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#FoodieExtravaganza : Hopped Up Pretzel Bites with Beer-Gouda Dip


Welcome to the Foodie Extravaganza
v. October 2014 = a Pretzel Par-tay

We are a group of bloggers who love to blog about food!  Each month we will decide on an all-famous National Monthly Food Holiday in which we will base our recipes around. This month the ingredient is pretzels with an optional ingredient of caramel.  Yes, October is National Pretzel Month along with a whole array of other delightful things!! Get excited!! We hope you all enjoy our delicious pretzel treats this month and come back to see what we bring for you next month.  If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza.  We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out HERE.

Here's what the whole gang made...


Hopped Up Pretzel Bites with Beer-Gouda Dip

I've seen a gob of recipes of pretzels made with beer. But I decided, for this #FoodieExtravaganza party, to make mine with real Cascade hops from my friends Shelby and Dave. I used beer in the sauce...and drank it alongside my pretzel bites.



Ingredients
Pretzel Bites
  • 1-1/2 C warm water
  • 1 T active dry yeast
  • 2 T organic granulated sugar
  • 2 Cascade hops blossoms, broken up into petals
  • 4 C all-purpose flour + more for kneading
  • 1/2 C dark rye flour
  • 1/2 C baking soda
  • water
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • fleur de sel for sprinkling


Beer-Gouda Dip
  • 1/4 C butter
  • 1/4 C all-purpose flour
  • 1-1/2 C beer (I used Rogue Farms' Chipotle Ale)
  • 1 C whole millk
  • 1 C shredded truffle gouda cheese
  • 1 C shredded asiago


Procedure
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve sugar in the warm water and float the Cascade hops in the water. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Let the yeast bloom till frothy, approximately 10 minutes. Some clusters of yeast will remain. 


Slowly add 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 C dark rye flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough is thick. Add 1 more cup flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it's still sticky, add up to 1/2 cup more. Press the dough with your finger. If it bounces back, it's ready to knead.


Turn the dough out onto a floured board. Knead the dough for 2 to 3 minutes and re-shape into a ball. 

Divide the ball into quarters, then divide each quarter into halves. Roll the dough into a long, even rope. Cut the ropes into bite-sized pieces.

Fill a large souppot with 8 to 9 C of water. Once it comes to a boil, add in the baking soda carefully. It will bubble up, so be careful. Drop the pretzel bites into the water. They will float quickly.


Remove the pretzel bites, drain, and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the pretzels with beaten egg and sprinkle with fleur de sel.


Bake for 15 to 17 minutes at 450 degrees F - until the pretzels are a deep chestnut brown color. Transfer the pretzels to a wire rack to cool. Serve with beer-gouda dip.

Beer-Gouda Dip

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Slowly whisk in the flour and cook to make a roux. Continuing cooking till it turns a nice, golden color. Slowly whisk in the beer and continue to cook, whisking frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes. Next, pour in the milk and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir in the cheese and allow to cook until the sauce has thickened and the consistency you like. Serve hot...with the rest of your beer. Cheers!


So happy that I found this event. I'm looking forward to participating again in the future.

15 Pretzel Recipes via Foodie Extravaganza.jpg

Comments

  1. Mmm... I bet those were a delicious treat!! I've never actually seen real hops before - such a cool idea to incorporate them into the dough!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love that secret ingredient, Camilla! I don't think I've ever actually seen hops blossoms.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Stacy! I love fresh hops as herbs in my dishes.

      Delete
  3. You are something else Camilla...I have never even heard of hops blossoms. You amaze me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Wendy. I am just grateful to have generous friends with hops plants that they'll share with me.

      Delete
  4. So cool! I'd love to work with fresh hops in some form (my mom and I were actually daydreaming about owning a hops farm recently). These look fantastic, I bet they were deeeelicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You totally should! Fresh hops are hard to come by. I had to beg for these. These were delicious. I haven't posted, but I turned some of the pretzel dough into pretzel dogs. My boys swarmed around the plate like lions at a kill!

      Delete
  5. Pretzels and beer - a classic combo!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Can you "hop" a few of those bites over here! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love what you did here. Hop blossoms are new to me.

    ReplyDelete

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