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Home » Uncategorized » Soft Pretzels to Serve with Beer Cheese | Homemade Bar Snacks

Soft Pretzels to Serve with Beer Cheese | Homemade Bar Snacks

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soft pretzels with cheese dip on a tray text reads "homemade soft pretzel recipe"

Are you ready for some homemade soft pretzels with beer cheese? That’s what I thought. Bread pretzels are the best!

These are the pretzels I used to make at the restaurant almost every day. It’s a very versatile recipe. You can even turn them into pretzel buns.

The beer cheese sauce for pretzels is a variation of the “Taleggio Porter Fondue” we used to serve with them.

The pretzels bake up with beautifully burnished outsides and soft, bready insides, and the beer cheese? Well, you’ll want to spread it on everything!

a wooden tray with salted softpretzels and beer cheese in a ramekin
What You'll Find in This Post Click to view ToC
1 Bread Pretzels, Beer Cheese, and Bar Snacks
2 Lye Bath Vs Baking Soda for Soft Pretzels
2.1 Pros and Cons of Using Lye
2.2 Pros and Cons of Using Baking Soda
3 Which Is Better, Lye or Baking Soda?
4 Dipping Pretzels in Lye Video
5 Making Pretzels and Beer Cheese at a Restaurant and at Home
6 The Best Homemade Soft Pretzels
7 Making Soft Pretzels Video
8 Get the Best Beer Cheese Sauce for Soft Pretzels Recipe, Too
9 The Best Soft Pretzels Recipe
9.1 Ingredients
9.2 Instructions
9.3 Recommended Products

Bread Pretzels, Beer Cheese, and Bar Snacks

Salty snacks are traditionally served with beer partly because the saltiness is a nice contrast to malty, hoppy beer.

But bars also want to make money and sell more beer, so salty snacks encourage more drinking. Responsibly, of course.

If you ever sidled up to a bar and wondered why you couldn’t get some lovely cucumber slices to go with your beer, now you know.

We served sweet/spicy/salty caramel corn at the bar at the restaurant. Other excellent bar snacks include:

  • Fried Pickles
  • mixed salted nuts
  • cheese plates
  • wings
  • Dips such as spinach and artichoke or even onion dip

All foods that are on the salty side and that beg for a tall glass of beer or other frosty beverage to wash them down with.

Lye Bath Vs Baking Soda for Soft Pretzels

I have used both methods for making pretzels. I used a lye bath when I made pretzel buns for my burgers a couple of years ago. And I have always made my soft pretzels using baking soda, even at the restaurant.

There are pros and cons to both methods.

Pros and Cons of Using Lye

Pros

  • Using lye takes less time than a baking soda bath
  • You don’t need to heat up a big pot of water

Cons

  • You have to wear gloves.
  • Lye is very caustic with a very high pH, so you have to be careful in general.

Pros and Cons of Using Baking Soda

Pros

  • Baking soda is readily available.
  • It’s inexpensive.
  • The pH is only slightly basic so it will not hurt you to get it on your skin.

Cons

  • You need to dissolve it in boiling water.
  • It’s messy.

Which Is Better, Lye or Baking Soda?

For home use, baking soda gets the edge, for sure. It’s much safer to use, and that is a primary concern, especially if you have children or pets who might get into it.

I did find that using lye gives a slightly better flavor once baked, but the color is roughly the same whether you use baking soda or lye.

If you do decide to go with lye, keep it well out of reach of children and pets, and do not let younger children help you when you’re working with it.

I have lye here–on a very high shelf in a cabinet–but even so, I’m more likely to use a baking soda bath so I don’t have to put on gloves and be super careful.

If you do want to try using lye, read the directions carefully, wear gloves, and kick your kids, pets (and possibly your significant other!) out of the kitchen.

Note the description says “drain cleaner.” I promise it is food safe and is the exact brand I purchased when I made the pretzel buns.

Dipping Pretzels in Lye Video

Here is the Facebook Live video I made showing using lye to dip the pretzels. If you decide to go the lye route, please watch the videos first.

And if you’d like to watch me scaling dough for pretzels or pretzel buns, you can do that too!

Making Pretzels and Beer Cheese at a Restaurant and at Home

platter of soft pretzels and beer cheese

Back when I worked at the restaurant, one of my responsibilities was to keep the place in soft pretzels and delicious taleggio porter fondue.

This meant that I sometimes made up to 48 pretzels in a batch and made quarts of ridiculously good cheese sauce at a time.

The pretzels themselves are the same as I used to make them, based on a solid recipe from Alton Brown that has really stood the test of time.

plate with mustard and cheese and a basket of bread pretzels

I honestly don’t miss working in the restaurant, but I do miss some of the food we used to turn out. I can assure you, anyone who ever ate these pretzels dipped in rich fondue immediately fell in love. I hope you do, too.

The Best Homemade Soft Pretzels

tray of homemade pretzels with a hand dipping a piece of pretzel into a small white bowl of beer cheese

The combination of a soft pretzel with a dense crumb, a chewy/salty crust, and rich, decadent cheese sauce is hard to beat. And even if you don’t want to make your own pretzels, just get some at the store and make the beer cheese to go with them!

