100g active starter (see notes below for feeding instructions)
255g room temperature or slightly warm water
40g honey
500g bread flour
10g salt
8 cups water
3 tbsp. baking soda
1½ tbsp. brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
Coarse salt, for topping
Beer Cheese Dip
2 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. flour
⅔ cup beer
¾ cup milk
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tbsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. smoked paprika
2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 oz. cream cheese
Salt to taste
Instructions
You will need your starter to be bubbly and active to make these pretzel bites. I feed my starter at 8 am, prep my dough at 6pm, and prep the pretzel bites at 6am the following day. You can push this timeline back a few hours if you don't want to be making the pretzel bites first thing in the morning! For example, you can feed your starter at 10am, prep your dough at 8pm, and prep the pretzel bites at 8am. That means you'll be boiling them at 9am.
Once your starter is active and bubbly, whisk together 100g of starter, 255g of water, and 40g of honey. Then add in the bread flour and salt. You can knead this mixture in a stand mixer for 6-7 minutes or by hand for 10 minutes.
Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest for 12 hours.
After the bulk fermentation is complete, roll the dough into ropes and cut into bite-sized pieces. They don't need to be perfect or uniform! Place them onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a lightly floured surface and cover with a damp towel. Let rest for one hour.
After one hour, preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add the baking soda and brown sugar to the water. Working in batches, boil the pretzels for about two minutes per side before transferring to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
When ready to serve (or while the pretzels are baking!), make the beer cheese dip.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. While continuously whisking, slowly pour in the beer and bring to a simmer. Then whisk in the milk.
Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
Whisk in the shredded cheddar and cream cheese and mix until smooth and warm. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Serve your pretzel bites with beer cheese for dipping and enjoy!
Recipe by For the Love of Gourmet at https://fortheloveofgourmet.com/sourdough-pretzel-bites-with-beer-cheese-dip/