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Introducing your new favorite game-day appetizer this fall !! A salty, buttery pretzel focaccia bread and spiced cheese dipping sauce will be perfect crowd-pleasing snack for your next gathering!
This pretzel focaccia bread ticks all the boxes for an game-day appetizer… it’s a super simple recipe, makes enough to feed a crowd and tastes insanely delicious!!
This bread combo is extremely dangerous to have around a group of hungry people. Who can resist warm soft pretzel bread dipped in delicious spicy cheese sauce?! Each slice of bread is soft and airy with a salty, crunchy crust that tastes just like a pretzel. And the homemade cheese sauce lightly spiced with a cayenne seasoning blend makes this snack a soul-warming treat!
Pretzel Focaccia Recipe with Spiced Cheese Dipping Sauce
How to Make the Pretzel Focaccia
In our opinion, focaccia is one of the easiest bread recipes you can make and really takes minimal care to make. You want to start by activating the yeast in a bowl of warm water. Once you start to see bubbling, you know the yeast is activated and you can start to add the other dough ingredients. Next stir the ingredients together until a sticky dough forms. After you have made your dough, you will need to chill it in the fridge for at least 12 hours. During this time it will double in size! We like to do this step the night before, so the dough rises overnight.
After your dough has chilled, prep a baking sheet by greasing it with butter first (making sure you get in the corners) and then olive oil. The butter will give the crust a browned look. Next, scrape out the dough onto the baking sheet and spread out evenly with your hands to make sure it meets all the corners.
You will next make a baking soda wash to brush over the dough (see instructions below). This will brown the crust even more to give you that pretzel look to your dough. Let the dough rise in the baking sheet for an additional 1-2 hours. After the dough has risen, brush with more baking soda mixture and place in a preheated oven.
Lastly, bake for 20-25 minutes, removing the dough halfway through to quickly brush melted butter on the top and sprinkle with pretzel salt. Place back in the oven for the remaining time and cook until edges are dark brown and top is hard to the touch. While your pretzel focaccia cools, make the spiced cheese dipping sauce!!!
How to Make the Spiced Cheese Dipping Sauce
You can’t have pretzels without a cheesy dipping sauce!! This homemade spiced cheese sauce is a soul-warming complement for the pretzel focaccia.
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Pretzel Focaccia Recipe with Spiced Cheese Dipping Sauce
- Total Time: 14 hours 32 minutes
Ingredients
Pretzel Focaccia
- 6 cups all purpose flour
- 1 packet dry yeast
- 4 tbsp butter (melted)
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 cups warm water
- 1/2 cup boiling water ((for baking soda brushing))
- 2 tbsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- pretzel salt
Cheese Dipping Sauce
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 oz beer
- 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
- 4 oz gruyere cheese (grated)
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp worcesterchire sauce
Instructions
Pretzel Focaccia
- Add flour and salt to a medium bowl and stir to combine.
- In a separate large bowl, add yeast and warm water and stir to combine. Let it sit until it starts to activate, you will know when it starts to bubble. Pour into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until you have a sticky dough.Cover the bowl and chill in fridge for at least 12 hours. (we like to make the night before, so it chills overnight)
- After you let your dough chill and rise, prep your baking sheet. Generously grease a sheet pan withhold butter first, followed by avocado oil and spread around with your hands to make sure all corners and surfaces of the pan are covered with oil. The butter will will make the crust browned like a pretzel.
- Scrape out the dough gently onto your greased pan and spread dough out evenly to meet the corners of the pan.
- Next, boil some water for your baking soda mixture. This helps to make the dough crust brown faster. Add ½ a cup of boiling water to a small bowl. Spoon in your baking soda to a bowl and stir in boiling water. Using a pastry brush, brush the surface of the dough and let it rise for 1-2 additional hours hours. Preheat your oven to 450℉ while it rises.
- Brush with baking soda mixture one more time before placing in the preheated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating half way through. When you rotate the pan halfway through, brush with some melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Once your focaccia is browned like a pretzel, remove from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the focaccia is cooling, make your cheese sauce (instructions below). Slice your focaccia and serve with the warm cheese sauce!
Spiced Cheese Dipping Sauce
- Melt butter In a dutch oven or large saucepan, over medium high heat stove top. Add in flour and whisk until a paste is formed.
- Next add in your seasonings – onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce. Let it simmer for a minute or two before adding your milk and beer.
- Stir in the milk and beer to break up any clumps. Lastly add in your freshly grated cheeses and stir until cheeses are melted. Remove from heat and pour in serving bowl to cool for several minutes. Serve with warm pretzel focaccia bread and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Snack
- Cuisine: American
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