Soft Pretzels w/ Honey Butter Mustard Dipping Sauce

In honor of Oktoberfest, chef John Michael Lerma, kicks off the celebration with his recipe for homemade pretzels.  And, as a bonus, he includes his recipe for Sauerkraut Soup – what could possibly be more German?!

1 package of active dry yeast
1/8 cup warm water (105F degrees)
1 1/3 cups warm water
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
5 cups all-purpose flour
Water, baking soda
Sea salt, coarse
Honey Butter Mustard Dipping Sauce (recipe below)

1. Dissolve yeast in 1/8 cup warm water. Stir in 1 1/3 cups warm water, 1/3 cup brown sugar and flour. Beat until smooth. Knead dough until smooth and elastic. Heat oven to 475F degrees. In a saucepan, measure 2 tablespoons baking soda to each cup of water. Place enough to fill the saucepan. Boil soda and water.
    
2. Tear off some dough and roll a pencil shape with your hands. Pick up both ends, cross to form rabbit ears and then twist the ends and pull them back to the rest of the loop.
    
3. Place twisted pretzels in water/baking soda mixture for 15 seconds until the pretzel dough is golden or yellow in color. Then remove the pretzels from boiling water and place onto a salted cookie sheet.
    
4. Salt the top of pretzels with course ground sea salt. Place cookie sheet with pretzels into the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until pretzel is golden brown.

Variations:

For meat lovers:

• Add cubed bacon while kneading the dough and bake together until pretzel is golden brown. For cheese lovers:
• Do not salt the pretzels, but place a layer of German butter cheese or Bavarian Emmental on top and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cheese will turn golden brown.

Honey Butter Mustard Dip:

5 oz Crème Fraiche or Sour Cream
3 tablespoons Velvet Bees Gourmet Honey Butter (available Chefs’ Abode)
2 tablespoons German mustard
Fine sea salt and sugar to taste

• Stir Crème Fraiche, honey butter and mustard until creamy. Add sugar and salt to taste.

Crème Fraiche

1. 1 to 2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk
2. 2 cups heavy cream (pasteurized, not ultra pasteurized or sterilized, and with no additives)
3. Combine the buttermilk and cream in a saucepan and heat only to tepid (not more than 85 degrees on an instant reading thermometer). Pour into a clean glass jar. Partially cover and let stand at room temperature (between 65 and 75 degrees) for 8 to 24 hours, or until thickened. Stir and refrigerate at least 24 hours before using. The cream will keep about 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Or the easy JML version:  Add a tablespoon of white vinegar to 2 cups heavy cream, cover “lightly” so it can breath, and let sit for 24 hours.  Wallah!