Making Soft Pretzels Video

Here’s a short video I made a long time ago showing how to make and form the bread pretzels. I hope you find it helpful!

I really hope you love these soft pretzels and beer cheese, you guys! If you make it, please share a photo with me, either in the PCO Facebook Group or on instagram by tagging @onlinepastrychef and using hashtag #pcorecipe. Thanks, and enjoy!

Get the Best Beer Cheese Sauce for Soft Pretzels Recipe, Too

Don’t forget to grab the recipe for the beer cheese sauce. It goes great with these pretzels, but that doesn’t mean you won’t want to use it like Frank’s Hot Sauce, “I put that Sh*t on Everything!” Enjoy!

Continue to Content
The Best Soft Pretzels Recipe

The Best Soft Pretzels Recipe

Yield: 1 dozen
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 19 minutes
Rise Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 49 minutes

Soft pretzels are the best. This recipe makes almost exactly 36 ounces of dough and yields 12 3oz pretzels. Enjoy! All ounce measurements are by weight and not volume. (Please get a kitchen scale. You will be so happy you have one!)

Ingredients

  • 11-11.25 oz room temperature water, (start with 11 oz and only add a smidge more water if things seem to dry. This dough should be pretty firm though and not at all sticky)
  • 2 oz melted butter
  • 1/2 oz malt syrup or dark corn syrup
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 22 oz all purpose flour
  • 1/4 oz (.25 oz) active dry yeast

To Boil

  • 10 cups water
  • 1/2-2/3 cup baking soda, (I use 1/2 cup. Use 2/3 if you'd like your pretzels to be a bit darker once baked.)

To Finish

  • 1 egg plus 1 teaspoon of water for egg wash
  • coarse salt of your choosing for finishing

Instructions

  1. Put all the ingredients in the order they appear in the recipe into the bowl of your stand mixer. Attach the dough hook and mix for 1 minute on low speed. Increase the speed to medium-low and knead for 8 minutes. If after 3-4 minutes the dough seems a bit dry, add the extra 1/4 oz of water, but no more than that. The dough should completely clear the sides and bottom of the bowl. When you're finished kneading, the bowl should almost look like it's clean.
  2. Once the kneading time is over, the dough should be smooth and soft to touch but fairly firm and not at all sticky.
  3. Form it into a ball and place it back in the mixer bowl. Spray the top and sides with pan spray, cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, this could take anywhere from an hour to up to three hours.
  4. When the dough is nicely risen, turn it out onto a clean work surface and press out all the gases.
  5. Use a bench knife and your kitchen scale to divide the dough into 3 oz portions.
  6. So the dough doesn't dry out, place each piece under plastic wrap as you divide it.
  7. Spray 2 rimmed baking sheets with pan spray and cover the sheets with plastic wrap--this is what you'll use to keep the pretzels from drying out when forming them.
  8. Roll each portion of dough into a long snake approximately 2 feet long. Bring the ends up and cross them over each other twice and press the ends down into the center of the snake to form a pretzel shape. (Video below.)
  9. Place each finished pretzels on the pans under the plastic, six per pan.
  10. Freeze the pretzels for a good hour or an hour and a half until they are solidly frozen.

To Boil

  1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375F.
  2. Bring 10 cups of water to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add the baking soda and stir to evenly dissolve.
  3. Bring one sheet of pretzels out of the freezer. Boil 2 pretzels at a time for approximately 45 seconds to 1 minute, until they float and are somewhat puffed. While the pretzels are boiling, Re-spray that part of the sheet pan. Remove pretzels from the water with a slotted spoon or a spider and place back on the tray. Once all the pretzels are boiled, repeat with the second tray of pretzels.

To Finish and Bake

  1. Brush the pretzels with a thin coating of egg wash and sprinkle liberally with coarse finishing salt. I used sel gris for one tray and a smoked salt for the other. Feel free to use pretzel salt, fleur de sel or your favorite finishing salt--or switch things up and use sesame seeds or poppy seeds if you prefer.
  2. Bake one tray of pretzels at a time. Bake for 10 minutes. Then rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake an additional 8-10 minutes until deeply golden brown.
  3. Remove to a rack to cool. Serve warm with grainy mustard and beer cheese. Store extras in the freezer and reheat in the toaster oven or oven.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • KitchenAid 6 quart Stand Mixer
    KitchenAid 6 quart Stand Mixer
  • Escali Primo Digital Kitchen Scale
    Escali Primo Digital Kitchen Scale
  • Norpro Bench Knife
    Norpro Bench Knife
  • Set of Two Half-Sheet Pans
    Set of Two Half-Sheet Pans
  • Silicone Basting Brushes
    Silicone Basting Brushes
  • Set of 2 Cooling Racks
    Set of 2 Cooling Racks
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1 pretzel
Amount Per Serving Calories 336Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 41mgSodium 574mgCarbohydrates 53gFiber 2gSugar 2gProtein 8g

The stated nutritional information is provided as a courtesy. It is calculated through third party software and is intended as a guideline only.

