What could be better then fresh, warm, HOMEMADE pretzels and ooey, gooey cheese dip?!? We are ditching the sweet and salty and going for the salty and spicy!
I have an update on our yard glacier! I will post about it in the morning. Hurry and get your guess in for your chance to win $200 before the polls close!
The sun is shining today, but it is still only in the 30s. I stepped outside to get my cutie off the bus and was shocked by the wave of cold air that smacked me in the face. Goodness, SPRING! Where the heck are you?!
Onto these pretzels and the totally gooey cheese dip that I made last night. They are almost gone because my boys have been munching on them non-stop since the moment they came out of the oven. “Another pretzel, Mom. A big one, please.”
And the cheese dip? I am trying to shed my winter pounds, so I had to really pull myself together after I took a few bites of this stuff. I limited myself to three bites. It was tough.
First, get the pretzels started!
(adapted from the Food Network.)
In a small saucepan, warm 1 cup of milk until it reaches 110 degrees F. This took less than 5 minutes, if you do not own a candy thermometer. Do not let the milk boil!
Pour it into a medium bowl.
Sprinkle one 1/4-oz. package of acrive dry yeast over the top.
Let it sit for 2 minutes.
Add:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons light brown sugar (mine drowned in the milk before I could snap the pic!)
Mix until incorporated.
Cube 2 tablespoons of salted butter and soften it in the microwave.
Add it to the mixture and stir.
Add:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fine salt
Stir until a sticky dough forms. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth (3 to 5 minutes).
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl.
Cover the bowl and place it in a warm place until it has doubled in size, between 60 and 90 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
When the dough is ready, punch to deflate it and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into 5 equal pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with your hands to form a 20- to 24-inch rope. Cut each rope in half, making ten 10- to 12-inch ropes.
Form each rope into a pretzel shape.
In a shallow dish, dissolve 1/3 cup of baking soda in 3 cups of hot water. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, covering each one completely.
Arrange the dipped pretzels on the prepared baking sheets.
Sprinkle the pretzels generously with coarse salt. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the pretzels are golden-brown.
In a small bowl, melt 8 tablespoons of butter in the microwave. Using a basting brush, spread the melted butter over the entire surface of each pretzel once they are out of the oven.
What should you serve with these soft, delicious pretzels, you ask? The jalapeño cheese dip I am about to share with you is a perfect match, and you can prepare it in 10 minutes or less (while the pretzels are cookin’ in the oven).
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Add 1 diced jalapeño pepper and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until it is softened and fragrant.
Add:
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Stir until lumps form (this happens quickly, so have your milk ready).
Add:
1 cup milk
Whisk the mixture until the lumps are gone. Heat to boiling. Lower the heat and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat and add:
Salt and pepper, to your liking
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or whatever shredded cheese is hanging out in your fridge)
Stir until the cheese is melted.
Ding! The pretzels are done and both are ready to serve! ENJOY!
Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 oz. package active dry yeast
- 3 tbsp. packed light brown sugar
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 10 tbsp. salted butter
- 1 tsp. fine salt
- 1/3 cup baking soda
- 3 cups hot water
- 3 tbsp. coarse salt
Instructions
- Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it reaches 110 degrees F. Pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle the yeast over top. Let soften for 2 minutes. Add brown sugar and 1 cup of the flour and stir. Cube 2 tablespoons of the butter and soften in the microwave; stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 ¼ cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Shape into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and place in a warm spot until doubled in size, 60 to 90 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Punch the dough to deflate, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into 5 equal pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with your hands to form a 20-24-inch rope. Cut each rope in half. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.
- In a shallow dish, dissolve the baking soda in the water. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution and arrange on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until pretzels are golden-brown, 10 minutes. Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter in the microwave and spread over the surface of each pretzel using a basting brush. Serve with Jalapeño Cheese Dip from pipandebby.com.
Nutrition
Who knew pretzels were so easy to make, will def have to try this.
This looks so good! I think this might have to make a family reunion appearance!
This might be something I can do with my dad! Looks delicious.
Oh yum! I want to sit down for the next big sporting event to enjoy these! I'm loving the addition of jalapenos inside, definitely kicking it up a notch! You make some fantastic recipes Megan, I really wish you lived next door to me!
I'm torn between making these as soon as I get home or never making them ever! You are so bad for watching my weight! These look beyond yummy!
omg this is so tempted!