Soft pretzels and beer cheese is a classic combination and are easily made at home! Both the pretzels and the beer cheese freeze beautifully, so you’re always prepared for a treat!
It may seem like an undertaking to make homemade pretzels, but you can be enjoying these and the beer cheese in just about 2 hours. I don’t know too many people who wouldn’t want to enjoy this warm-from-the-oven treat!
Enjoy these fresh from the oven or take a rainy day and make them ahead to freeze and enjoy anytime.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Yeast: I use Instant Yeast for all my yeast baking, but you can also use Active Dry yeast here, just substituting an equal amount.
Flour: Standard all-purpose flour is just fine here. Unbleached all-purpose flour is best for bread baking, if you have some on hand.
Kosher Salt: I use Windsor brand Kosher salt, which is a uniformly sized coarse salt. If you don’t have Kosher salt, use fine salt, using a bit less.
Unsalted Butter: If you only have salted butter, reduce the added salt about by a tiny bit more.
Baking Soda: The boiling before baking requires 2/3 cup of baking soda, which is a lot. Make sure you have that much on hand before starting.
Beer: I enjoy a lager beer in beer cheese, but I’m not sure it matters if you use a lager or an ale. Whatever you have around and enjoy drinking is just fine.
Dry Mustard: I love the flavour of dry mustard in cheese sauce over any prepared mustard, so I do recommend it if you can. I love Keen’s myself. Adjust the amount to taste, starting with 1/4 tsp and adding more, to taste. If you don’t have dried mustard, add a bit of prepared yellow or Dijon mustard, to taste.
Cheese: I use mostly basic orange cheddar, with the addition of a bit of another kind of cheese, just to add a more complex flavour to the cheese sauce. This time I combined the basic cheddar with a bit of a really old and crumbly white cheddar. For Canadians, a chunk of McLaren’s Imperial Cheese is a nice addition. I wouldn’t suggest a mozzarella, as the consistency is a bit off for this kind of melting.
How to make soft pretzels and beer cheese
This is a visual summary of the steps to make and shape these pretzels. Always refer to the complete instructions in the Recipe Card below.
- The dough starts by adding just part of the total amount of flour and mixing with the kneading hook. This is what the dough will look like when 4 cups of the flour have been added. You can see that the dough and the bowl are still sticky.
- We’ll start adding the last bit of flour in small increments and kneading in between additions. Keep adding small bits of flour until the dough wraps the kneading hook and the stickiness on the bowl and at the bottom of the dough disappears, but the dough is still moist and soft. For this batch, I only needed to add 2-3 Tablespoons more flour, but you may need to add a bit more or less. Let the dough knead for 4-5 minutes.
- Remove the dough to a floured work surface, knead briefly then form into a ball.
- Set the dough to rise in a greased bowl or large measuring cup.
- Let rise until doubled in size, about 45-60 minutes usually in a 72F kitchen.
- Remove the dough and gently deflate. Weigh out the dough ball if you have a kitchen scale, otherwise, simply divide into 8 equal pieces.
- Divide the weight of the total dough by 8 to get the weight for each piece, then weigh out the 8 pieces.
- Form each dough piece into a ball by pinching together tightly, then flipping over and rotating a bit with the palm of your hand to seal.
- Place the dough balls under a tea towel to rest for 5 minutes.
- Working on an un-floured surface, take a ball of dough and stretch it slightly into an oblong shape.
- Using the palms of both hands, begin rolling in the centre of the dough, then slowly spread your palms apart, rolling out towards the end of the dough rope.
- Repeat rolling, starting from the centre and rolling outward or if your rope is getting thin in the middle, move your palms over the thicker area and roll from there. Keep rolling until your rope is 24-inches long. Don’t worry if your rope of dough isn’t perfectly even. Somehow, the boiling/baking process seems to sort it all out.
- Start by forming the dough rope into a “U” shape.
- Take the strand on the right and lay it over the strand on the left, making and X in the middle.
- Grab hold of the strand on the right (it should be laying under the crossover).
- Fold the right side down and pinch where it meets the bottom of the “U”.
- Repeat with the other strand and gently re-shape by pulling the loops on the sides out a bit to stretch out the holes a bit.
- Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Add the baking soda to the boiling water and stir in.
- Add the pretzels two at a time, adding them knot-side down. Boil for 30 seconds then flip over and boil another 15 seconds.
- Remove to the parchment-lined baking sheet, brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt before baking.
- Start the beer cheese sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and stir together. Cook the butter and flour about 1 minute.
- Gradually add the beer while stirring the mixture.
