How To Make Pub Style Soft Pretzels:
You will start with a simple yeast mixture of warm water, active dry yeast and honey in a small bowl. Allow the yeast mixture to proof, about 10 minutes.
Next, in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flour, ½ cup sugar and salt and mix the ingredients. Then you will add the melted butter. Gently add the yeast mixture and mix on medium low speed for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit in a warm spot for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
During the winter months, I like to turn my oven on warm and place the bowl on top of the stove. Generally I have noticed when making bread, my rise time is closer to the 2 hour mark. If you live in a cold, dry climate as well, it will most likely take longer than an hour to double in size.
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to release any air. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and empty out the dough onto the clean work surface. Divide the dough into 12 equal size balls. Roll each ball out into a 18-24 inch long rope and twist into a traditional pretzel shape.
I used a ruler to make sure I was rolling out the ropes long enough. If theyre not rolled out around 18-24 inches, the pretzels will be harder to twist.
Make sure all the pretzels are made and shaped before moving onto the boiling water step.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper so that they are ready.
Why We Love This Recipe
Not only can you dip soft pretzels into this beer cheese sauce, but you can spread it onto burgers and sandwiches, or use it as a cheese fondue recipe! Keep it warm in a mini Crock Pot — you know, those cute little tiny sized ones that are perfect for most hot dips! OR, serve it cold as a pub-style beer cheese. It will be thicker and more solid when cold, but still yummy!
We absolutely LOVE this beer cheese dip and always look forward to a reason to make it and serve it with friends. It’s easy to whip up and serve immediately, or store in the fridge until ready to quickly re-heat in the microwave!
Best Beer For Cheese Dip
What kind of beer do you like best? Then that is the beer you should use!
- Dark Beers like stouts, and malts will produce deep and bitter flavor.
- Light Beers like ales and IPAs will give a lighter kind of flavor .
- Non-Alcoholic beers work just fine in this recipe too!
Consider what you are serving with the dip and choose the flavor from there! The darker beers are best with pretzels, pretzel sticks, tortilla chips, and bread. For the lighter-flavored version, use carrot sticks, broccoli and cauliflower florets or zucchini rounds.
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Why We Love These Pub Style Soft Pretzels With Stout Beer Cheese Sauce:
With the super bowl right around the corner, these pretzels are PERFECT to serve up as a fun appetizer. Trust me. This is a recipe you need in your life. I mean, sometimes you just need bread and a cheese sauce to go with it Right!? YES. All the carbs and all these cheese, please! If there is one food I wish I could eat all the time without gaining weight, it would be bread. And cheese. So together? Quite possibly the best combo EVER.
Will you be watching the super bowl? Honestly, I dont follow football much. I do enjoy a live football game, and of course all the pub style food to go along with the game watching.
Football was huge in my home growing up, so I do have a lot of fond memories. Each fall the sound of a football game would usually always be on in the background, which now always feels homey and nostalgic. My dad also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers pre season, which is always something I like to brag about on his behalf. My dad is super cool.
So with the super bowl right around the corner, these pub style soft pretzels are the best carb induced appetizer to serve up! And of course, the stout beer sauce is a must as well. Because cheese makes everything better. Yup. Its a scientific fact.
So lets get to some of the basics..
Best Salt For Soft Pretzels
After boiling for 10 to 20 seconds or so. sprinkle with salt and bake as described in the recipe below. Next time I do this I am investing in pretzel salt. Here is an affiliate link to coarse pretzel salt on Amazon. I couldnt find it in any of my local stores.
I had 3 different kinds of salt in my kitchen and none seemed just right for decorating my homemade pretzels!
The rock salt was a touch too big so I smashed it with a mallet in a plastic bag before sprinkling it on. Great way to get out a little frustration and anger, however, I think the grains of salt were still a tad too big.
These homemade pretzels were incredibly easy to make and even though they took a couple of hours, most of it was rising or baking. The actual hands-on work is very minimal.
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How To Make Beer Cheese Dip
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the step-by-step on how to make this beer cheese dip. The general steps are as follows:
How To Make German Cheese Dip
This is the really easy part: all we do is put all the ingredients in a saucepan, and heat. The key is to heat over medium-low to medium heat, stirring very often to prevent scorching and to check that the heat is not too high. It doesnt take long for the beer and cream to heat and the cheese to melt.
