dip
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon all purpose flour and whisk until it forms a thick paste. Whisk in 1 teaspoon brown mustard. Whisk in 8 oz whole milk, about ¼ cup at a time until the sauce is smooth and lump free. Turn off the heat and add 6 oz sharp cheddar cheese all at once. Stir to melt the cheese. Add 1 fresh jalapeno and stir. Serve warm with warm pretzels.
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Notes
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Looks amazing! Can I use sourdough instead of instant yeast? If yes, how many grams? I normally use 120 gr of sourdough (it’s « levain » – sorry I don’t know how to say it in English!- and not a liquid sourdough) for 500gr of flour. Does this sound ok? Thanks a lot! Love your receipes!
I have a Sourdough Pretzel recipe. You can follow that and just replace the water with the beer.
These sound (and look) amazing! I have yet to try my hand at soft pretzels so I will definitely be giving these a try (although I suspect my husband will insist that I shape them like Philadelphia-style soft pretzels!).
I hope you try them, Julie. The beer gives them an extra special flavor, no matter how you shape them.