Pretzel Focaccia with German Beer Cheese Dip
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This tangy pull-apart pretzel focaccia is made with no-knead dough that gets boiled in baking soda and baked into glossy, dark, chewy bread.
Equipment
Ingredients
FOCACCIA DOUGH
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1¾ cups warm water (between 105-115°F or 40-46°C)
- 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons salt (use fine sea salt or table salt)
BAKING SODA BATH
- 10 cups water
- ¼ cup baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon pretzel salt (see note)
BEER CHEESE DIP
- 8 ounces Brie cheese (or camembert)
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup wheat beer (I use 0% ABV beer, to keep it alcohol-free)
- 2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons yellow or white onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground caraway seeds (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Mix, Stretch-and-Fold, and Rise
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the yeast, granulated sugar, and warm water. Set aside for 10 minutes, until it's foamy on top. (If it's not foamy, check your yeast packet, as it might be expired.)
- Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and stir it into the foamy yeast mixture.
- Add the flour and salt, and mix for a minute with a large spoon or silicone spatula until it forms a soft, sticky dough.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a dinner plate for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and Fold 1: Use your hand to scoop a handful of dough from underneath, up one side, up out of the bowl as far as you can stretch it without tearing, then fold it over itself on top. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat another stretching of the dough up and folding over itself. Repeat rotating the bowl and stretching & folding the dough twice more, until you've completed four stretch-and-folds.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a dinner plate for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and Fold 2: Repeat the process for four stretch-and-folds. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a dinner plate for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and Fold 3: Repeat the process for four stretch-and-folds. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a dinner plate for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and Fold 4: Repeat the process for four stretch-and-folds. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a dinner plate for 1 hour until it doubles in size and looks bubbly on top.
Shape and Proof
- Grease a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Set aside.
- Coat your hands in a little olive oil, then divide the dough into 12 equal-sized portions. Gently pull the surface of each dough ball down and pinch it at the bottom to create surface tension on each dough ball.
- Arrange all the dough balls on the greased baking sheet, then cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let them rest and proof for 1 hour, until they puff up.
The dough is too soft to roll on the counter into a ball, so use both hands to gently stretch the surface and pull it taut into a ball. And don’t skip greasing your hands, otherwise the dough will stick to you.
Boil, Bake, and Cool
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (230°C). Spread 3 tablespoons of olive oil on the bottom and up the sides of a 9x13 metal baking dish and set aside. Place a clean kitchen towel on your counter (to dry the boiled pretzel buns later).
- Add 10 cups of water and ¼ cup of baking soda to a large pot and bring to a boil on the stove.
- Transfer two proofed dough balls into the boiling baking soda bath. Boil for 30 seconds, then use a spoon to flip them over and boil for 30 seconds on the other side. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the pot, tapping the spoon on the rim first to drain off excess water.
- Gently roll the boiled dough balls on a clean kitchen towel to remove excess surface moisture, then gently transfer to the greased baking dish.
- Continue boiling, drying, and arranging the remaining dough balls in the baking dish in batches of 2-3 at a time to avoid crowding the pot.
- Generously coat your fingers in olive oil and press dimples into the dough all the way to the bottom of the baking dish. Aim to have the dimples spread apart from each other by 1-inch.
- Sprinkle the pretzel salt evenly on top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until it’s crispy and brown on top. Cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Try not to squish the dough after it’s been proofed, since boiling sets the exterior and it won’t puff up that much more as it bakes, so we want to retain as much air in the dough as possible.
Make the Beer Cheese
- While the focaccia cools, make the beer cheese dip. In a medium bowl, add the Brie (or camembert), softened cream cheese, and butter. Smash it together with a fork until it’s pretty smooth with some small lumps still visible.
- Add the beer (or non-alcoholic beer), chives, onion, paprika, optional caraway seeds, and salt. Mix everything again with a fork until it’s well combined. Serve alongside the pretzel focaccia for dipping or spreading on top.
Notes
- Pretzel Salt: This can be hard to find in stores, so I usually buy my pretzel salt online. Extra coarse salt will work, but it'll start to dissolve into the baked bread after a day.
- Equipment: I recommend using a metal baking dish rather than ceramic or glass. It runs hotter and gives you a crispier crust on the bottom.
- Overnight Rise: To make this overnight, let the dough sit out for 1-2 hours after mixing, then refrigerate the covered bowl for 8-12 hours. Skip the stretch and folds and go straight to dividing the dough. Then add 1 to 2 hours to the proof time, so the dough can warm up before puffing up properly.
- Leftovers: Store fully cooled focaccia in a paper bag, like any pretzel. An airtight container keeps the crust softer but makes the salt on top dissolve faster.
Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment below - I love hearing from you!