Once the mixture is melty smooth, we continue to heat at the same temperature to allow the beer cheese to just start to bubble. After a few minutes, this makes the cream thicken . This way, our beer cheese gets nice and gloriously creamy perfect without us having to make a roux with butter and flour.
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How Do You Shape Pretzels
The dough for these homemade pretzels is fairly dense and a tad bit salty. You will mix the ingredients and let the dough rise once.
The original recipe says you get 12 pretzels but I divided it into 9 pieces and made fairly large ones. Each section of dough is rolled into a 20-inch rope before being shaped into the traditional pretzel shape.
Make a U shape, draw the ends back down towards you, leaving two loops at the top, twist, and press the ends into the bottom of the pretzel as shown.
I have seen videos of people doing this where they are practically throwing the dough up in the air and twirling it around but I am nowhere near that skilled!
How Long Will It Last In The Fridge
This beer cheese dip will last in the fridge for up to 5 days. When ready to reheat, either slowly warm it up on the stove top while whisking, or heat in a microwave safe bowl 30 seconds at a time. Or, serve it cold!
You can make this beer cheese dip recipe ahead of time and store in the fridge to reheat later. Because this beer cheese can be made ahead of time, it is a perfect dip recipe to prepare in advance for any party or gathering!
I hope you love this beer cheese dip as much as we do! We cannot wait to dive in again during the next football game!
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Get The Recipe: Soft Pretzels With Beer Cheese
- 1 1/2cupswater, warmed to 110-115F
- 1Tbspwhite sugar
- 2tspkosher salt, less if using fine salt and a bit less if using salted butter
- 2 1/4tspinstant or active dry yeast
- 4 1/2cupsall-purpose flour, unbleached flour recommended
- 1/4cupunsalted butter, melted
For boiling:
- 1large egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbsp water
For topping:
- 3Tbspall purpose flour
- 1/2cuplager beer
- 1cupmilk, at least 2%
- 1/4 – 1/2tspdry mustard powder
- 1/2tspWorcestershire sauce
- 2 – 2 1/2cupscheddar cheese, grated
- 1/2cupold white cheddar cheese, or other cheese or just more orange cheddar
Do I Have To Use Beer In This Dip
Traditionally, beer is included in beer cheese. If you are uncomfortable with it, you can use apple cider. The taste will be altered, so keep that in mind! If you are worried about serving this to your kids with beer in it, know that once it is cooked during the stove-top process it is safe for your children. They may or may not like the taste, however!
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How To Roll The Pretzel Dough Into A Rope
Working on an un-floured surface, take a ball of dough and stretch it slightly into an oblong shape. Using the palms of both hands, begin rolling in the centre of the dough, then slowly spread your palms apart, rolling out towards the end of the dough rope. Repeat rolling, starting from the centre and rolling outward or if your rope is getting thin in the middle, move your palms over the thicker area and roll from there. Keep rolling until your rope is 24-inches long.
Dont worry if your rope of dough isnt perfectly even. Somehow, the boiling/baking process seems to sort it all out.
Beer Cheese Dip For Pretzels
Homemade pretzels are incomplete without a pub-style cheese dip to dunk into. This beer cheese dip is so creamy and delicious that it will make every bite of homemade soft pretzels even more delicious.
I know you saw a glimpse of this cheese dip yesterday when I shared Soft Pretzels recipe. I decided to share Cheese Dip in separate post because this dip can also be served without pretzels. You can serve it baked soft potato wedges, tortilla chips, or add it over a rustic spinach artichoke pizza.
So I thought, for the versatility of this cheesy dip…. it sure needed a separate spot in my recipe cabinet. What do you say?
That being said, beer Cheese Sauce or dip is a classic pub-style accompaniment to soft pretzels.
What I like the best? How easy it is to make Beer Cheese Sauce. It may sound complicated but really it is 10 minute recipe. Super easy!
I told you yesterday, pretzels take 10 minutes to bake in oven.. remember? My friends, by the time pretzels are out of the oven, the bubbling hot cheese sauce is ready to serve.
Honestly, it can’t get easier than this. You can make cheese sauce up-to a day in advance too. It will still need 1-2 minute to dilute before serving as it gets thicker as it sits in refrigerator. What I suggest? Make fresh, you guys! Just 10 minutes is all it needs.
If you don’t like beer, this cheese dip tastes good even without it. If not adding beer, add some extra liquid to adjust the thickness of sauce.
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Ingredients For Beer Cheese
For this recipe you need just a few simple ingredients along with your favorite tasting beer !
