We Are Not Martha is at it again, this time making pretzels, a snack that pairs famously with beer! Share these pretzels at your Halloween get-together and make sure to try the two sauces: a sweet pumpkin pie sauce and a spicy pumpkin mustard.
1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 t)
1/2 cup warm water, plus 2 cups warm water
1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup pumpkin beer of your choice
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg, beaten
2/3 Tbsp coarse salt
1 Tbsp butter, melted
Pumpkin Beer Mustard (makes about 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup yellow mustard seeds
3/4 cup pumpkin beer of your choice
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
Pinch of black pepper
Pinch of fine sea salt
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Sweet Pumpkin Dip (makes about 1 cup)
1/2 cup pure pumpkin
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup fat free sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Directions
Pumpkin Beer Pretzels
In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over your 1/2 cup warm water. Let rest for about 5 minutes.
Stir in sugar, salt, and olive oil. Pour in the pumpkin beer. It will get all kinds of frothy as it reacts with the yeast already in the bowl.
With a wooden spoon, stir the flour in one cup at a time. You don't want your dough to be too sticky, but you don't want it to be too dry either. I started by adding 3 cups of flour (you can always add more in as you knead it).
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 8 minutes. Or you can throw it in your mixer with the dough hook for about 3 minutes. As I kneaded my dough in the mixer, it started getting sticky, so I ended up adding another 3/4 cup flour in.
Once you're done kneading, place your dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Place bowl in a warm spot, cover with a kitchen towel, and let sit for about an hour to rise.
Punch the dough down and you're ready to form the pretzels! Start by dividing the dough into 12 balls, so you can make sure your pretzels will all be relatively the same size.
Take one dough ball and roll it into a rope. Shape the rope into a pretzel by forming into a "u" and crossing one end down, followed by the other end.
Mix your remaining 2 cups warm water with 1 tsp baking soda in a baking pan or other shallow dish. Dip the formed pretzels in. And then place on a greased baking sheet.
Continue with remaining dough balls. Cover with a kitchen towel again and let rise for another 20 minutes.
Brush each pretzel lightly with beaten egg. Sprinkle with kosher salt. And bake at 425°F for about 15 minutes.
Right when they come out of the oven, brush them with a little melted butter.
Pumpkin Beer Mustard
In a medium bowl, mix together mustard seed, pumpkin beer, and apple cider vinegar. Put in fridge for about 2 hours (or up to 2 days) to marinate.
Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until the mustard seeds are ground and the mixture thickens.
Put the bowl back in the fridge until you're ready to use it. If you let it sit for a day or two, the flavors will begin to mellow.
Sweet Pumpkin Dip
Mix all the ingredients together and put in the fridge until you're ready to eat.
Meghan Storey has been lucky enough to work in the world of craft beer since graduating from the University of Mississippi. Now living in Nashville, TN, with her big yellow dog Wally, she loves introducing friends to new craft beer and food pairings. Since beginning work on CraftBeer.com she can be found adding beer to just about everything she cooks.
Manzanita Brewing Co.'s Blonde has a light hoppiness and a clean, crisp character that pairs well with more subtle flavors like those in fresh herbs and the crispy crust of these crab wontons.
As a first generation American, Diana shares her family’s traditional Spanish and Mexican recipes in her blog A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa. In this recipe, Diana uses an English-style mild to create a beautiful chocolate flan.
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