Soft Pretzel Knots w/Cheesy Mustard Dipping Sauce
Poof!! And just like that, it's Friday again. Unbelievable. Where does time go and why does it zip away so quickly? It feels like it was just Friday and I was sharing this recipe for lychee lemonade with all of you. Thankfully, a new Friday means a new day to share some new munchies, finds, or in this case, all of the above! Cue all the buttery, soft pretzel knots with ooey, gooey, cheesy mustard dipping sauce!!
Before we dive right into the magic that is soft pretzel knots, I want to quickly tell you about one of my favorite new finds, Mustard and Co. Let me start out by telling you that Mustard and Co. is a three-man (actually I think the third member is a lovely lady) co. out in Seattle and that I think it's outstanding in every way possible. The mustard is crazy good and I love that you can easily recognize ALL the ingredients in it. It's a little thinner than most mustards I've tried in the past, but what it lacks in thickness, it makes up for in strength. Man does it pack a punch (in the best way possible), which is pretty cool in my book. And what's cooler is that I found these guys through Instagram. I mean seriously, more often than not, social media gets a bad rap, and while I get why people get down on it, it is still a wonderful tool that allows the world to get smaller in an instant. And it allowed me to find this rad, small-business in all the way out in Seattle.
This is not a sponsored post. It's simply a post meant to hopefully highlight a small-business that I'm super stoked about and want to share with all of you. My dad's a small-business owner, I grew up on a small island, therefore, I'm a big believer in supporting the little guys who are striving to create good goods out in a sea of giants. I've mentioned before how much I love Other Brother Co (it's run by two really genuine dudes), which is another small-batch, artisan company, striving to make good goods for all of us. If you've got companies in your town, making super products that you love, support them, 'cause here's the thing, they need your support to keep churning out awesome stuff! And that's my PSA for the month. :D Take it with a grain of salt, but consider giving it some thought. *Preach.* *But seriously, Alana, don't preach.* *I know, sorry!!*
If you're like me and get a little excited (obsessive) about all the things you love, you'll appreciate that as of late, my newest love is mustard, and I've been spreading it on all the things. Therefore, I pretty much had to make pretzels about it. And mmm, buttery, soft pretzels should be made about everything! And before you say, "woah, get away yeast, you're scary," stop, just stop, because it's all in your mind and it's actually so magical, barely sciencey, and way cool that the minute you get over your fear, you'll be making all the yeasty things. Swedish cardamom rolls, Hokkaido milk bread, matcha and black sesame babkas, and even your own potato slider buns will be made. So deep breaths, we're making sort pretzel knots and then we're whipping up a super quick cheesy mustard dipping sauce for them!! And because we're really fun, we're making, jumbo, normal, and mini sized knots!
Soft Pretzel Knots w/Cheesy Mustard Dipping Sauce
Pretzels adapted from AllRecipes, Knot method from What's Gaby Cooking, Sauce adapted from Williams-Sonoma
Makes 8-24 knots, depending on size
INGREDIENTS
PRETZEL DOUGH
2 1/4 tsp. (1 package) active dry yeast
1 tsp. + 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 1/4 c. warm water (110°F)
5 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3 Tbsp. melted butter, cooled to room temp.
1/2 c. baking soda
8 c. water
2-3 Tbsp. flake or kosher salt, for topping
DIPPING SAUCE
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1/4 c. sour cream
1/3 c. + 1 Tbsp. Guinness or other stout, dark beer
1 Tbsp. Mustard and Co. Garlic Dill mustard, or similar
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
TOOLS
Stand mixer
Glass measuring cup
Measuring cups & spoons
Thermometer
Mixing bowls
Pastry cutter
Large pot
Small saucepan
Silicone spatula/offset spatula
Plastic wrap
Baking sheets lined with parchment or silpat mats
Wire rack
Whisk
FIX
PRETZEL DOUGH
Pregrease/oil a large bowl and set aside.
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar in warm water. Let stand until foamy and creamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with dough hook, mix together flour, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the butter and yeast mixture. Mix on low until dough comes together then increase speed to medium-low and knead for 4 to 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth. Place the dough in your pre-greased bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Line baking sheets with parchment or silpat mats.
In a large pot (like a stockpot), bring 8 cups of water to boil then add baking soda (will fizz when added). When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 equal pieces for jumbo knots, 12 equal pieces for regular knots, 24 pieces for mini knots, or a combination of the three (adjust for size). Roll each piece into a rope fold the rope in half around your finger, twist a couple times (2 to 3), slip off finger, then tuck end into the hole where your finger once was . Once all of the dough is shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda-hot water solution, one-by-one, for 30 seconds and place on baking sheets. Sprinkle with flake or kosher salt.
Bake in preheated oven until browned, about 8 minutes.
DIPPING SAUCE
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, for about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the sour cream and beer, increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the mustard and cook, whisking occasionally, until the mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the grated cheese by the handful, whisking until each batch has completely melted before adding more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve and enjoy immediately!!