homemade: pretzel knots

It has been a while since there has been some food on the blog and long overdue if you ask me. While I had high hopes to share ALL of my Superbowl dishes with you, there were so many that I found myself scrambling to finish as guests arrived and this continued on long through the night. 

One dish that was an instant hit and was only sampled by those that got an early start were these pretzel bites. So for a little Grammy viewing party I thought I'd whip up another batch, this time complete with a homemade cheesy dipping sauce. 

I promise you these are SO simple to make, you just need a bit of time to allow for the dough to rise, but definitely worth it. Soft and chewy - who knew a little baking soda was all you needed for a pretzel flavor! 

Pretzel Knots

Recipe from the Food Network (rolled into knots not pretzels) 

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt or coarse Sea Salt (I used Fleur de Sel since I had on hand)

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the 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 approximately one inch pieces and form into an imperfect ball (don't make them too big, you wan to be able to just "pop" in your mouth) Place each ball onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels knots into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel knot with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Cheese Sauce

2 tablespoons butter 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 cup milk 

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 

1 teaspoon prepared mustard 

1 teaspoon chipotle flakes

salt and pepper to taste 

In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter or margarine. Mix in flour and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir continually until the mixture is simmering. 

Slowly pour milk into the mixture. Continue stirring over a medium heat until the mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese and mustard. Continue stirring until all of the cheese is melted and the dip is smooth. Serve warm after adding chipotle pepper, salt and pepper to taste.