Pretzel Rolls with Beer Cheese Dip

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So, I'm currently obsessed with pretzel rolls.

Not sure how original of a concept they are, but I had never heard of them until a few months ago.  The boyfriend and I randomly tried out a new micro brewery in town, which has an amazing selection of food--including burgers served on pretzel rolls.  The signature burger I had is one of the best things I've ever tasted, and it made me fall in love with pretzel rolls.

I'm shocked at how easy pretzel rolls are to make homemade.  The only tricky part is working with yeast, if you're not familiar with it, but it just takes a little practice.  The effort is worth it :)

Sprinkle 2 1/4 tsp yeast onto 1/4 cup warm water.  Add 1 tbs sugar so the yeast has something to munch on.  Set aside for about 5-10 minutes until foamy, and it will look something like this.  Only, this picture is after about 40 minutes, because I got distracted by a phone call. So don't do that.  Be a good little chef and pay attention to your yeast

In a separate bowl, combine 3 cups of flour, 1 tbs sugar, and 1 tsp salt.  Then add your attractive yeast mixture

Knead the mixture, slowly incorporating 3/4-1 cup of milk, until the dough is elastic. Form a ball, then place it in an oiled bowl.  Cover with a damp cloth or paper towel and let the dough rise until double in size

All done! This can take 1-2 hours, so be prepared to spend some time waiting

After your dough has risen, punch it down and knead it again.  Then separate into balls.  I got about 9 average size ones out of this recipe.  Place them on a baking pan and cover with a damp cloth or paper towel again and let rise for about 30 more minutes.  I'm cheating a little--this is a picture of the dough after I stuffed each roll with a buffalo chicken mixture, which I will tell you about in my next post

Now, fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil.  Add 1/4 cup of baking soda.  This is a water bath for dipping your pretzel rolls in, which will allow them to take on that golden brown color after baking later

Using a wide slotted spoon, add several rolls at a time and boil 1-2 minutes on each side, then remove with the spoon, pat dry with a paper towel, and place on a baking pan lined with parchment paper.  I forgot to put the parchment paper on, and the rolls were difficult to get off after baking, so don't skip this step!!!

  

The baking soda will make the water spaz the f*** out, so watch that it doesn't boil over

Using a pastry brush, slosh on an egg wash to each roll by mixing an egg with about 2 tsp cream, or water.  Bake the rolls 15-17 minutes at 400* or until golden brown

Yay, pretzel rolls.  You could form the dough into traditional pretzel shapes too, or whatever you want, really

Do you want a beer cheese dip for your pretzel rolls? Yes you do. Heat a block of cream cheese in the microwave until soft, add 1/2 a packet of dry ranch mix, 1/2 cup beer, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, and some cayenne pepper

And that, ladies and gents, is how you make pretzel rolls and beer cheese dip

Pretzel Rolls with Beer Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

For the pretzel dough:

1/4 cup warm water

2 1/4 tsp yeast 

3 cups bread flour

2 tbs sugar

1 tsp salt, and extra for sprinkling

3/4-1 cup milk

1/4 cup baking soda

Egg (for egg wash--optional)

2 tsp cream (for egg wash--optional)

For the beer cheese dip:

1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese

1/2 packet dry ranch mix

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 cup beer (I used Torpedo)

2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

1) Sprinkle yeast onto warm water (about 100-110*) and gently stir.  Add 1 tbs of the sugar.  Set aside for about 5-10 minutes, until yeast is foamy.  If it doesn't get foamy, start over, or else your dough won't proof.   

2) In a separate bowl, combine flour, the other tbs of sugar, and salt.  Add yeast mixture and knead with hands.  Slowly incorporate the milk, and add more or less depending on if the dough is too dry.  Once the dough is smooth and elastic, place the ball into an oiled bowl. Cover bowl with a damp cloth or paper towel and let rise for 1-2 hours in a warm place, until double in size.  

3) Once the dough has doubled in size, knead it again, and then divide into rolls.  Place the rolls on a pan with parchment paper, cover with a damp cloth or paper towel once more, and let rise for about 30 minutes.  

4) Once the dough has risen, fill a medium pot halfway with water and bring it to a boil.  Add the baking soda.  Pre-heat oven to 400*.

5) Drop a few rolls into the pot and boil for about 1-2 minutes per side, then pat gently dry with a paper towel and place on the baking pan.

6) At this point, mix an egg with the cream if you want to create an egg wash, then brush the mixture on each roll with a pastry brush.  Sprinkle a little salt on each roll, then bake for about 15-17 minutes until golden brown.

7) For the beer cheese dip, heat the cream cheese in the microwave until soft, then blend in the rest of the ingredients.  Serve with pretzel rolls.