Beer Cheese Pretzels

Name: Beer Cheese Pretzels
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: German
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2/3 cup warm water; 1/2 tsp instant yeast; 1/4 tsp salt; 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted; 2 tbsp baking soda; 2 tsp coarse sea salt; 1.25 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded; 2/3 cup beer; 2 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 tbsp all-purpose flour; 1/4 tsp mustard powder; 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Soft, warm pretzels served with a creamy beer and sharp cheddar cheese dip. A German-inspired appetizer perfect for gatherings.

50 minMediumServes 4380 cal/serving

GermanAppetizerOvenStandard

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup warm water
1/2 tsp instant yeast
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp baking soda
2 tsp coarse sea salt
1.25 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2/3 cup beer
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

1

Mix 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp instant yeast, and 1/4 tsp salt. Add 2/3 cup warm water and 1 tbsp melted unsalted butter, stirring until dough forms.
2

Knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
3

Divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a rope about 15 inches long.
4

Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix 2 tbsp baking soda with 2 cups water in a shallow bowl.
5

Dip each rope into the baking soda solution for 30 seconds, then place on parchment-lined baking sheets.
6

Shape into pretzel loops or let rest straight. Brush with egg wash if desired and sprinkle with 2 tsp coarse sea salt.
7

Bake for 12-15 minutes until deep golden brown.
8

Meanwhile, make the dip: melt 2 tbsp unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
9

Whisk in 1 tbsp all-purpose flour to create a roux, cook 1 minute.
10

Slowly add 2/3 cup beer, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
11

Remove from heat and stir in 1.25 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1/4 tsp mustard powder, and 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce until smooth.
12

Serve warm cheese dip with hot pretzels.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

The German Kitchen 30 recipes from this kitchen in one printable PDF. $5, no account.

Questions

What temperature do I cook Beer Cheese Pretzels at?

For Beer Cheese Pretzels, the oven is set to 450 F (about 230 C) in step 4. The longest stretch at that heat is 15 minutes, in step 7.

Is there a substitute for beer in Beer Cheese Pretzels?

The entry for Beer Cheese Pretzels calls for 2/3 cup beer. In its place: Stock or a non-alcoholic beer, in the same volume.

Can I make Beer Cheese Pretzels dairy-free?

Not cleanly. Here the dairy (1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, 1.25 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, 2 tbsp unsalted butter) is the backbone of the dish, and plant-based substitutes change both its texture and its flavor. If you need strictly dairy-free, start from the dairy-free appetizer collection instead.

Can I make Beer Cheese Pretzels gluten-free?

Yes. The gluten in Beer Cheese Pretzels is 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2/3 cup beer, 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce. Swap the flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend (where it only thickens a sauce, half as much cornstarch also works); the beer for a certified gluten-free beer or a dry cider; the soy-based sauce for tamari or coconut aminos. Everything else proceeds as written.

Can I start Beer Cheese Pretzels the day before?

Yes. Step 2 is a built-in pause of 30 minutes: "Cover and let rise for 30 minutes." Do everything up to that point ahead of time and pick up at step 3 when you are ready to finish.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,544 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.