Rye Pretzel Recipe with Vegan Beer Cheese
This is the most delicious rye pretzel recipe, with a rich vegan beer cheese to pair together. The rye and the beer go together perfectly. The pretzels are soft on the inside, crisp on the outside, flavored with caraway and studded with flakey salt. It’s the perfect snack to go with a beer and a movie- my kind of night. Make a batch to share with friends, just make sure you don’t accidentally eat them all first!
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Soft Pretzel Deliciousness
I didn’t grow up going to the mall much, so I never really experienced the phenomenon of the mall pretzel. Of course I had those little crunchy bite-sized snacking pretzels, but those really aren’t the same. My first experience with large, fluffy pretzels actually happened when I went to the home of the pretzel- Germany. I spent 6 months in Germany when I was a highschooler, to help learn the German language. Spoiler alert- Germans are really good at English and love speaking it with you. I learned very little. But one thing I did learn was the amazingness of fresh, large pretzels. One piece of vocabulary I did pick up- in German, their called Brezeln. They sometimes sold them at the school during breaks between classes. You could get the brezel plain, or sliced in half with butter spread in between. They also made them into sandwiches with different meats and cheeses. I stuck to the buttered brezeln, which really was a simple and delicious lunch. They’re also often served with mustard and beer.
I haven’t eaten pretzels all that much since then. I have made them once or twice, but somehow they’re just not the same. And part of that I really believe is lye. Pretzels are made by shaping the dough and then placing it in an alkaline solution. The reaction between the alkaline solution and the slightly acidic flour breaks down the proteins, which makes a Maillard reaction occur when baking. That’s what gives you that great brown crust. Personally, I think lye adds a really interesting and better flavor to the pretzels- try it both ways and see what you like better.
Looking for Vegan Bread Recipes? Try one of these!
- Champagne Grape Almond Butter Swirl Bread
- 4 Ingredient Fluffy Easy Flatbreads (Vegan, G.F. Optional)
- Savory Scallion Cornbread Using Grits
- Burst Intestine Vegan Savory Halloween Bread
- Garlic Yeasted Savory Zucchini Bread
- Vegan Cranberry Banana Bread
- Garlic and Herb Vegan Nettle Breadsticks (Urtica dioica)
Looking for Recipes Using Beer? Try one of these!
How to Make Rye Pretzels with Vegan Beer Cheese
This rye pretzel recipe isn’t hard, but it uses lye which needs to be used with caution. You can also use baking soda as an alternative- while I do prefer lye pretzels, I’ll give you instructions here on how to use baking soda if you prefer.
Start by making your dough. We infused our plant-based milk with caraway seeds, to give us that delicious caraway flavor. You also need to activate your yeast in a little warm water. After that bring the dough together in a stand mixer. You should be left with a fairly smooth dough that’s not sticky. You’ll want to knead the dough a while to help develop the gluten. You don’t need to set it aside for a long rise, but you will want to set it aside for about 10 minutes to make the pretzels easier to shape.
To shape the pretzels, start by dividing the dough into 12 even pieces. Work with one piece at a time. Roll the dough into a snake about 18 inches long. Raise the ends up into a big U, and twist around each other twice. Then you’ll bring the ends down and join them to the bottom of the U to form the pretzel shape. If you’d like an illustrated example of that, you can check out this handy guide.
If you’re using lye (like I really think you should), you’ll want to make sure you use proper safety procedures. Lye can burn your eyes and skin, as well as damage countertops, pans, and more. If you do spill lye, have a rag handy to quickly mop it up. If you get lye on your skin, quickly run it under cool water to rinse it off. Make sure you’re using food grade lye, and you’ve diluted it according to the recipe’s directions (in this case 2 tbsp. lye to 4 cups cool water). To protect your skin, wear long sleeves, close-toed shoes, gloves, and googles. Work in a well ventilated area, and avoid directly breathing in the fumes created from mixing the lye in water. Use a non-reactive bowl, like stainless steel, glass, or plastic. To dispose of lye, pour it down the drain followed by several seconds of cool water. You can follow that with some white vinegar, to insure the lye has been neutralized.
If you want to use baking soda instead, mix 1/4 cup baking soda with 4-5 cups of water. Bring it to a boil, and working in small batches, drop each pretzel into the bath for around 30 seconds. After that, proceed with the recipe as written.
Top your pretzels with large, flaky salt and caraway seeds, and bake them until dark brown.
White the pretzels bake, you can make your beer cheese. Simply boil the cashews and beer together, to reduce the alcohol and soften the cashews. Blend together with the remaining cheese ingredients and you’re all done!
Rye Pretzel Recipe with Vegan Beer Cheese
Ingredients
- ¾ cup plant-based milk
- 2 tbsp. vegan butter
- 1 tsp. caraway seeds (and more for sprinkling)
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp. active yeast
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup rye flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. lye (sodium hydroxide)
- Large flake salt, for sprinkling
- 12 oz. beer (a lager is nice)
- 1 cup cashew pieces
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp. light miso paste
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- 2 cloves garlic
Instructions
- Add the plant-based milk, butter, and caraway seeds into a small saucepan. Bring up to a simmer and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring. Turn off the heat, and let the mixture cool down.
- Add the yeast, brown sugar, and ¾ cup of warm water to your stand mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes to rehydrate, and then add the caraway milk mix. Turn on the mixer. Add the salt and flours, about half a cup at a time, until all the flour is incorporated. Use the bread hook to mix, or remove from the mixer and knead on a clean, lightly floured countertop for a few minutes. When you press your thumb into the dough and it springs back, you’ve kneaded enough. Cover with a clean cloth, and let sit for 10 minutes so the gluten relaxes.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a baking tray with a silicone sheet. Divide the dough into 12 even pieces. One at a time, take the dough and roll it out into a snake, about 18 inches long. Form a big U, and wrap the ends around each other twice. Flip the ends down, and press them into the bottom of the U to join the ends to the bottom so the twisted part is in the middle of the U. Place the twisted dough on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
- When handling lye, use hand, skin, and eye protection and work in a well-ventilated space. Have a cloth and cold water ready to clean up any spills. In a plastic bowl, mix 4 cups of water with 2 tbsp. of lye. Using a plastic tool (I used a spatula), place the pretzels in the lye one at a time or in small batches. Let sit for 15 seconds, then remove from the lye and place on the silicone mat. Once all the pretzels have been dipped, sprinkle them with large flake salt and caraway seeds (if desired). Dispose of the lye by pouring down the drain, and following with 30 seconds of cold water. Place in the preheated oven, and bake for 15 minutes.
- While the pretzels bake, start on the beer cheese. Add the beer and cashews to a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Transfer the cashews and beer to a blender, along with the other ingredients for the beer cheese. Blend until completely smooth, and season with salt to taste.
- Removed the pretzels once baked, and serve with beer cheese.
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