Pretzels and cheese sauce go hand in hand like popcorn and movies, cake and ice cream, Eagles fans and destruction. So naturally when Abby said she was going to make soft pretzels I knew we had to make some cheese sauce as well. Lets start off with the pretzel recipe.

Soft Pretzels: (Yields 9 Pretzels)

• 8 oz Warm Water
• 1 Tsp Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 7 g instant yeast
• 2 Tsp Salt
• 16 oz Bread Flour

Baking soda solution:

• 8 oz Warm Water
• 1 oz Baking Soda

Place the water, sugar and oil into a mixing bowl. Mix yeast into the flour and add to water. Add salt and mix on first speed using a dough hook for about 6 minutes. Cover and bulk ferment at 75º for 1-2 hours until double in size. Scale dough into 3 oz portions and shape. Roll portion into a rope 15″-18″ long. Meet ends at top, double twist and seal ends at the bottom. Place on lightly greased parchment paper and let proof until double in size. After they proof carefully dip the top of the pretzels in the baking soda solution, top with finishing salt, and bake in the oven at 425º for 15-20 rotating the tray half way through until golden brown (Internal temp at 210º) When the pretzels come out brush the tops with melted butter for some extra flavor!

Cheese Sauce:

• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 2 Tbsp Flour
• 16 oz Milk
• 8 oz Cheddar Cheese (Shredded)
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 1-2 Tsp Chili Powder

To make the cheese sauce start by melting the butter in a pan. Add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. Cook for 1-2 minutes on low-med heat. Pour in 12 oz of milk and whisk until smooth. Bring mix to a simmer and continue cooking until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Whisk until smooth, you can return to heat to help melt the cheese but be careful not to burn the sauce. When the sauce is smooth season with salt and chili powder. If the sauce is too thick you can thin it out by adding some more milk. Now you have yourself a delicious snack! Thank you as always for reading, if you have any questions about the recipe please don’t hesitate to ask! Also don’t forget to check out this months book give away which you can enter on my instagram @savvy_peach good luck!