Oktoberfest Sausage Pretzel Dogs!

Oktoberfest Sausage Pretzel Dogs

 

  Aaron and I had season passes to Busch Gardens for a few years and no matter what, my favorite place to visit is Oktoberfest!  The food is Ahhh-mazing and the entertainment is fun too!  The last time we went, there was a new food stand that had sausages wrapped in soft pretzels!  Oh my goodness, this was not the food to eat if planning on riding roller coasters for the next hour or so.  With Fall coming up, we were in the Oktoberfest mood!  Here is our re-creation!

 

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water (110 degrees)

 1 package (or 2-1/4 teaspoons) dry active yeast

 1 Tablespoon brown sugar

 3 cups all-purpose flour

 2 Tablespoons melted butter

 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 package of sausage (We’ve used Louisiana sausages and cheese flavored sausages)

Soda Bath:

 6 cups water

 3 Tablespoons baking soda

Topping:

 1 egg, beaten with 1 Tablespoon water

 2 Tablespoons coarse sea salt

1.       Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and brown sugar.   Let stand for 10 minutes to bloom.

2.        Add the water/yeast along with the melted butter, salt and 2 3/4 cups of the flour to your heavy-duty mixer and knead dough.  Add the last 1/4 cup of flour if necessary. You can also do this by hand. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky, but very uniform and smooth.

3.       Oil bowl with vegetable oil.  Place dough in bowl, and let rise for 1 hour, until doubled.

4.       Punch down, and divide the dough into 8 equal shapes and form them into small balls.

5.       Cover with plastic wrap and let them rest for 15 minutes.

6.       Roll them into 20″ lengths and wrap sausages in a spiral from one end to the other.

7.       Cover dough wrapped sausages with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for 1/2 hour.  

8.       Reheat oven to 475 degrees.

9.        In a large pot, bring the baking soda and water to a boil.

10.   Add the pretzel dogs one at a time to the boiling water for 1 minute. Press down into the boiling water with a spatula.

11.   Remove and place on a cooling rack.

12.   When cooled, transfer to a parchment lined sheet pan.

13.   Brush with egg wash, sprinkle generously with coarse sea salt.

14.   Bake for 12-15 minutes, until dark brown.

 

Oktoberfest Cheese Dip

10 ounces sharp white Cheddar, shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)

6 ounces Gruyere, shredded (about 2 cups)

2 ounces smoked Gruyere or Swiss, shredded

Scant tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup German Beer  

2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard, plus more for serving

A few drops hot sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.       Combine the cheeses in a large bowl and toss with the cornstarch.

2.       Bring the German beer to a simmer in a medium saucepan over the higher heat.

3.       Add the cheese, a few handfuls at a time, and stir in a figure eight motion with a wooden spoon until smooth.

4.       Whisk in the 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard and hot sauce and season with salt and pepper if needed.

 

Here's the finished product plated!

Mmmm... Beer cheese, pretzel wrapped sausages, and actual German beer was a bulls-eye on a yummy Fall Oktoberfest dinner!