Appetizers

Sausage and Cheddar Stuffed Pretzel Balls

Ingredients:

  • for the pretzel dough:
  • warm water – 1 cup
  • sugar – 1 tbsp
  • salt – 2 tsp
  • active dry yeast – 1 package
  • beer – 1/2 cup
  • all purpose flour – 4 1/2 cups
  • butter – 4 tbsp, melted
  • for the filling:
  • Italian sausage – 1 pound, browned
  • cheddar cheese – 1 pound, shredded
  • for the water bath:
  • water – 10 cups
  • baking soda – 2/3 cup
  • for the wash:
  • egg yolk – 1
  • water – 1 tbsp
  • pretzel salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • In a small bowl combine the water, sugar, salt, and yeast, then set aside until the yeast foams. Stir in the beer.
  • Put the flour in a larger bowl, then add the yeast mixture and butter and use an electric mixer with a dough hook attached. Mix on low speed until combined.
  • Increase the speed to medium, and mix until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl – about 5 minutes. (If you don’t have a dough mixer attachment, you can put the dough on a floured surface, and knead it for about 10 minutes, until it comes together and becomes elastic.)
  • Form the dough into a ball and put it back in the bowl – drizzle a little oil over it and roll it around well, oiling the ball of dough and the inside of the bowl.
  • Cover with a damp kitchen towel, and leave in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

fill pretzel balls:

  • Punch the dough down and roll it out into a large rectangle. Use a biscuit cutter to cut 3″ circles out of the dough.
  • Take a circle in your hand, spoon some cheese on it, then some cooked sausage.
  • Pull up all sides of the circle to make a pouch, then twist and pinch off the end, making sure it’s a tight seal.
  • Repeat until all the dough has been used.

cook pretzel balls:

  • Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a boil in a large pot.
  • Pre heat the oven to 450°F.
  • Line two baking sheets with baking paper, and grease the paper.
  • Gently place each pretzel ball into the boiling water, three or four at a time, and boil for about 30 seconds, then remove carefully with a slotted spoon. Place on the prepared baking sheets.
  • Use a fork to mix the egg yolk and tablespoon of water together in a small bowl, then brush each ball well with the mix.
  • Sprinkle the balls with pretzel salt (I couldn’t find any pretzel salt, so I used fleur de sel, and it worked great) and bake in the oven for about 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
  • Serve warm with spicy deli or German mustard on the side.

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Image Source:*comfortablefood.com

Source:comfortablefood.com