It counts as German, right?

Being mostly German and Russian made Heritage month a challenge! What do Russians bake? I have no clue. And I don't like coconut, so German chocolate cake was out.

This year, I went to an Oktoberfest for the first time. I finally found a festival where I felt like I associated with the heritage, especially now that my last name is Warner. At that festival, I had a soft pretzel, so it got me thinking...I could make a soft pretzel for heritage month! If I had it at Oktoberfest, it has to be German, right? Shortly after, I was listening to a podcast called "Wonderful," where they talk about things they find wonderful. One of the topics one week was soft pretzels, and they specifically mentioned how easy they are to make! I figured it was a sign, soft pretzels it is!

I also threw in a beer cheese dip because in this family, cheese is an essential part of any meal. And a soft pretzel needs a beer cheese dip!

Soft Pretzel

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 oz all purpose flour (approx 4 1/2 cups)
2 oz unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Salt (for topping)

Directions

Combine water, sugar, and salt in bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and the oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for 50-55 minutes or until dough has doubled in size (I put my dough in the oven, and put boiling water underneath it. This is what google told me to do! Caleb promised to install a proofing oven in our next home)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with vegetable oil.

Bring 10 cups of water and baking soda to a rolling boil.

While waiting for that to boil, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled workforce and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24 inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel (Caleb helped me with this part, and he got a little creative...)

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large spatula. Put on the sheet pan, brush the top of each with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture, and sprinkle with salt. Bake until dark golden brown, approximately 12-14 minutes.

Beer Cheese Dip

Ingredients

4 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup grated white cheddar
3/4 cup grated mozzarella, divided
1/4 cup lager beer
1 teaspoon garlic powder
a couple dashes of hot sauce

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir cream cheese until smooth. Add the cheddar and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, stir to combine. Add the garlic powder, beer, and hot sauce, stir until mixed.

Pour into a baking dish, and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top. Bake for about 15 minutes or until top is golden.