Outside The Box: Beer Soft Pretzels

If you read my past post on beer bread, you know that I am currently facing the challenge of getting rid of a refrigerator full of beer.  I’m serious thinking about giving everyone a loaf of beer bread for Christmas.

 

While cleaning out my pantry I stumbled upon a box of Auntie Anne's pretzel mix.  My neighbor says that Auntie Anne’s are dessert pretzels.  She is from Philadelphia and grew up on the Philly Pretzel Factory, which are “real pretzels” to her.  To me a pretzel is a pretzel but she will argue that point.  Beer and pretzels make a good combo right?  That’s what I thought.  The beer I used was made by the Dark House Brewing Company and was called Artic Dekoorc Eert.  Honestly I picked that beer because of the picture on the label, a zombie with a chainsaw.

Soft pretzels are the best right after they have been brushed with butter and are still warm from the oven.  You don’t get the same outside crust with soft and fluffy dough inside the day after.  So don't feel bad if you eat them all in one night.  The beer gave the pretzels a nice citrus flavor with a just the right amount of sweetness. Pair these pretzels with a hot and cheesy dip and you have the perfect weekend snack.

Beer Soft Pretzels
Yields: 8-10 large pretzels
Prep Time: 40-50 minutes
Bake Time: 8-10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 box of soft pretzel mix (should include a packet of yeast, flour, salt, and baking soda)
• 1 1/4 cups of beer, any kind
• 4 cup hot water
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Method:

1. In a medium bowl, dissolve the yeast from the mix with lukewarm beer. (I heated the beer for 30 seconds in the microwave).  Let set for 2 minutes until it begins to foam.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add yeast mixture to the flour packet from the mix.  Continue to mix the dough of low spend for about 1 minute.  Increase the speed to medium low and continue to mix for another 4 minutes, until the dough forms a soft and smooth ball.
3. Coat a medium bowl with oil and place dough into the ball, cover with plastic and rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.  This works best in a warm place.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
5. After dough has doubled in size, turn out onto work surface.  Roll dough into desired shapes.  You can create pretzel sticks or the normal pretzel shape.
6. After you have shaped your pretzels, in a medium bowl dissolve the baking soda packet into the 4 cups of hot water.  Quickly dip each pretzel into the solution and drain off the excess before placing onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
7. Sprinkle with salt and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Once out of the oven brush pretzels with melted butter and enjoy!

Quick and Easy Beer Bread

After my brother’s engagement party, my family was left with an almost full refrigerator of beer.  So it has been a constant battle to get rid of the beer by either giving it away (which no one seems to want) or cooking with it.  Drinking it is out of the question.   We aren’t beer drinkers at all.

One of the most clever ways to get rid of a bottle of beer is to make beer bread.  All it take is flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, butter, and beer, plus any addition ingredients to add a unique flavor.  I added lemon zest to compliment the beer I used, but you could add bacon, cheddar, onions, or various herbs.  It is really up to you what you want it to taste like.

This was the best beer bread that I have ever had.  Because of the 1/2 stick of butter you pour on top, the bread was super buttery and delicious.  It also wasn't dense like most beer bread can be, it was light and fluffy with a great texture.  

Quick and Easy Beer Bread

Adapted from Dine and Dash

Yield: 1 (9”x5”) loaf

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Bake Time: 50-55 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 12 ounces beer, any kind
• 1/2 stick butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and lemon zest.
3. Add beer and stir until well incorporated. Be careful not to over mix.
4. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray and pour batter into pan, the batter will be lumpy.
5. Pour melted butter over the top of the batter.
6. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until golden brown, and a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan.