Old Bust Head Festbier Bavarian Pretzels

Recipe & Photos by Kaitlin Hill 

Have your beer and eat it too with my Bavarian-style soft pretzels made with Old Bust Head Festbier! The pretzels are soft and chewy with a pleasant hint of toasty malt from the addition of the Festbier. The recipe makes eight large pretzels but can easily be multiplied to serve a crowd. Add a generous slather of German mustard to your plate for an Oktoberfest experience any time! 

Makes 8 pretzels 

Ingredients:
12 ounces of Festbier

1 package (1/4 ounce) of active dry yeast 

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted 

2 tablespoons of honey 

1 ½ teaspoons of salt 

4 cups of all-purpose flour 

10 cups of water 

2/3 cup of baking soda 

1 egg 

1 tablespoon of water 

Flakey salt 

Canola oil for greasing pans 

Directions: 

Measure out all ingredients. 

In a small saucepan, heat the Festbier to 110 – 115°F. 

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the yeast. Let sit for 5 – 10 minutes until the yeast is foamy. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, honey, salt, yeast mixture, and three cups of the flour. Using a dough hook attachment, mix on low until the dough starts to come together. 

Once the dough starts to come together, turn the mixer to medium and slowly add the remaining flour. Continue to mix until the dough starts to pull away from the sides. Continue to mix on medium for 6 – 8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. 

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with a dish towel. Set in a warm place for 1 hour to rise. 

Preheat the oven to 425°F and set a large pot filled with 10 cups of water over high heat. Bring the water a boil and add the baking soda. Grease two large baking trays with oil. 

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 8 pieces. 

Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough into a rope roughly 18 inches in length. To form the pretzel, make a “U” shape, take the two straight lengths of the “U” and twist around one another. Once twisted, bring them down to the base of the “U” to make a pretzel. Set aside and continue with the rest of the dough pieces. 

Working two at a time, place the pretzels in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove from the water, pat dry with a paper towel and transfer to the greased baking tray.

Boil the remainder of the pretzels and place on the sheet trays, four to a tray, spaced two inches apart. 

Whisk together egg and water in a small bowl. Brush each pretzel with the egg wash and sprinkle with flakey salt. 

Transfer the trays to the preheated oven and bake for 10 – 12 minutes until browned. 

Once baked, remove from the oven, and transfer the pretzels to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy with your favorite mustard and a tall glass of ice cold Festbier!