Easy Pretzel Ring with Beer Cheese Dip #SundayFunday

This is a super simple way to make pretzels starting with refrigerated biscuit dough.  Make a ring of dough in a cast iron skillet.  Fill the inside with beer cheese.  Bake and serve in the same pan.  So easy and so good.  

The Sunday Funday Bloggers are celebrating St. Patrick's Day.......

Peanut Butter and Pretzel Crispy Treats #SundayFunday

Looking for a quick easy snack to serve up or take to the Super Bowl gathering?  This Peanut Butter and Pretzel Crispy Treats are sure to be a hit.

Not only is it Superbowl Sunday but Valentine's Day is right around the corner so the Sunday Funday Bloggers have been cooking up some sweet and salty treats for you.......

A Great Burger on Homemade Pretzel Hamburger Buns paired with a Malbec from Argentina #BreadBakers #Winophiles

 A while back I shared with you a 3 Cheese Hamburger that I had made for dinner one evening.  What I didn't share was my recipe for the Homemade Pretzel Bun on which I served it or the Malbec Wine with which I paired it.  

Today I am sharing both the recipe for these delicious, toothsome buns and my wine pairing notes.It is time for Bread Bakers and the French Winophiles..........

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pretzel Pecan Streusel #NationalPretzelDay

This sweet potato casserole is easily made using canned, drained sweet potatoes and evaporated milk.  The pretzel streusel topping studded with dried cranberriesand pecans make this a perfect side dish for a special meal.

The Festive Foodies are celebrating National Pretzel Day.......

Beer Pretzel Nuggets #SundayFunday

These pretzel nuggets made with a full can of beer and white whole wheat flour are a fun, little, pop in the mouth treat.  I served them up with some Honey Mustard for dipping.

The Sunday Funday Bloggers are opening up beers for today's event........

Nutty Cracker Jack Pretzel Treats #SundayFunday

Cracker Jacks, Peanuts and Pretzel sticks combine with Marshmallow to make a quick, easy, no bake dessert that is sure to be a hit at your next pot luck gathering.

The Sunday Funday Bloggers are sharing No Bake Desserts today.....

Sourdough Pretzel Bites #BBQWeek

These soft, savory, pretzel nuggets laced with shredded cheese are a perfect treat to snack on with pre-dinner cocktails or wine.

The next time you are having friends over for a BBQ, put out a tray of these pretzel bites to share along with cocktails while the main course is on the grill.

Chocolate Frosted Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars #OurFamilyTable

Peanut Butter Pretzels mixed with powdered sugar and more peanut butter make the base of these delicious bars.  Chocolate frosting tops them off for a special sweet treat.

There are Pretzels Everywhere today over at our From the Dinner Table Group.......

Pretzel Sticks #BreadBakers

Robin, of A Shaggy Dough Story, is hosting our Bread Bakers group this month with a theme of Pretzels.

I found this recipe for Pretzel Sticks by Grant Achatz in the December 2006 issue of Food & Wine.  I live in a small town in Michigan bordered by equally small towns.  The Achatz family hails from my neck of the woods.  They are famous for their quality homemade soups and pies.  Grant took the skills and knowledge that he learned from his elders and struck out for Chicago where he has opened restaurants and been named Rising Star Chef, Best Chef in the USA and has been inducted into the James Beard Hall of Fame.

I was thrilled to make one of his recipes to start off the New Year.  I modified it to only make 12 large pretzels and I used kosher salt instead of Maldon as it was available in my cupboard.

They were amazingly delicious.  Better than those soft pretzels that you get in the mall.  I served them up with some yellow mustard for dipping.  I had to force myself to stop going back for nibbles.  They were that good.

These chewy, salty sticks are perfect for snacking on and hearty enough, that if given to the kids when they come home from school famished, will stave off starvation until dinner time.

Pretzel Sticks

adapted from Food&Wine

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 c. water

1 envelope active dry yeast

2 T. vegetable oil

3 c. all purpose flour

3/4 c. baking soda

1 egg beaten with 1 T. water

kosher salt

In large bowl of stand mixer, fitted with dough hook, dissolve sugar into 1 c. warm water (110*), sprinkle with the yeast and let stand about 5 minutes, until foamy.

Stir in the oil and 1 1/2 cups of the flour.  Gradually add another cup of flour until incorporated into the dough.  Add remaining half cup of flour, as needed, if dough is too sticky.  Knead on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until dough is silky.

Place into an oil lined bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rest until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Punch down the dough and place onto a floured counter.  Knead lightly and flatten the dough.  Cut into 12 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a 9" roll about 1/2" thick and place half an inch apart onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.  Set aside for half an hour until puffy.

