Beer Cheese Pretzel Bites
Here’s what you will need:
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 Tbsp. corn starch
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. beer of your choice
- 1 lb of pizza dough
- 5 cups water
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1 egg
- Coarse salt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C.
Toss the cheddar cheese with the corn starch until it’s evenly distributed. In a medium saucepan, bring 1/2 cup of beer to a simmer. Then add in the cheese and corn starch mixture and whisk until it begins to thicken. Once thick, take off the heat. (It may cool and become more solid over time, but don’t worry! It will melt back down in the oven, so this is fine.)
Slice a small piece of your pizza dough, roll it into a ball, then flatten it out. Place a small spoonful of the beer cheese mixture in the center of the dough. Pick up the top and bottom edges and bring them up and together. Do the same with the left and right edges. Continue bringing in the rest of the edges of the dough until it all meets in the center and there are no gaps for the cheese to leak out of during baking. (You can pick up and twist the top of the dough to make sure everything is more secure.)
Bring five cups of water to a boil in a medium pot. When you’ve finished putting together your pretzel bites, add the baking soda to the water and immediately scoop in your pretzel bites. Boil for 20-30 seconds, then take out and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine one egg and two tablespoons of beer and beat with a fork until they are well blended. Brush the mixture onto the top of each pretzel bite, then top with coarse salt.
Bake for 15-20 minutes (or until they have browned).
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