Pretzel Bites with Quick Cheddar Dip
Soft, chewy homemade pretzel bites served with a creamy cheddar cheese dip. These bite-sized pretzels are boiled in baking soda water before baking to achieve that classic pretzel texture and deep brown color.
Ingredients
- •1 cup warm water
- •1 envelope active dry yeast
- •3 cups bread flour
- •1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
- •2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- •½ stick unsalted butter
- •2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- •8 cups water
- •½ cup baking soda
- •12 ounces cheddar cheese
- •7 tablespoons dry white wine
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Stir together warm water and yeast in a large bowl and let stand until a creamy beige foam develops on the surface, about 10 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, start over with new yeast.)
10 min
- 2.
Meanwhile, in a smaller bowl, stir together flour, salt, and light brown sugar.
2 min
- 3.
Add flour mixture and butter to yeast mixture, and stir together first with a wooden spoon and then with your hands, until it forms a dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until it is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes, dusting with more flour as needed if dough sticks to work surface.
10 min
- 4.
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled large bowl and turn over to coat with oil. Cover with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draft-free place at room temperature until doubled, 2 to 3 hours.
180 min
- 5.
Alternatively, after kneading, let dough rest at room temperature for 15 minutes, then transfer to oiled bowl as above, and let rise in the refrigerator overnight (12 hours or up to 2 days).
720 min
- 6.
Punch down dough and divide into quarters. Form each quarter into 4 balls. Roll each ball into a 12-inch-long rope. Cut each rope into six (2-inch) pieces, and transfer to wax paper-lined rimmed baking sheets.
15 min
- 7.
Heat oven to 450°F with racks in upper and lower third. Well oil 2 large baking sheets (about 17- by 12- inches).
10 min
- 8.
In a 4- to 5-quart saucepan, bring water and baking soda to a boil (mixture will be foamy at first, but foam will dissipate). Add 12 pretzel bites and cook 30 seconds (they will rise to the surface almost immediately), then transfer with a slotted spoon to baking sheets. Quickly sprinkle pretzel bites lightly on both sides with pretzel salt before they dry (so salt sticks). Repeat with remaining pretzel bites, returning water to a boil between batches.
20 min
- 9.
Bake pretzel bites in oven, switching sheets between racks and rotating sheets halfway through baking, until deep chestnut brown, 8 to 10 minutes (watch closely toward end of baking; bites brown quickly in last few minutes). Immediately transfer pretzel bites to wire racks to cool.
10 min
- 10.
Purée cheese with 6 tablespoons wine or water in a food processor fitted with knife blade, stopping and scraping down sides with a spatula occasionally, until mixture is creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Thin to desired consistency with additional wine or water, adding it 1 tablespoon at a time. Serve immediately, or chill, covered, and return to room temperature before serving.
5 min
