There is something so delicious about a warm, doughy pretzel. It reminds me of my childhood and there is something completely comforting about them. Growing up we attended many sporting events (go Cardinals!), and it seems as if pretzels were always available at the concession stands. I mean, I like them any way: plain, cinnamon, dipped in a good mustard. However, dipped in a great cheese sauce would definitely be the way to go. When I’m already stuffing my face with a bunch of carbs, why not add a warm, melty cheese sauce?
Over this past summer, my sister and I got on a huge pretzel kick. We would spend our weekends hanging out at my parents pool and in between tanning, we would make batches of pretzels. I personally prefer a bite size version of almost anything, and that is the same for pretzels. It makes me feel a little less guilty about the quantity of them I pop in my mouth. You can also get a better dip-to-carb ratio!
The recipe itself is pretty simple, it does take a few steps though. None of which should be skipped!
First start off by adding your warm water, yeast, melted butter and brown sugar in a bowl. If you want to make this one bowl friendly, you can place in the bottom of your stand mixer. Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes until the yeast has activated and it is puffy.
In the meantime, gather your flour and salt. This recipe takes anywhere between 4-5 cups of flour. Using your dough hook, add in one cup of flour at a time, mixing in between. It will be ready when the dough forms a ball. Keep mixing for 3 more minutes. The dough will pull away from the bowl and shouldn’t be too sticky. Take out of bowl and knead for 3 minutes. Coat with oil and place in covered bowl to let rise for at least 1 hour.
After one hour and it has doubled in volume, cut into 8 pieces. Roll each piece out into a rope and cut into 1 inch pieces.
Boil water in a large pot. Once boiling, add about 1/4 cup baking soda, carefully. Drop in about 15 pieces of pretzel at a time and boil for 30 seconds.
Once they come out, place them on a baking sheet and brush an egg wash over each pretzel and sprinkle kosher salt over. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 18 minutes until brown. I prefer to eat these right out of the oven in a nice cheese dip!
** The dough can be refrigerated for a few days if you don’t want to make the whole batch. I will typically make half, then another half a few days later.
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Cheese dip
For my recipe, I went pretty simple with a sharp white cheddar. However, you could use any kind of cheese you like: Gouda, swiss, cheddar, etc.. the process is all the same.
Melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Add in 2 tablespoons of flour and whisk to make a roux. You have a few options after: You can use about 1 cup of milk, or to make a beer cheese, use 1 cup of beer. Stir either liquid into your roux mixture and let thicken. Once thick, turn down the heat and add in 2 cups of your cheese. Let melt, and remove. Dip warm pretzels in this yummy, creamy cheese sauce!
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Pretzels
1 envelope yeast, or 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 stick (8 oz) melted butter
4-5 cups flour (obviously, I use gluten free)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
Boil mixture
large pot boiling water
1/4 cup baking soda
Cheese dip
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup liquid (milk, cream, beer)
2 cups shredded cheese of your choice
a goose and a gangster 