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Soft Pretzel Bites with Beer Cheese

A slow dough rise, a quick baking-soda bath, and a gentle cheddar lager sauce make this shareable pretzel-bite platter.

Golden salted pretzel bites are served with a bowl of smooth beer-cheese dip.

These pretzel bites use a straightforward yeast dough and a short alkaline bath to create the chewy middle and deep golden crust of a classic soft pretzel. A smooth beer-cheese dip makes them easy to pass around as a shareable appetizer.

Give the dough time to double before shaping, and handle the baking-soda bath carefully because it foams when the soda meets hot water. The dip comes together gently while the bites bake, so the cheese stays creamy instead of grainy.

Give the dough room to rise

A smooth, elastic dough is easier to roll into even ropes, and a full rise keeps the centers soft after baking. Look for the dough to double and spring back slowly when pressed instead of relying only on the clock.

The bath builds a pretzel crust

The baking-soda dip changes the surface so it browns deeply in the oven and develops the familiar pretzel flavor. Adding the soda slowly after turning off the heat gives the foam room to rise without overflowing the pot.

Shaped pretzel bites sit in a gentle baking-soda bath before baking. — Shaped pretzel bites are dipped briefly in the baking-soda bath before baking.

Melt cheddar with a gentle hand

A butter-and-flour base thickens the milk and lager before the cheddar is added. Take the saucepan off a hard simmer and stir in the finely grated cheese gradually, keeping the sauce smooth and glossy.

Look for deep golden color

The baking-soda bath gives the dough a head start on its bronze color, while the hot oven finishes the crust and warms the centers. A browned bottom and a rich surface color signal that the bites have baked through.

A split golden pretzel bite shows a chewy center beside creamy cheddar beer cheese. — A split pretzel bite shows its chewy center beside the smooth cheddar lager dip.

Set out a warm dipping bowl

The cheese dip should be loose enough to coat a bite but thick enough to stay on it. Serve it warm alongside the pretzels just after baking, when their crusts are golden and the middles remain soft.

Soft Pretzel Bites with Beer Cheese

8 shareable appetizer servings

110 minutes total

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 cups all-purpose flour for the dough
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour for the beer-cheese sauce
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 10 cups water for the baking-soda bath
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp water for the egg wash
• 1 tbsp coarse pretzel salt
• 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
• 1 cup mild lager beer
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Method

Wake the yeast
Stir the warm water, instant yeast, and brown sugar together in a large bowl and let stand for 5 minutes until the surface looks lightly foamy.
Look for: Small bubbles gather on the surface, showing the yeast is active.
Mix and knead the dough
Add 4 cups flour, kosher salt, and 2 tbsp melted butter; stir to a shaggy dough, then knead by hand or with a dough hook for 6 to 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Look for: The dough feels soft and slightly tacky but pulls cleanly from the bowl and springs back when pressed.
Let the dough rise
Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a clean covered bowl, and let rise in a warm draft-free spot for 45 to 60 minutes, until doubled in size.
Look for: The dough is visibly doubled and a fingertip pressed gently into it leaves a slow-filling dent.
Grate the cheese
While the dough rises, finely grate the cheddar and measure the lager, milk, Dijon, and smoked paprika for the dip; keep the cheese cool until the sauce is ready.
Look for: The cheddar is finely shredded so it will melt smoothly into the warm sauce.
Shape pretzel bites
Heat the oven to 425 F and line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment; punch down the risen dough, divide it into 6 pieces, roll each into a 3/4-inch rope, and cut into 1-inch bites.
Look for: The bites are similar in size and spread out on the lined pan without touching.
Prepare the baking-soda bath
Bring the bath water to a boil in a large pot, then turn off the heat and slowly add the baking soda a tablespoon at a time, standing back as it foams; once bubbling settles, return it to a gentle simmer.
Look for: The foam has settled before bites enter the pot and the bath is gently simmering rather than surging.
Dip and salt the bites
Lower 8 to 10 bites into the simmering bath for about 20 seconds, lift with a slotted spoon, and drain well; arrange them on the sheet pan, brush with beaten egg mixed with the remaining 1 tbsp water, and sprinkle with coarse pretzel salt.
Look for: Each bite has a slight sheen from the bath and egg wash, with coarse salt clinging to the surface.
Bake until deep golden
Bake at 425 F for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pan once, until the bites are richly golden and the bottoms are browned; transfer to a rack as soon as they come out.
Look for: The crust is deep golden and the bottoms are browned without looking pale or doughy.
Make a smooth beer-cheese dip
Melt the remaining 3 tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium heat, whisk in the remaining 3 tbsp flour for 1 minute, then gradually whisk in milk and lager until smooth and slightly thickened; lower the heat and add cheddar, Dijon, and paprika off the boil, stirring until creamy.
Look for: The sauce is smooth and glossy with no visible cheese strands, and it stays creamy without bubbling hard.
Serve warm for sharing
Transfer the warm beer-cheese dip to a serving bowl and bring it out with the pretzel bites while their crusts are still warm and chewy.
Look for: The dip coats a pretzel bite smoothly and the bites are warm enough to stay soft inside.