prep: 1 hour 40 minutes
cook: 10 minutes
cool: none
I’m the girl who, if given the choice between nachos, a hot dog, and a pretzel, will choose all three and then ask for extra cheese. When we take the family out to a ball game or to a movie, it’s safe to assume that I’ve agreed to go based on the promise of concession stand food. Of course, my kids have inherited some of my eating habits—so when it’s time to take my girls to watch their brothers’ baseball game, they only ever have one question: Can we get a pretzel with cheese sauce? Creating our own recipe (with cheese sauce, of course) to share here just seemed like the right thing to do.
Two ¼-ounce packets active dry yeast
½ cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1¾ cups warm water (95º to 110ºF)
5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Cooking spray
⅓ cup baking soda
4 cups boiling water
¼ cup Maldon or other flaky salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Cheese Dip, for serving
1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar in the warm water. Set aside until the sugar and yeast are dissolved, about 10 minutes.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, the remaining ½ cup sugar, and the kosher salt. Turn the mixer on low to mix the ingredients. Add the oil and the yeast mixture and mix on medium-low speed for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth.
3. Spray a large bowl lightly with cooking spray, place the dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 16 equal pieces (about 2½ ounces each). Roll each piece into a 24-inch-long rope and twist each rope into a traditional pretzel shape.
6. In a large heatproof bowl, combine the baking soda and boiling water, stirring until the soda is completely dissolved. Dip each pretzel in the soda/water mixture, then place it on one of the prepared pans, leaving 1½ inches between the pretzels. Sprinkle the pretzels with the Maldon salt.
7. Bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Brush each pretzel with melted butter and serve immediately with cheese dip.
8. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Makes 12 pretzels
TIP: To make cinnamon sugar pretzels, leave off the sprinkling of salt, bake the pretzels as directed, brush them with the melted butter, and dip them in a mixture of 1 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon.