Beer Pretzels with Drunken White Cheddar Sauce

For the pretzels:
In a sauce pan, heat the beer over moderate heat bringing it to a temperature of 115°F. Remove from heat and stir in the yeast. Stir until dissolved.

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, salt, beer/yeast mixture, and 3 cups of flour. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth. Gradually add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour to form a softer dough (note the dough will be sticky—this is normal).

Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until elastic and smooth (this took me about 7 minutes). Place the dough in a greased bowl, turn once to grease all of the doughs’ surface, and cover with a dry towel. Place in a warm place until the dough has risen. This should take about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Punch down on the dough. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, and then roll each ball into an 18- to 20-inch rope. Bend the ends of each rope, forming a circle, and cross the two ends over from one another, approximately half an inch. Twist the ends around once, and fold the ends to the bottom of the pretzel. Pinch the ends to the bottom of the pretzel to seal and secure.

In a Dutch oven, bring the water and baking soda to a boil. With a slotted spoon, carefully immerse pretzels, two at a time, into the boiling water and allow to simmer for 30 seconds. Remove the pretzels with slotted spoon and set on paper towels to dry.

Once done, place the pretzels on a baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart from one another.

Mix the topper ingredients together in a bowl and gently brush each pretzel top with the wash; finish by sprinkling coarse salt over the pretzel tops.

Bake in the oven for 10–12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet to a wire rack to cool. While the pretzels cool, you can start on your cheese sauce.

For the cheese sauce (yields 1 cup):
Melt butter in a large saucepan over moderate heat. Gradually whisk in flour. Continue to whisk until a thick roux forms. While whisking, slowly and gradually add milk, whisking constantly to avoid any clumps.

Bring the heat up a bit so the milk comes to a boil, and whisk until the roux has dissolved into the milk, thickening the sauce. While whisking, slowly add beer. Allow to simmer until the sauce thickens again. Add the shredded cheese and stir until the cheese melts. If the sauce is too thick, you can gradually add more beer as you whisk until you reach a desired consistency.

Add the Dijon mustard. Season with kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste. Serve with the pretzels.

Notes:
1. Once the pretzels have cooled, you may freeze them in a resealable freezer bag. To thaw, leave at room temperature or microwave each pretzel until heated through (times vary depending on microwave).
2. If you have leftover cheese sauce, it will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. To reheat, simply transfer to a saucepan and heat on medium-low heat. Add a few splashes of milk to get a creamy consistency going again, and once you have a creamy consistency, remove from heat and serve.