Pretzels and Beer Cheese Dip

It’s October and pumpkins are everywhere. I have shared a savory pumpkin bread recipe and I thought about sharing a sweet one, but I thought while it’s still October, we should celebrate Oktoberfest, so it’s pretzels and beer cheese dip fest! Also, I was inspired by Voodoo Ranger’s Higher Plane IPA. This may not be a common choice for beer cheese dip, but we found the hoppi-ness really complements the richness of the cheese dip. And let’s face it, it wouldn’t be Oktoberfest without some beer, right? 😉

Ingredients for soft buttered pretzels:

• 1.5 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2.25 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 package)
• 4.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 0.5 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 0.66 cup baking soda (don’t be alarmed, this is the right amount)
• 1 egg
• Pretzel salt or coarse kosher salt

Directions for soft buttered pretzels:

1. Combine the water, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit for about 5 minutes until the mixture begins to foam. If the yeast doesn’t foam, unfortunately your yeast has died and you need to get fresh ones.
   
2. Add the flour and melted butter to the yeast mixture and mix them together using the dough hook attachment. Start on low speed and when the mixture has come together (like the Beatles song), change to medium speed and knead until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. This should take no more than 5 minutes. Take the dough out and put it in a clean, lightly-oiled bowl. Cover with a plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for about 1 hour until the dough has doubled.
   
3. Bring 10 cups of water and the 0.66 cup of baking soda to a rolling boil in a big pot. You will be boiling the pretzels before baking them so you will want a pot big enough to maneuver the pretzel. While waiting for the water to boil, preheat your oven to 450°F and line two baking sheets with non-stick silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
   
4. Turn out the dough to a lightly oiled work surface and divide into eight equal pieces. Roll out each piece into a rope shape. If you think it’s long enough, roll it out some more to about twice the lengths, you will need a good length (about 24 inches or so) to create the pretzel shape. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. I know you’ve watched those employees at Auntie Anne’s so I believe you can do this! Place onto the baking sheets.
   
5. Place the pretzels one by one into the boiling water and boil them for about 30 seconds each time. Remove from the water carefully using a large flat spatula so that you can keep the shape and return the pretzels to the baking sheets. They will look a little puffy at this point, that’s normal. Whisk the egg with a tablespoon of water in a small bowl, and lightly brush the pretzels with this mixture. Sprinkle with the pretzel salt (or coarse kosher salt) and bake until golden brown, about 12-13 minutes. Rotate the sheets about halfway through as well, making sure all the pretzels are getting baked evenly. While the pretzels cool, make the beer cheese dip!

Ingredients for beer cheese dip:

• 0.5 stick of unsalted butter
• 3 stalks of green onions/scallions, roughly chopped and divide between the white/light green and dark green parts
• 0.25 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1.5 cups of whole milk
• 1 cup of Voodoo Ranger’s Higher Plane IPA
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 0.5 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 4 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (I used a combination of mild cheddar and Kerrygold Dubliner cheese, which is kind of like an aged cheddar, but you do you!)
• 3-4 strips of bacon, cooked crisp (optional)

Directions for beer cheese dip:

1. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the white/light green parts of the scallions and cook for about a minute. Add the flour and whisk together until thick and clumpy, also about one minute. Make sure you also use a heat-proof spatula in addition to the whisk so that you get the sides of the pan that may not get touched by the whisk.
   
2. Whisk in the milk slowly (again, use both whisk and spatula) and continue to whisk/stir until the mixture slightly thickens. Whisk in the beer, Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, garlic powder, and paprika. Cook for another minute or two, whisking/stirring constantly.
   
3. Add the cheese about half cup at a time, whisking/stirring after each addition to ensure everything is well combined before adding more cheese. This technique is to ensure that your dip is smooth and not grainy. Cook for a few minutes until everything comes together. It will look a little thin when it’s hot but it’ll thicken up nicely when you serve it.
4. Sprinkle with the dark green parts of the scallions and crumbled bacon, and serve with the soft pretzels!