@pritieats: Soft Pretzel Bites This will most likely going to be the best bite on your Super Bowl spread and not to mention it can be made prior to the game so there’s no a la minute cooking or having to step away from the game to cook. While the dough is pretty standard, what gives pretzels that distinct pretzel flavor is changing the pH of the dough by using an alkaline solution (in this case water and baking soda). We serve these with an unreal cheese sauce made with a combo of @AndrewandEverett Cheddar cheese and American cheese for a super flavorful and smooth sauce. Pretzels: 1 1/2 c. warm water 1 1/4 tsp of active dry yeast (or 1 standard packet) 1 tsp salt 1 Tbsp brown sugar 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted) 3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour plus more for work surface course sea salt for sprinkling Alkaline Bath: 1/2 c. baking soda 9c. water Preheat oven to 400 Combine warm water, yeast and sugar let sit for 10 minutes to activate. Then add butter, 1/2 of the flour and salt kneading until incorporated either by hand or in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Then add the rest of the flour and knead for 5-10 minutes. Cover and let rise for 1 hour until it doubles in size. Cut dough into easy to manage pieces and roll out into ropes. Using a bench scraper cut 2” pieces and set aside. Bring alkaline bath to a boil and boil the pieces of dough for 20 seconds (you might have to do this in batches) then transfer them to a parchment lined sheet tray and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake until golden brown (12-15 minutes) Cheese Sauce 3 Tbsp unsalted butter 3 Tbsp Flour 3 c. milk 1 pack Andrew & Everett Cheddar Cheese (ripped into smaller pieces) 1 pack Andrew & Everett American Cheese (ripped into smaller pieces) grated nutmeg 1/8 tsp cayenne salt to taste melt butter in a sauce pan until it begins to bubble- then add flour stirring constantly until the raw flour smell burns off (about 3 minutes) then add milk and bring to a boil stirring constantly so that you break up any clumps then off heat add the cheese stirring until it melts - taste for salt and adjust before serving with the pretzel bites.
