Everything Pretzel Bites with Beer Cheddar Dip

Bring on game day with these homemade pretzel bites topped with everything bagel seasoning, served with beer and cheddar cheese dip!

I am currently sitting at the airport in Boston eating pretzel bites. No, unfortunately they aren’t these homemade ones. But writing about them made me crave me some pretzels.

I can’t help it, it’s been a weekend of epic proportions and I need my sustenance. Alex visited this weekend to race in the Head Of The Charles and we’ve been moving nonstop since Thursday night.

Saturday was the big Michigan versus Michigan State game. A group of about 20 of us went to a bar in Harvard Square after the races to partake in the festivities. I’m talking me, a few girl coxswain friends, and a group of huge male alumni rowers. All over 6’2″.

We drank and ate and drank some more, and watched a nearly amazing game, that is up until the last second. Long story short, my baking friends, we lost by a freak touchdown at the 0:01 mark. Devastating.

But besides that, it was a fantastic weekend.

Now I’m waiting for my plane to Chicago to do some photography for Ambitious Kitchen, then on Thursday we’re both headed to a retreat in Utah with some fabulous blogging ladies. It’s going to be great.

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Everything Pretzel Bites with Beer Cheddar Dip

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Ingredients

1½ cups warm water
4 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
4½ cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
10 cups water
⅔ cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Everything bagel seasoning (salt included)

For the beer & cheddar dip

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2/3 cup beer (IPA or Stout)
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 3/4 cups medium or sharp shredded cheddar cheese
salt to taste

Instructions

Combine the water, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Whisk in yeast and allow to to sit for 5 minutes, or until the mixture begins to bubble. Add in the melted butter and flour, then turn the mixer to the second lowest speed and let knead for 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and velvety (think of the skin on the underside of your forearm). Remove from mixer and place in a large oiled bowl, then cover with plastic wrap and allow to proof for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with vegetable oil. Set aside.
Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Cut each rope into 1 1/2 inch bites.
Place roughly 12 pretzel bites at a time into the boiling water for 30-45 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return them to the sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the everything seasoning. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
To make the dip, heat the flour and butter in a large saucepan over medium low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture smells toasted and becomes light brown. Turn the heat up to medium and whisk in the beer, cream, and mustard. Allow the mixture to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly with a spatula. Take mixture off of heat and stir in cheese and salt to taste. Serve immediately!!