Pretzel Bread Pudding w/ Amber Ale Chocolate Sauce

• porciones: 10-12

Ingredientes

Pretzels:

3 tbsp granulated sugar, divided

1/2 cup water, heated to 110-115F

1 tbsp active dry yeast

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flou

6 oz amber ale

6 tabelspoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, divided

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Cooking oil or butter to grease the bowl

3 quarts water

1/3 cup baking soda

Bread Pudding:

8 day-old pretzel twists, cubed (about 12 cups)

4 cups whole milk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 tbsp unsalted butter

4 large eggs, beaten

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

Chocolate Sauce:

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup whole milk

4 tbsp unsalted butter

2 oz amber ale

Pinch of fine sea salt

Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

Instrucciones

Note: Make the pretzels the day before making bread pudding.

Begin by making the pretzels. Stir 2 tbsp of the sugar into the warm water. Stir in the yeast. Let sit until it blooms, about 5 minutes. Add the flour to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. With mixer on low, pour in the bloomed yeast.

Mix in the beer, followed by 5 tbsp of the melted butter, 1/4 tsp of the cinnamon, and the salt. Let the mixer knead the dough until it forms a ball in the center of the bowl. Contiue to mix about 2 more minutes. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for another 2-3 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball. Grease the bottom and sides of a large bowl with cooking oil. Place the dough ball in the bowl, cover with a clean dish towel, and let sit in a draft-free area to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough and form into a ball. Cut into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a cord about 7 inches long. Twist two cords together and tuck under the ends. This will make 8 pretzel sticks.

Preheat the oven to 425F. Bring the water and baking soda to a boil in a large soup pot. Work one to two at a time and, carefully, drop the pretzel sticks into the boiling water. Cook until they float to the top, 30-60 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to transfer each stick to a baking sheet covered in parchment paper or a silicone mat, about 4 per baking sheet.

Brush each pretzel wtih some of the remaining 1 tbsp of melted butter. Stir together the remaining 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tbsp of sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle each pretzel stick generously with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 15 minutes, until dark golden brown.

To make the bread pudding, preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 9x13 inch bakin dish with nonstick cooking spray or coat with butter. Spread the cubes of pretzel in a single layer in the dish.

Stir together the milk, 1/2 cup sugar, and 4 tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the butter is melted. Let cool for 15 minutes. Whisk together the eggs in a small bowl. Add about 1/4 cup of the cool liquid to the eggs and whisk. Next, whisk the egg mixture into the liquid to blend well. Stir in the vanilla, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp salt.

Pour the liquid over hte pretzels. Gently press with a spatula so that the bread soaks it up. Place the baking dish on a large baking sheet to catch any potential boil-overs. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top and edges are golden brown and the center is firm. Let cool while you make the chocolate sauce.

Stir all the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat to melt the butter. Let it come to a boil over medium heat and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and alow to cool for 10-15 minutes.

To serve, place a scoop of warm bread pudding into a bowl and drizzle with chocolate sauce. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Notas

Food on Tap: Cooking with Craft Beer