Plates | Pretzel Bites and Beer Cheese Sauce

For my Fe-BREW-ary Beer Bracket party, my friend Caroline and I made home-made pretzel bites (we didn't brave the twisting action), and a delicious beer cheese sauce. I probably could have eaten the beer cheese sauce with a spoon, it was that good.

Check out the recipes we used.

Pretzel Bites

*We made both plain, salted pretzel bites, and we also dipped some in butter and cinnamon sugar for a dessert pretzel bite.

  

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 5 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• coarse salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Mix water and sugar together in a bowl until sugar is dissolved; add yeast. Let mixture stand until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
3. Whisk flour, butter, and salt together in a bowl until well mixed; add yeast mixture and stir with a fork until dough starts to cling. Turn dough onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth.
4. Cut dough into 15 equal pieces and roll each piece between your hands into rope shapes at least the thickness of a pencil. Twist dough into desired shapes and arrange on a baking sheet; brush with egg and sprinkle coarse salt over each.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until pretzels are browned and cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes.

Beer Cheese Sauce 

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup beer
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions

1. Melt the cream cheese in a large saucepan over medium heat; stir in the Cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, beer, and garlic salt; heat, stirring continually, until all the cheese is melted; pour the hot cheese mixture into the bread bowl.