I was looking for some finger foods for a new years’ eve gathering. That led me to try a beer cheese recipe, and that led me to wonder what I could dip in the cheese. After a little searching around, the answer became pretty obvious- beer pretzels! I’m no stranger to breads, but the idea of getting the golden crust just right seemed daunting. It ended up being a pretty easy, if a little unusual, extra step.

Prep time – 1.5 hours / Bake time – 12 minutes

  • 1 bottle of beer (strong ale)
  • 1 T. sugar
  • 2 t. kosher salt
  • 1 pkg. active dry yeast
  • 4 T. unsalted butter, melted
  • 4 1/2 C. all purpose flour
  • 10 cups water
  • 1/3 C. baking soda
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 T. water

Warm beer to 110 degrees. In a stand mixer with a dough hook, add warm beer, sugar, salt and yeast. Let mixture sit for about 10 minutes, until it starts to get foamy. Add butter, and 1 cup of flour. Turn mixer on to low speed, gradually add remaining flour until dough comes together. Increase mixer speed to medium and knead for 4 minutes, until dough is smooth and clinging to dough hook. Coat the inside of a bowl with cooking spray or oil. Form dough into a ball, place into bowl, turning to coat the dough in oil.

Cover with kitchen towel, allow dough to rise until it has doubled in size. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large pot, bring water and baking soda to a boil. Turn dough onto your work surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 18″ rope shape. Fold each rope in half, twist the two pieces around each other, pressing the ends together. Return the twists to the cookie sheet.

Once water comes to a rolling boil, carefully place each twist in the water, 2 at a time, for 30 seconds. Remove each twist using a large slotted spoon and return to cookie sheet. Brush the tops of the twists with egg wash, sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Rotate the pans between the racks halfway through.