Homemade Beer Pretzel Bites Recipe
I think it’s safe to say that regardless of how warm the weather is wherever you are, we are totally rolling into fall. There are apples and apple recipes everywhere, I’m seeing pumpkins at the Publix and the Teeter, Halloween costumes at Costco and Halloween candy all over the dang Walgreens.
I get it. Everyone is excited to bust out the boots and sweaters, but let’s not get our cart in front of our horse. It’s still September and you know what that means? Besides apples, of course. Oktoberfest officially kicked off over the weekend and that, my friends, is cause for celebration!
I got the party started by kicking off the weekend with some Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese last week, and today I’ve made you some Homemade Beer Pretzel Bites to drown in it. Of course, you could always put the pretzels on a string and wear them around your neck at the next beer festival. That would be ok too, and who am I to judge? They’re the perfect bite size snack and they’re made out of beer!! That’s a win in my book!
You know what else these little nuggets would be good for? Well, all the football games this weekend! Take them to the tailgate or have a few friends over to root on your favorite college or NFL teams and serve them up with some of that beer cheese we talked about or some spicy mustard and your friends will be smitten.
Whether y’all are cheering on your favorite team (or teams!) or feel like throwing on your lederhosen this weekend, you should absolutely be swinging around a beer and noshing on some tasty homemade beer pretzel bites.
P. S. They’re small enough to throw at the TV without hurting anything when the refs make those ridiculous calls or the wrong guy catches the ball.
Because you know they will.
Homemade Beer Pretzel Bites Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups brown ale
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 package dry active yeast
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 5 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup baking soda
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 - 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt or pretzel salt
Instructions
-
Combine beer, sugar, salt and heat to just warm - not hot or it will kill your yeast - remove from heat
-
Stir in yeast and let sit 5-7 minutes - until foamy
-
Add butter and beer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook
-
Turn mixer on low and gradually add flour one cup at a time until combined
-
Add vegetable oil to a bowl and turn to coat
-
Transfer the dough to the bowl and turn to coat all sides
-
Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour
-
Separate dough into 8 equal pieces
-
Working with one piece at a time, roll out into about 18 inch pieces with your hands and cut into 1 inch pieces
-
Transfer all pieces to a large parchment lined baking sheet
-
In a large pot, combine 9 cups of water and 2/3 cup baking soda and bring to a boil
-
Working in batches, drop the pieces of dough into the boiling water for 30 to 45 seconds, remove from water, and return to baking sheet
-
Preheat oven to 450
-
Combine egg and 1 tablespoon water in a bowl and beat lightly
-
Using a pastry brush, coat the top of each piece of dough with the egg wash
-
Sprinkle salt on top of each piece
-
Bake 12 - 14 minutes or until golden brown
NOTES:
- I made this dough, divided it in half, and froze the other half. I thawed the frozen half in the refrigerator and they turned out just fine.
- Each half batch made about 3 dozen depending how big you make the pieces.
Even though it’s still pretty warm here in the Midwest, I’m longing for those cooler fall days! And I’m loving this recipe, Rachelle! I’ve never made my own pretzels before, so I definitely need to start with these bites. Looks perfect for game day!
Me and bread are bffs….did ya know that, lol 😀 I’m not a football fan, but love all the football related food. Though, I can understand why these would be perfect for throwing at the tv while watching the game, the only place these would be going is in my piehole 😉 These are perfect as is, but I bet they are deadly your beer cheese. Pinned! Can’t wait to try!
I’ve made pretzels before but never thought to add beer to them. This is such a great idea!!!
Yayyyy to Oktoberfest! And fist bumps to not getting our cart in front of our horse! 😉 I’m with you, while I’m stoked for fall weather, I’m all for living in the moment… and pumpkins, Halloween and Christmas need to wait their dang turn. Anyways, these bites are FAAAAB! I’ve made pretzel bites before, but never with beer! Ummm clearly I haven’t been making them right, huh?! These are all sorts of YES PLEASE! I’m going to need a few gallons of that Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese to dip these lil nuggets of yum into! SO GOOD! Pinned! Cheers sweets! xoxo
You are a freakin’ brilliant! Homemade pretzels are da bomb and you made them even bombier by adding beer. I’m making some German food this weekend and am thinking of making pretzels to go with it. Think I’m gonna give your recipe a try 🙂
BTW, the Pats are playing tonight so hope you guys are watching 😉 GO PATS!!!!
Oh my! You’ve brought me right back to my childhood! I haven’t made homemade pretzels in 40 years! These look fabulous! Perfect for tailgates!!