Soft
Beer Pretzel Nugget Recipe
Ingredients
:
1
bottle (12 ounces) amber beer or nonalcoholic beer
1
package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
2
tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2
tablespoons sugar
1-1/2
teaspoons salt
4
to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
10
cups water
2/3
cup baking soda
TOPPING:
1
large egg yolk
1
tablespoon water
Coarse
salt, optional
In
a small saucepan, heat beer to 110°-115°; remove from heat. Stir in yeast until
dissolved. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, salt, yeast mixture and 3
cups flour; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour
to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).
Turn
dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes.
Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in
a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Preheat
oven to 425°. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide and
shape into 8 balls. Roll each into a 12-in. rope. Cut each rope into 1-in.
pieces.
In
a Dutch oven, bring 10 cups water and baking soda to a boil. Drop nuggets, 12
at a time, into boiling water. Cook for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted
spoon; drain well on paper towels.
Place
on greased baking sheets. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and 1 tablespoon
water; brush over pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt if desired. Bake 10-12
minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to a wire rack to cool.
Freeze
option: Freeze cooled pretzel nuggets in airtight containers. To use, thaw at
room temperature or, if desired, microwave on high 20-30 seconds or until
heated through.
Test
Kitchen tips :
To
Make Pretzel Rolls, divide and shape dough into eight balls; roll each into a
14-in. rope. Starting at one end of each rope, loosely wrap dough around itself
to form a coil. Boil, top and bake as directed.
You
can also make traditional pretzels with the same dough.