Soft Pretzel Bites And Beer Cheese Recipe

Wisconsin, known as the cheese capital of America, has long claimed to be the American home of beer cheese soup, a creamy mixture of beer and cheddar that was brought to America by German immigrants. Interestingly, beer cheese dip is claimed by an entirely different state farther south – Kentucky, where pimiento cheese is just as popular and used in similar applications. No matter the origins, it's undeniable that beer and cheese are a perfect pairing, elevating both our appetizers and our entrees with layers of flavor.

This beer cheese dip recipe, written with developer Michelle McGlinn, is paired with soft, chewy pretzel bites for dipping and dunking in the warm, gooey cheese. Pretzel bites may seem complicated, but they are easier than they look — achieving that perfectly brown color only requires a few extra minutes and a spoonful of baking soda. Even easier is the beer cheese, which comes together quickly while the pretzel bites are in the oven. A filling, warming snack that is both simple and deeply flavorful, these pretzel bites and beer cheese are worth keeping around anytime you need to feed a crowd.

Because making pretzel bites is a lot like making bread, the ingredient list is fairly similar: You'll need warm milk, brown sugar, active dry yeast, all-purpose flour, butter, salt, vegetable oil, egg, water, coarse salt, and plenty of baking soda, which will be mixed into water and boiled. From there, you'll only need a few more ingredients to make beer cheese, like beer, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cheddar, and Gouda.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the warm milk and brown sugar. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it bloom until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add the flour, 2 tablespoons butter, and salt. Mix together using your hands, kneading until the dough is a smooth ball.

Add oil to a large bowl and coat completely, then add the kneaded dough ball.

Cover with a tea towel and keep in a warm location until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment.

Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and use a pastry cutter to divide into 8 pieces.

Roll each piece into a rope about 1 inch wide.

Slice each rope into 1-inch pieces.

Add the baking soda to a large pot of water and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Working in batches, add the dough pieces to the boiling water and boil for 20 to 30 seconds, then remove and drain on a paper-towel-lined tray.

Add the boiled pieces to the prepared baking sheet.

Whisk the egg and water together and brush each piece with egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse salt.

Add to the oven and bake until browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool.

In the meantime, make the beer cheese dip. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Add the flour and whisk to form a roux.

Add the milk, beer, mustard, spices, and salt and stir. Bring to a simmer and cook until the beer is reduced and the mixture is thick, about 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheeses, stirring to combine.

Serve the beer cheese dip immediately with the pretzel bites.

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Everyone has a different opinion on which beer is the best to use for beer cheese dip — some cooks swear by the cheapest, mildest ales and lagers, while others insist that this is the worst brew you can use. While lagers may be less flavorful, they are a great mild option for a beer cheese dip. Lagers in this category include Pabst Blue Ribbon, Yuengling, Budweiser, Miller, and Hamm's. For a little more flavor, seek out German beers like pilsners, weissbier, or kolsch, which can offer a little more malt-forward flavor without being overly rich. Many of these are accessible and affordable, so if you don't drink beer, you can purchase a single bottle just for cooking.

Because this beer cheese includes Gouda, a rich and smoky cheese, a darker, more malt-forward beer would also work well and offer a greater depth of flavor. On the lighter side, you can try blonde, brown, or red ales, or for a little more flavor, you can seek out a dunkel or helles. For the especially daring, a stout can work well in beer cheese — the deeply rich, roasted flavor complements the salty, smoky Gouda and makes for an especially flavorful dip. The best advice: Don't overthink it. Chances are, any beer in your fridge will do the trick.

You may notice that the recipe for pretzel bites isn't all that different from making other breads like English muffins or even a classic boule – the ingredients are nearly the same, and the difference is really in the technique. While pretzel bites do have a little brown sugar in the dough that helps achieve the final golden brown color, the secret to the crunchy exterior is actually the baking soda. This is because baking soda is a high alkaline substance, which accelerates browning and causes the shiny brown exterior on the pretzel bites when coated across the raw dough.

If you are wondering why your pretzel bites aren't quite as shiny and deeply browned as those in the grocery store, it's because baking soda is actually just a home baker's hack — the real reason pretzels are so brown is because they are dipped in an alkali called lye, which, on its own, is toxic and irritating to human skin. Because it is hard to work with and hard to source, lye isn't something most people would have on hand. The next best thing: Baking soda, which delivers pretty similar results (without any risk to your hands).

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