© onlinepastrychef
Cuisine: German / Category: Bread and Rolls Recipes

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Filed Under: Appetizers, Bread and Rolls Recipes, Feature, Recipes Tagged With: recipes

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Welcome!

I’m Jenni, and I’m here to help you be Fearless in the Kitchen! Search for what you need, or give me a shout. I am only an email away and am happy to help you with any baking or cooking questions you have. I’m honored to be able to help. Learn more about me on my About Page.

What Others Are Saying...

  1. Heather | All Roads Lead to the Kitchen says

    April 26, 2016 at 8:21 am

    Taleggio Porter Fondue? HELLLLOOOO! That sounds amazing. And I’m always down for beer cheese with my pretzels, as well. My base pretzel recipe is AB’s, too – it turns out perfectly every time!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Field says

      April 26, 2016 at 8:25 am

      Yes, such a great formula–and so easy to make. But dang, the magic is in that sauce! If you try it, give it a go with the taleggio, but either way, it is Pretty Dang Good!

      Reply
  2. Coleen @ The Redhead Baker says

    April 26, 2016 at 9:33 am

    Your pretzels look just like the SuperPretzels we would get when my dad would take me to a baseball game when I was a kid — they look delicious!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Field says

      April 26, 2016 at 9:48 am

      Thank you–that is quite the compliment! Glad I brought back some good childhood memories! =)

      Reply
  3. Megan says

    April 26, 2016 at 9:59 am

    Thanks for sharing that leftovers should be stored in the freezer! It will help save me from myself and carb attacks 😉

    Reply
    • Jennifer Field says

      April 26, 2016 at 11:54 am

      Yeah, unless you’re teething, frozen pretzels are no good. But warm, they are Kryptonite and I am powerless in their presence, Megan! lol

      Reply
  4. Liz says

    April 26, 2016 at 10:08 am

    Your pretzels look picture perfect, Jenni, and paired with your fabulous beer cheese sounds like the perfect snack (or dinner ;)).

    Reply
    • Jennifer Field says

      April 26, 2016 at 11:54 am

      Thanks, Liz! I hear they’re good for breakfast too! Ha! =)

      Reply
  5. The Food Hunter says

    April 26, 2016 at 12:11 pm

    I’m loving everything about this…that cheese!!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Field says

      April 26, 2016 at 6:52 pm

      Ha! Thanks, Theresa! I had to send it and all the (rest of) the pretzels away. Too dangerous to be here with nobody during the day to keep me in line but the cats! lol

      Reply
  6. movita beaucoup says

    April 26, 2016 at 1:25 pm

    Mother of pearl! It’s been forever since I’ve made pretzels, and now you’ve got ME feeling all nostalgic…

    Reply
    • Jennifer Field says

      April 26, 2016 at 6:52 pm

      Perhaps it is a Sign, dearest MB? =)

      Reply
  7. Sabrina Modelle says

    April 26, 2016 at 6:31 pm

    Wow, your pretzels look so great and you can NEVER go wrong with beer cheese. These look great Jenni!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Field says

      April 26, 2016 at 6:53 pm

      Thanks, Sabrina! That cheese is too good. I had to send it away with my husband to work today!

      Reply
  8. laura@motherwouldknow says

    April 29, 2016 at 3:48 pm

    I would gladly skip dinner and just eat these. What a feast of salty, spicy and deliciousness! I love how you took the recipe down from a huge portion to only 12 pretzels and 2 cups of sauce, but I may have to double those:)

    Reply
    • Jennifer Field says

      April 30, 2016 at 9:57 pm

      If you’re a fan of bread pretzels and you’re just coming off of Passover, doubling might be in your best interest, Laura! lol =)

      Reply
  9. Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen says

    April 30, 2016 at 10:12 pm

    Completely gorgeous and amazingly delicious! My guys have been begging for homemade pretzels, I need to give these a try immediately!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Field says

      May 2, 2016 at 11:05 pm

      I’m afraid you do. The cheese sauce is swoony, if I do say so myself!

      Reply
  10. Laura says

    June 4, 2019 at 5:55 pm

    I am a total sucker for soft pretzels. And that cheesy sauce is most definitely swoon worthy!

    Reply
  11. Sandi says

    June 19, 2019 at 11:16 am

    Big soft pretzels like this are one of those things I miss most since going gluten free. It looks amazing!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Field says

      June 19, 2019 at 11:31 am

      Thanks, Sandi! Gotta say, I’d really miss these guys too. I’d like to think there’s a good gluten-free alternative, but I don’t know how you’d do the baking soda bath unless you freeze them first, maybe?

      Reply

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Jenni Field

Hi! I’m Jenni, and I will teach you the “whys” behind the “hows” of cooking and baking. Once you learn those fundamentals, you’ll be more relaxed and more creative in the kitchen. Let me help you be fearless in your kitchen! Read more about me on my About Page.

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