Fill a 3 qt. skillet with 2 qts. of water and the baking soda.  Bring to a simmer over high heat.  Reduce heat to med high and parboil the pretzel sticks in batches for about 30 seconds, flipping once.  Remove to paper towel to drain.  Return the drained sticks to the baking sheet and brush with the egg wash.  Sprinkle with desired amount of salt and bake in a preheated 450* oven for 10-13 minutes, until richly brown.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Print Recipe

More Perfect Pretzel Recipes

• Authentic German Pretzels from Sara's Tasty Buds
• Ballpark Pretzels from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Beer Pretzels from Passion Kneaded
• Buttery Pretzels from Ambrosia
• Cheddar Garlic Soft Pretzels from Palatable Pastime
• Cheese Jalapeño Stuffed Pretzel Rolls from Herbivore Cucina
• Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites from Cook's Hideout
• Cinnamon Sugar Soft Pretzels from Hostess At Heart
• Double Soda Pretzels from Food Lust People Love
• German Pretzel Rolls from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Honey Mustard Snack Pretzels from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Pretzel Dogs from Sneha's Recipe
• Pretzel Sticks from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Saffron Pretzel Rolls from The Schizo Chef
• Soft Whole Wheat Pretzels from What Smells So Good?
• Sourdough Soft Pretzels from Baking Sense
• Whole Wheat Pretzel Bites from I camp in my kitchen

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Celebrating OktoberFest with #SundaySupper

Cricket, of Cricket's Confections is hosting this month's Sunday Supper with the theme of Oktoberfest.  According to the invitation, Oktoberfest is the longest running festival in held each year in Bavaria, Germany.  It runs from mid September through the first weekend in October so we made it just in time.

When I signed up to join in the fun and add a recipe I wrote that I would be making a Warsteiner Fondue.  I wrote that because Warsteiner is my favorite beer and, as the name shows, is brewed in Germany.  Then I went into the refrigerator to pull out a Warsteiner.  I found Corona, Bud, Bud Light, Summer Shandy....even a Red Stripe, but alas, no Warsteiner.

So I ran up to the nearest grocery store which is still 20 minutes away and, of course, they didn't have any Warsteiner.  What they did have was a Samuel Adams Octoberfest beer. This beer is described as hearty and smooth with a deep flavor and complexity.  I bought that since, if not brewed in Germany, was at least brewed in the Bavarian style.  All this to say that my recipe name is now changed to Octoberfest Fondue.

I love serving fondues and normally place them in my miniature crockpot....but of course it is packed away, along with my fondue pot and my individual crocks that I use for soup and was my next choice.  I cannot wait to get this move over and have all my "stuff" available again.

I just placed it in a regular bowl and served it up with a side of  Chicken Sausage, Sweet Peppers, HoneyCrisp Apples and Soft Pretzels. This was a prelude to a light dinner of Chicken Noodle Soup. We enjoyed it with a stein of Octoberfest beer and toasted our German son, Max, who had given us these gorgeous steins when he lived here as an exchange student.

Octoberfest Fondue

1 c. Belgian Style Beer
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
4 oz. gruyere cheese, shredded
4 oz. gouda cheese. shreddded
juice from 1/4 lemon
2 t. honey dijon mustard
2 cooked chicken sausages, cut into bite sized rounds
1 apple, sliced and tossed in apple cider
2 large soft pretzels, cut into bite size pieces
3 miniature sweet peppers, cut into quarters

Place beer and garlic into a small saucepan over med heat.  Bring to a gentle boil.  Remove garlic clove and reduce heat to simmer.  Stir in the cheese, a handful at a time, stirring after each addition until cheese is completely melted.  Stir in the lemon juice and honey dijon mustard.  Pour into a fondue pot and serve with sausages, apple, pretzels, sweet peppers and/or your favorite dippers. Print Recipe

Let's look at what the others brought to our Oktoberfest!

Appetizers (Vorspeisen)

• German Pancake Soup (Flädlesuppe) by Caroline’s Cooking
• German Potato Pancakes by The Crumby Cupcake
• Homemade Pretzels with Kids by Hardly A Goddess
• Kräuterbutter (German Herb Butter) by Tara’s Multicultural Table
• Latke and Sauerbraten Poutine by Monica’s Table
• Obatzda – Bavarian Cheese Spread by Sunday Supper Movement
• Warsteiner Fondue by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Breakfast (Frühstück)

• German Apple Pancake by The Chef Next Door
• Peach Fritters by Pies and Plots

Condiments (Würze)

• Pickled Red Onions by What Smells So Good?
• Spicy Beer Mustard by Food Lust People Love

Dessert (Nachtisch)

• Apple Tart by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Kaiserschmarrn Recipe by Plated Cravings
• Nana’s Gluten Free German Chocolate Cake by Gluten Free Crumbley
• Rote Grütze (Fruit Pudding) by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Main Dish (Hauptgericht)

• Bavarian Sausage & Cabbage Soup by Food Done Light
• Beef Goulash Recipe by Positively Stacey
• Beer Mac and Cheese by Moore or Less Cooking
• Berlin Potato Soup by My Imperfect Kitchen
• Bierocks by Mindy’s Cooking Obsession
• Bratwurst Sheet Pan Dinner by A Mind Full Mom
• Burgers with Bacon-Sauerkraut Jam by Palatable Pastime
• How to Make Traditional German Sauerbraten by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Oktoberfest Beer Brats by Wholistic Woman
• Oktoberfest Chicken Chili by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Oktoberfest Fondue 3 Ways by Momma’s Meals
• Pork chops with Sauerkraut and Apples by Brunch-n-Bites
• Roasted Apple & Beer Chili For Oktoberfest by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Kebobs w/ a Boiled Cider Drizzle by The Freshman Cook
• Schwenkbraten (Grilled German Pork Chops) by Curious Cuisiniere

Side Dish (Beigabe)

• Fried Potatoes German Style by My Life as a Cookbook
• German Potato Salad by Tramplingrose
• Ginger Beer Sauerkraut by Cricket's Confections
• Herbed Spaetzle by The Hungry Goddess
• Krautsalat (German Coleslaw) by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Oktoberfest Potatoes by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.