Soft Pretzels with Beer Cheese Dip

We had soft pretzels and cheese beer dip at a restaurant last night and I was thinking about it all morning. These ones taste even better even though they’re not nearly as pretty - I really need to work on my pretzel shaping skills! The best part is the crunch of the sea salt alongside the fluffy middle. Pairing the pretzel with a classic cheese beer dip is a must!

Pretzels

4 cup Partially Sifted Flour
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp melted butter
1 ½ cups warm water

¼ cup baking soda
large pot of water
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp water
coarse sea salt

Sift together the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add in the melted butter and water. Knead for 3 minutes. Set the dough aside to rise until doubled in sized – about 1-2 hours.

Once raised, punch down the dough and split into 8 pieces. Roll out each piece into a long rope, twist the ends together like a twist tie and fold the ends in half back towards the bottom of the pretzel. It took me a couple to figure it out but after it was easy. Let the pretzels rise on a parchment lined baking sheet for about half an hour.

Boil the water and baking soda together. Once boiling, drop in the pretzels one at a time for a minute flipping half way through. Place them back onto the parchment. Once they’re boiled, whisk together the egg yolk and tablespoon of water. Slather the pretzels (hopefully yours are prettier than mine after being boiled!) with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 350°F for about 12 minutes or until they’re golden.

Beer Cheese Dip

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp Partially Sifted Flour
1 cup shredded cheese (I used a combination of old gouda from Thunder Oak and gruyère)
½ cup beer
¼ cup milk
pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a sauce pan and sauté the onions until soft. Add in the garlic, pepper and flour and cook for 3-4 minutes being sure to always stir. Add in your flour, beer and milk and keep stirring until it is wonderfully gooey. If you’re planning on serving the dip cool you might need to add a bit more milk.

Bagels

This recipe graciously came from a customer. Bagels may be a bit of work but they are worth it. We gobbled one up with yogurt cheese from Slate River Dairy and homemade jam which was pretty darn amazing.

6 cups Partially Sifted Flour
½ tbsp yeast
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsps sugar
1 tbsp oil, plus extra for coating dough
2 cups warm water
2 tbsp sugar for poaching

Mix together the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add the oil to the water and mix it into the flour mixture. It will be tough but that’s exactly what we’re looking for. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, roll into a ball and coat with a bit more oil. Allow the dough to rise for 1-2 hours.

Once the dough is raised, split it into 15 separate pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and use a bit of water to help seal the edges. Place the bagels on parchment lined baking sheets and allow them to rise for half an hour or so.

Boil a large pot of water with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Once roaring, poach each bagel for a minute flipping them halfway through. Once they’re all boiled, bake them for 20 minutes at 425°F. 

Rhubarb Crisp

I must admit that crisps aren’t the prettiest of desserts but they are reasonably healthy and undeniably delicious. Warm rhubarb crisp paired with cold, creamy vanilla ice cream is blissful. Leftovers (if you’re so lucky) make a pretty great breakfast.

Rhubarb Bottom:

3 cups chopped rhubarb
½ cup sugar
¼ cup Partially Sifted Flour
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:

½ cup brown sugar
½ cup Partially Sifted or Whole Wheat Flour
¼ cup oats (I used steel cut oats in a pinch but rolled would be much nicer)
¼ cup butter

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix together the rhubarb, sugar, flour and vanilla and place it in the bottom of your dish. Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle it on top of the rhubarb mixture. Bake for 25 minutes.

Baguette

I’m in love with these baguettes! So infatuated that I’m actually going to buy the special baguette pans. These baguettes are crusty on the outside but so fluffy and moist inside. We ate an entire loaf at lunch smeared with garden fresh chives and butter. 

4 cups Partially Sifted Flour (you could also play with Whole Wheat)
½ tbsp. salt
1 tbsp yeast
1 ½ cups warm water
extra flour for dusting
That’s it!

Dissolve the yeast into the warm water and let it begin to bubble. Mix the flour and salt together. Add in the yeasty water and knead for about 10 minutes. You will be able to feel the dough become elasticy. Let it rise for an hour or two.

Next, punch down the dough (my favourite part) and split it in half. Flatten each ball into an oval and fold the dough into thirds like a letter sealing in the edges each time. Roll out the dough to the desired length and lightly flour. Let the baguettes rise a second time for about an hour.

Once risen, add a few shallow diagonal slices to the top of the loaves. Brush them with water and bake at 425°F for 25 minutes. I just baked them on a parchment lined cookie sheet but I now want to try actual baguette pans. Do let it cool enough so you don’t burn your fingers before eating!

If you would like more details and photos on the process follow this link: http://wholewheatsweets.com/recipe/bread/whole_wheat_baguette 

Butter Pecan Cake

Butter pecan is one of our all-time favourite cakes. It’s buttery, rich and perfect with a cup of tea.  

Cake

¼ cup butter
2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
2 ½ cups BCF Partially Sifted Flour

In a frying pan, melt the 1/4 cup butter on medium-low heat. Add the pecans and toast just until fragrant (about 3 minutes). Set aside to cool. Beat the 1 cup of butter until fluffy. Add in the sugar and beat again. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Add in the vanilla, baking powder and milk and beat once again. Finally, add the flour and mix just until combined. Fold in the pecans. Pour the batter into two 9 inch cake pans that have been greased and floured. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Brown Sugar Buttercream

1 cup butter
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups icing sugar

Beat the butter until fluffy. Add in the brown sugar and vanilla and beat again. Slowly add in the icing sugar and beat until you have a spreadable consistency. Frost the cake once is has cooled