I love soft pretzels. They are one of the most delicious snacks I can think of! They bring back so many childhood memories for me, you know, the good ones. Then add to that the fact that these are sourdough AND have beer in them!!! How could you say no?!?
Sourdough Beer Pretzels
Ingredients
For the dough:
-1/4 cup lukewarm water
-1/2 cup of your favorite beer
-1 cup unfed sourdough starter, straight from the refrigerator
-3 1/4 cups flour
-1 Tbsp sugar
-1 Tbsp butter
-1 1/2 tsp salt
-2 tsp instant yeast
For the topping:
-1 Tbsp sugar
-2 Tbsp water
-Kosher or coarse-grain salt
Directions
-In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix until the dough holds together
-Knead until smooth.
-Shape dough into a ball, place it in a lightly greased bowl, and let rise about 45 minutes.
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
-While oven is preheating fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Also, combine the tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp water together in a small bowl
-Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface, shape into a rectangle and cut into 12 pieces.
-Roll each piece into a long rope.
-Shape them into pretzels by making a loop with the dough and then twisting the ends together and tucking them into the bottom.
-Dunk each shaped pretzel in the boiling water for approx 10-15 seconds. Place pretzel on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (lining is very important!), brush with sugar water, and sprinkle with salt. Repeat this step until all 12 pretzels have been made.
-Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. If desired, brush them with melted butter while they’re still warm.
I know most people aren’t going to eat 12 pretzels in one sitting, but these reheat AWESOME!! Simply allow them to cool completely, place in a large freezer baggie, and toss in the freezer. When you are craving a delicious soft pretzel simply preheat your over to 400F and pop the pretzel in there for about 10 minutes. No need to even use a cookie sheet.
PS this is why lining you baking sheet is very important:
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