Hopped Cider Pretzels with Honey Mustard

I’m a sucker for any recipe that calls for hard cider, and there was pretty much no question I was going to try Half Baked Harvests soft baked hard cider pretzels, & make Hopped Cider Pretzels with Honey Mustard that I will make over + over again. We make it a point. to do an at-home Oktoberfest every year, + it’s one of our food traditions that I so look forward to. Largely marked by the homemade pretzels. Jordan always takes the lead on these (he is the dough master at our house) but I was excited to try my hand at it, and incorporate Incline for fun twist. & these totally hit the spot! Soft + warm + perfectly crisp on the outside and doughy on the inside. Just pillowy + soft + pretty damn addicting. We made them our style by sprinkling everything seasoning mix on top (we put that stuff on everything!) and whipped up a creamy + sweet honey mustard to go with it. We swapped out other tradition German Oktoberfest staples for these pretzels could be the shining star, and swapped in a cheesy broccoli soup, and it was perfect. Oktoberfest the Zehner way, & it was wonderful.

 
 

Forego the perfect pretzel

I love that homemade stuff can feel more “rustic” & have a better appeal as a result. And pretzels have a totally distinct look, and just watch youtube video to get the whole spin + twist thing down. I loved that this recipe elicited some fatty pretzels. The dough just rises so. much, and continue to puff up when they bake, and my best description for the result is these fatty pretzels. And they were doughy + perfect for peeling apart to dunk in either honey. mustard or soup.

Forming the pretzels

My number one tip is make sure you press the 2 ends of your pretzel rope into the pretzel once it’s fully formed. The process is to roll the dough into a long rope, twist it up to form your pretzel, but I found it quite helpful to gently press the ends of the rope into the edges of the formed pretzel to help keep it’s shape during the whole baking soda boil.

 
 

Big picture - have fun rolling out the pretzel ropes + spinning them into that classic pretzel shape. Doing that with Jordan was probably the highlight of the whole process, and provides that same satisfaction as tossing pizza dough. It’s just involved + fun, and I was here for all of it.

Honey mustard dipper is the sleeper hit

I will say that I was hopeful that the cider would impart a pretty distinct flavor to the pretzels, and I think the main result is the carbonation helps keep the pretzels light + airy + totally delightful (because they were all of those things). But the honey mustard is just the shining star. We ended up making 2 batches because we annihilated the first batch night 1. The combo of mayo + dijon + honey - very freaking addicting.

Fun fact about me - totally love mayo. As disgusting as it is + as much as I’d like to remain a closet mayo lover, it really is so so good. Totally committed to believer the fact that mayo makes sandwiches + sauces + (in this case) honey mustard so much better. It’s the creamy-ness it adds for me, and it makes me just want to fully dunk all the pretzel pieces into this stuff. Can’t get enough and even the mayo haters need to be on board.

Such a yummy + fun meal, and I’m so happy our day off was rooted in having some fun, whipping up pretzels together. We had fun swapping from honey mustard dipping to soup dipping (pretzels worked fab for both), & they were so good that we heated up 3 pretzels every night until our soup & pretzels were gone. One for us to have on our own, & then one share pretzel because they’re so addicting. A perfectly carb-y treat + so much fun to make together.

 
 

For the pretzels

  • 1/3 c. warm water

  • 1 tbsp honey

  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

  • 1-12 oz can Incline Hopped Cider

  • 1 stick butter, melted

  • 4 1/2 c. flour

  • 1 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1/4 c. baking soda

  • Everything bagel seasoning (or plain salt)

For the honey mustard

  • 1/4 c. Dijon

  • 1/4 c. honey

  • 1/4 c. mayo

  • 1/4 tsp. paprika

  • Salt + pepper

  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, minced

Start by making the pretzels. Combine water, honey, + yeast in a bowl of the stand mixer, and let sit until bubbly (5 minutes).

Add the cider, butter, flour, + salt, and mix on medium speed with the dough hook. Dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap + let rise in a warm spot for 1-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees + line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

Place a large pot of water over high heat, and cover to get it to a boil.

Turn the dough out on a floured surface + separate the dough into eight balls. Roll each ball into a long, thin rope - about 1 inch in diameter. Do the classic “twist + spin” to form the pretzels, and press the ends into the part of the pretzel they’re resting on.

When the water is boiling, add in the baking soda. Boil the pretzels 1 at a time, and then remove, setting them on the baking sheets. Once all pretzels have been boiled + lined up on the parchment sheets, brush the tops with a beaten egg, and sprinkle with everything bagel salt (I did a pretty generous sprinkle). Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the pretzels are lightly browned.

While they bake, make the honey mustard by. mixing together all honey mustard ingredients. Set aside.

Eat piping hot pretzels with the freshly made honey mustard. Enjoy every dunk + doughy bite. It’s total heaven!

Lesley ZehnerComment