- Stir until you have a smooth paste.
- Add the milk to the saucepan and whisk in until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the spices and Worcestershire sauce. Cook the mixture until it thickens, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the shredded cheese all at once and stir in with 2 or 3 strokes of a large spoon. Let stand for 1 minute, then stir again until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve warm with pretzels.
Recipe tips!
- I like to start my water for boiling the pretzels before baking well ahead, setting it on low to start. When I’m close to boiling, there’s no waiting for it to boil and holding up the process.
- Before boiling the pretzels, I like to re-stretch the pretzel a bit, to make sure that the holes are big enough that they don’t close in during boiling.
- I don’t like to crowd the baking pan by trying to bake all 8 pretzels at the same time, and I’m never happy with the uneven results when I bake two pans on two different racks and swapping them around. For these, I shape and boil the first 4, then pop them in the oven. While they are baking, I shape and boil the last 4, placing them on a separate sheet of parchment paper. When the first batch is done, simply slide the last 4 on the the parchment onto the baking sheet and into the oven.
- Note that your second batch of pretzels will cook slightly more quickly than your first batch, due to the heat from the baking sheet. Set the timer a few minutes earlier and watch closely so you can pop them out when dark enough. In my oven, my first batch took 12 minutes, while my second was ready at about 11 minutes.
- Be sure to taste and adjust the seasoning of the beer cheese to taste, adding more mustard and or salt and pepper, as needed. A generous salting really brings together all the flavours.
Top tip!
Always remember that when baking with yeast, the flour quantity is never exact. Add only as much as needed to make a soft, moist dough. You may not need to add it all, so don’t feel you need to use it all. Likewise, if you’ve added the specified amount and your dough is still sticky, don’t hesitate to add more, 1 Tbsp at a time, until you get the dough to where it needs to be.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
Store the baked and cooled pretzels in an airtight container for about 2 days. The pretzels can also be made ahead and frozen for up to 3 months.
The beer cheese can be made ahead and should keep well in the fridge for several days. Beer cheese can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
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Get the Recipe: Soft Pretzels and Beer Cheese
Ingredients
For pretzel dough:
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) lukewarm water, warmed to 105F
- 1 Tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons coarse Kosher salt, use less if using fine salt and a bit less if using salted butter
- 1/4 cup (67 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
- 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled, plus more as needed
For boiling:
- 10 cups (2500 ml) water
- 2/3 cup (170 ml) baking soda
For brushing before baking:
- 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 Tablespoon water
For topping:
- Coarse Kosher or Pretzel salt
Beer Cheese:
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) beer, lager recommended but ale will work, too
- 1 cup (250 ml) milk, at least 2%
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 – 2 1/2 cups (500-675 ml) cheddar cheese, freshly grated (not pre-grated)
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) old white cheddar cheese, freshly grated, or other cheese or just more orange cheddar
Instructions
- Tip! Use a kitchen scale to weigh out the flour for best accuracy. If you don't have a kitchen scale, be sure to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level off to avoid using too much flour.
- To make the pretzel dough: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a kneading hook, combine the lukewarm water, sugar and yeast. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. Add the salt, cooled melted butter and 3 cups of flour (375g). Mix on Speed 2 on the mixer until well combined. Add the last 1 cup of flour (125g) a bit at a time, kneading in between additions. If the dough is still sticky after adding the last cup of flour, begin adding more flour a Tablespoon at a time and kneading in between additions until you have a soft, moist dough that wraps the kneading hook and cleans the bowl. (*Your dough may not need any more flour or it may not even need all of the last cup of flour to reach this point.) Once the dough reaches that point, allow it to knead at Speed 2 on the mixer for 4-5 minutes.
- Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly, adding a bit more flour only if the dough is sticking to your hands or the work surface. Form the dough into a ball and place it into a greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, usually about 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 450F. (regular bake setting/not fan assisted). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large pot, bring the 10 cups of water to a rolling boil. *I like to start this step early and keep the water just under the boil. That way it is ready to go when the pretzels are ready to be boiled.
- When the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. (I like to use a scale to weight the dough and then divide by 8 to get the weight for each piece.) Form each piece of dough into a ball and let stand 5 minutes, covered with a clean tea towel.
- Start with just 4 of the balls of dough, leaving the remaining balls covered with the tea towel. Working on an un-floured surface, take a ball of dough and stretch it slightly into an oblong shape. Using the palms of both hands, begin rolling in the centre of the dough, then slowly spread your palms apart, rolling out towards the end of the dough rope. Repeat rolling, starting from the centre and rolling outward or if your rope is getting thin in the middle, move your palms over the thicker area and roll from there. Keep rolling until your rope is 24-inches long. Don't worry if your rope of dough isn't perfectly even. Somehow, the boiling/baking process seems to sort it all out.