Grocery List for this Recipe:
- Unsalted butter
Do not buy pre-shredded cheese. Instead, buy it in a block and shred at home for best melting results.
for full recipe ingredients and instructions, along with a step-by-step video.
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Classic soft pretzels are easily made at home! Serve them with this easy and delicious Beer Cheese dip, for a great snack.
It may seem like an undertaking to make homemade pretzels, but you can be enjoying these and the beer cheese in just about 2 hours. I dont know too many people who wouldnt want to enjoy this warm-from-the-oven treat!
Enjoy these fresh from the oven or take a rainy day and make them ahead to freeze and enjoy anytime.
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Beer Cheese Pretzel Tart
Acting as a chewy, edible bowl, a puffy pretzel tart base holds our decadent Beer Cheese Filling that packs a triple threat of Gouda, Cheddar, and cream cheese, offering all the wondrous flavors of Oktoberfest. Find more salty and sweet pretzel recipes in our !
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons instant yeast
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- cup whole milk
- cup water, plus more for brushing
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1½ tablespoons hot water
- teaspoon baking soda
- 1 large egg , separated
- Beer Cheese Filling
- 1 tablespoon pretzel salt
- Garnish: chopped fresh chives, ground red pepper
PRO TIP:
Pub Style Soft Pretzels With Stout Beer Cheese Sauce
These pub stye soft pretzels are easy and the best soft pretzels youll EVER make!! Just in time for Super Bowl Sunday- these incredible pub style pretzels are served with a stout beer cheese sauce that is extra cheesy and absolutely perfect.
Happy Monday!!
I hope you all had a good weekend. Ours was extra relaxing and cozy. The winter weather is in full swing, which is a great excuse to have some movie marathons and just cozy up with the family. Some of the best weekends are relaxing.
Now that the weekend is over, I have the BEST scratch made recipe for you to try this week..
I mean, what better way to start your week than with an amazing homemade pretzel recipe?! Seriously guys. these pretzels are DANGEROUSLY delicious and SO fun to make!
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Homemade Pretzels With Beer Cheese
These soft pretzels with German beer cheese dip are soft, tender, and delicious. While making homemade pretzels is time-consuming, it is SO worth the effort, especially for your next Oktoberfest celebration. There is nothing more delicious than fresh-from-the-oven German pretzels dunked in homemade beer cheese.
How To Make Homemade Pretzels
Looking around online, I found tons of recipes for making homemade pretzels. What makes German pretzels unique is how they are made. In fact, soft pretzels are made with yeast dough and that is very similar to bagels.
Just like bagels, once the pretzel dough rises, it gets a bath before heading into the oven. Its the rising, bathing, and baking that gives homemade pretzels their unique chewy on the outside and soft on the inside texture.
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The Secret To Homemade German Pretzels
The secret to the shiny, chewy outside of a homemade pretzel is a bath before it is baked. Traditional German pretzels used to be bathed in a lye solution but a baking soda bath is the most common way to do it today.
Choose a large pot to boil the water in before adding the baking soda. It WILL bubble quite vigorously so make sure you leave yourself some room so it doesnt boil over!
Why German Beer Cheese Is The Best
Prost! My last name is Schwarz and we take Oktoberfest seriously, complete with lederhosen. So in that stead, we cook up a very serious, VERY tasty German buffet with all the traditional things and yum yums.
Far and away, one of my greatest loves is always the soft, cushy pretzel bread and beer cheese dip. I loooovvvve that stuff, always and forever. So when I took it upon myself to make my own version, I took the task to heart to make the BEST German beer cheese I had ever had.
This recipe is easy we dont have to make a roux with flour and better, and we dont have to do anything else fancy. We just put the ingredients in a little saucepan and heat it up, then give just a little simmer to thicken. Thats it.
The combination of beer, sharp cheddar, German mustard, and a touch of horseradish in this recipe explodes with a balanced perfect combination of flavors. This dip is THAT good.
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Does Beer Cheese Have Beer In It Yes It Does
The beer cheese is an amazing addition to this snack. It really is a great blend between the beer and cheddar flavors. I seriously wanted to just lick the bowl clean when I was done eating! The beer cheese was inspired by a recipe on the Williams Sonoma website, although I changed it a little bit.
Essentially, you are just making a cheese sauce and replacing some of the milk for beer, and adding some mustard.
If you are looking for Oktoberfest recipes, this one will certainly wow your family and friends. And if its no longer October? Make them anyhow! You will not be sorry!