Soft Beer Pretzel Nuggets
What goes together better than beer and pretzels? Not much that I can think of. That’s why I put them together into one tasty little recipe. —Alyssa Wilhite, Whitehouse, TX
Prep: 1 hour + rising Bake: 10 min. /batch Makes: 8 dozen
1 bottle (12 oz.) amber beer or nonalcoholic beer
1 pkg. (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted 2 Tbsp. sugar
11/2 tsp. salt
4 to 41/2 cups all-purpose flour 10 cups water
²/3 cup baking soda TOPPING 1 large egg yolk 1 Tbsp. water Coarse salt, optional
1. 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).
2. 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 dough and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 425°. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide and shape into eight balls. Roll each into a 12-in. rope.
Cut each rope into 1-in. pieces.
4. 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.
5. Place on greased baking sheets.
In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and 1 Tbsp. water; brush over nuggets. Sprinkle with coarse salt if desired. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove nuggets from pans to a wire rack to cool.
6 pretzel nuggets: 144 cal., 2g fat
(1g sat. fat), 8mg chol., 302mg sod., 26g carb. (2g sugars, 1g fiber), 4g pro.