Salted Soft Pretzel Bites with Warm Beer Cheese Dip

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Pillowy little pretzel knuckles with a burnished mahogany crust, coarse salt crackling on top, and a warm beer cheese dip for dragging them through. The trick is a proper alkaline bath before baking — 30 seconds in boiling baking soda water is what gives pretzels that unmistakable glossy skin and savory, malty tang. Made to be eaten standing up, with your hands.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110°F)
• 1 tablespoon barley malt syrup or packed brown sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (1 packet)
• 4 1/4 cups bread flour (about 20 oz), plus more for dusting
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• neutral oil, for the bowl and pan

• 10 cups water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons coarse pretzel salt or flaky sea salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (for brushing after baking)

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup amber lager or pilsner
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
• 8 oz sharp cheddar, grated
• 2 oz Gruyère or Monterey Jack, grated
• kosher salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Stir the malt syrup into the 1 1/2 cups warm water until dissolved, then sprinkle the yeast over the top and let it sit 5 minutes until foamy. In a stand mixer bowl (or large bowl), whisk the bread flour and 2 teaspoons fine sea salt together, then pour in the yeast mixture and add the softened butter in small pieces.
2. Mix with the dough hook on low for 2 minutes to bring it together, then knead on medium-low for 6 to 8 minutes until the dough is smooth, tight, and pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl. By hand, knead 10 to 12 minutes on a lightly floured counter. The dough should feel firm and a little stiff — that is correct for pretzels.
3. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot for 60 to 75 minutes, until nearly doubled and springy.
4. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment and brush the parchment lightly with oil. Turn the dough out and divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 18 inches long and 3/4 inch thick, then cut each rope into 1 1/4-inch pieces with a bench scraper or knife. You should have roughly 80 bites. Spread them on the sheets, cover loosely, and rest 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat oven to 425°F with racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Bring the 10 cups water to a boil in a wide 6-quart pot, then remove from the heat and add the baking soda a spoonful at a time — it will foam aggressively. Return to a gentle, steady boil.
6. Working in batches of about 15 bites, lower them into the soda bath with a spider or slotted spoon and boil 30 seconds, turning once. They will puff and turn slightly slick. Lift out, letting excess water drain, and return to the oiled parchment, leaving 1/2 inch between bites.
7. Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle generously with coarse pretzel salt while they are still tacky.
8. Bake 13 to 16 minutes, rotating the sheets top to bottom halfway through, until deeply mahogany brown — pale pretzels taste like bread, so push the color. Brush the hot bites with melted butter as soon as they come out.
9. While the pretzels bake, make the dip: melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat, whisk in the flour, and cook 1 minute until it smells nutty. Whisk in the milk in a slow stream, then the beer, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
10. Reduce heat to low and stir in the Dijon, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and Worcestershire. Add the grated cheeses in three handfuls, stirring until each melts before adding the next — never let it boil, or the cheese will break. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper.
11. Pour the dip into a warm bowl and serve immediately with the pretzel bites piled alongside, still warm from the oven.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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