Brioche Pretzels with Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese Dip

Brioche Pretzels with Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese Dip! ... Brioche Pretzels? With Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese Dip? What?! If it sounds like heaven, it's because it is! These soft and buttery brioche pretzels are flaky and delicious! The outer shell is smooth and the crumb is pillowy soft like a cloud!

The beer cheese dip makes this combination a real part for your taste buds. This is not your traditional cheese dip. Smoked gouda and cheddar cheese come together with beer (I used Guiness), butter, and a few spices - and wow! Magic happens. I can guarantee that you'll be making this recipe for years to come. Also, this is perfect for parties, especially with Oktoberfest coming up!

This recipe was featured in The Pioneer Woman's 45 Best New Year's Eve Appetizers to End the Year on a Delicious Note! Check out the article here!

Have you ever had beer cheese dip? When making this recipe, I wanted to use the flavors of a strong beer and a smoky cheese to come together. I think this flavor profile is a bit more complex than your traditional beer cheese dip. Also, I added some smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, garlic, and thyme to really build this dip into something that's unforgettable.

Brioche Pretzels with Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese Dip

lets make brioche pretzels!

Let's talk about how to make the brioche pretzels. After allowing the yeast to bloom, add the dough hook attachment to a stand mixer and add the flour, salt, and the yeast mixture. You're also going to add water and butter and let the dough come together and form into a smooth ball. The key tip to getting the dough nice and smooth is giving the dough enough time to knead in the mixer. It will take at least 8 minutes. You really want to give the dough time to develop gluten and mix with the butter to make this crumb nice and soft!

Then we'll place the dough into a well oiled bowl and allow it to rise for an hour. The key is to get the dough to double in size. (For some reason, I love seeing the dough rise, it's always so cool to me). Cut the dough into 6 pieces, roll each into a ball and then into a long rope. The rope should be at least 18-22 inches. For a pretzel shaping tutorial, check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwy9c0foFTc

I have found that I am a visual learner, so I hope that the tutorial listed above helps!

smoked gouda beer cheese dip

To make the smoked gouda beer cheese dip, it's actually quite simple. Melt butter in a saucepan and add flour. Whisk until the butter clumps up and then add the remainder of the ingredients - beer, milk, cheese, salt, and spices. Stir over medium heat until all of the cheese has melted and the ingredients come together! Eat up!

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Brioche Pretzels with Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese Dip

Brioche Pretzels with Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese Dip! ... Brioche Pretzels? With Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese Dip? What?! If it sounds like heaven, it's because it is! These soft and buttery brioche pretzels are flaky and delicious! The outer shell is smooth and the crumb is pillowy soft like a cloud!

Serving: 6 servings

Prep Time: 2 hrs

Cook Time: 25 mins

Calories: 400kcal

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup whole milk, warm
• ▢ 2.5 tsp active dry yeast
• ▢ 3 tbsps brown sugar
• ▢ 5 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 stick butter, salted
• ▢ ¾ cup water
• ▢ 1 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ For Boiling Pretzels:
• ▢ 12 cups water
• ▢ ⅔ cup baking soda
• ▢ Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese Dip
• ▢ 4 tbsp butter
• ▢ 4 tbsp flour
• ▢ 1 cup whole milk
• ▢ 2.5 cup Smoked gouda cheese, shredded
• ▢ ⅔ cup beer
• ▢ 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ ⅓ cup Cheddar Cheese
• ▢ 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ▢ ½ tsp salt
• ▢ 1 tsp garlic powder
• ▢ ½ tsp thyme
• ▢ 2 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions

• Add warm milk, active dry yeast, and brown sugar to a bowl. Whisk together and allow yeast to bloom for about 8-10 minutes.
• Add 5 cups of Flour to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add salt and whisk together. Add the dough hook attachment and add yeast mixture, room temperature butter, and ½ cup of water. Start speed on low and gradually increase to medium, mixing for about 8 minutes, until dough is smooth. If dough is not coming together, add a tablespoon of water as needed.
• Add dough to a well-oiled bowl and cover. Allow dough to rest in the oven with the oven light on or in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until it has doubled in size.
• Add 12 cups of water to a large pot. Warm the water over medium heat and bring to a boil. As water begins to warm, add baking soda (very slowly, the water will fizz up).
• Cut dough into 6 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Then roll each piece into a long rope, about 18 inches. Form the rope into a U-shape, twisting one end of the rope around the other twice. Pull the loop of dough on top of the twisted ends and allow the pretzel to rest on a baking sheet. Repeat for remaining pieces.
• Preheat oven to 425 degree F.
• Add 1-2 pretzels to the boiling water for 30 seconds on each side. Remove from water and allow to rest on the baking sheet.
• Beat one egg. Brush egg over top of each pretzel, coating the pretzels completely. Sprinkle pretzel salt and bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown.
• For the Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese dip, add butter to a sauce pan and melt. Add flour and whisk until butter clumps up. Add milk, shredded cheese, Worcestershire sauce, beer, salt, and spices. Stir until cheese is melted. Eat up!

Nutrition

Calories: 400kcal

Course: Appetizers, Snacks

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