- Tip! You can refer to the step-by-step photos above this Recipe Card for a visual of the process for shaping the pretzels.
- Form the rope of dough into a pretzel by first shaping it into a "U" shape, with the opening of the U at the top. Cross the two strands of dough over each other, forming an "X" in the middle. Take the tips of the dough and fold down to extend past the bottom of the "U" by about an inch and pinch into the bottom of the "U" where they cross. Stretch the loops on the sides a bit to exaggerate the holes a bit and place them onto the parchment-lined half-sheet pan.
- Add the baking soda to the boiling water and stir in. Stretch out the loops of the pretzels once more to open up the holes a little bit more, then place 2 of the pretzels into the boiling water, knotted side down. Boil for 30 seconds then flip them over and boil for about 10 seconds more. Use a large spatula to remove them from the water and return them to the parchment-lined baking pan. Brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the kosher salt. Bake until dark golden brown in colour, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.
- While the first 4 pretzels are baking, shape and boil the last 4 pretzels and place them onto a sheet of parchment paper. Brush with the egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with salt. When the first batch comes out of the oven, slide the last 4 pretzels on top of the parchment paper onto the baking sheet. Bake 11-13 minutes (*the second batch will bake a bit more quickly due to the hot baking sheet) until deep golden in colour. Remove immediately to a cooling rack to cool. Enjoy warm or cooled with beer cheese sauce. Store in an airtight container for a couple of days or freeze up to 3 months for longer storage. You can reheat the pretzels in the microwave or wrap them in foil and place in a 350F oven for 6-8 minutes.
- Tip! For a perfectly smooth and never grainy beer cheese sauce, start with freshly grated cheese (not pre-grated) and add the cheese off-heat, letting it stand in the warm sauce and only stirring 2 or 3 times.
- To make the beer cheese: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minutes. Slowly add the beer and stir well until smooth. Add the milk, mustard, Worcestershire, garlic powder, salt, pepper and cayenne. Cook, stirring, until mixture thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in grated cheese, then let stand 1 minute. Stir again, until all the cheese is melted into the sauce. Taste the sauce and add more salt, pepper and/or mustard as needed. Enjoy warm with pretzels. *Can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
Notes
- I like to start the water for boiling the pretzels before baking well ahead, setting it on low to start. When I’m close to boiling, there’s no waiting for it to boil and hold up the process.
- Before boiling the pretzels, I like to re-stretch the pretzel a bit, to make sure that the holes are big enough that they don’t close in during boiling.
- I don’t like to crowd the baking pan by trying to bake all 8 pretzels at the same time, and I’m never happy with the uneven results when I bake two pans on two different racks and swapping them around. For these, I shape and boil the first 4, then pop them in the oven. While they are baking, I shape and boil the last 4, placing them on a separate sheet of parchment paper. When the first batch is done, simply slide the last 4 on the parchment onto the baking sheet and into the oven.
- Note that your second batch of pretzels will cook slightly more quickly than your first batch, due to the heat from the baking sheet. Set the timer a few minutes earlier and watch, so you can pop them out when dark enough. In my oven, my first batch took 12 minutes, while my second was ready at about 11 minutes.
- Be sure to taste and adjust the seasoning of the beer cheese to taste, adding more mustard and or salt and pepper, as needed. A generous salting really brings together all the flavours.
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Hi Jennifer. I’m a huge fan of your website (and fellow Canuck :-)) – thank you thank you thank you for sharing your love of cooking and baking. Everything I have made so far has been a big success, thoroughly enjoyed by my guests. I really appreciate the amount of detail you provide in each recipe to give context but for this recipe I ran into a bit of trouble with the measurements of the flour. I prefer to bake using metric values for one. I’m assuming you are using Canadian flour for your all purpose baking. Is it possible for to you provide what the metric equivalent would be for 4 1/2 cups? I am sure I had more flour weight-wise than was needed but had no issues. The dough still puffed up a treat during the rise and turned that awesome golden brown after dunking into the soda water. The pretzels and cheese sauce disappeared from the serving plate in quick time! Many thanks again for everything.
Hi Sarah and thanks so much :) So glad you enjoyed the pretzels! As for the flour, yes, I use Canadian all-purpose flour (generally Robin Hood). My standard metric cup of flour is 125g, so 4 1/2 cups would be around 560g. That said, it’s always wise never to start with all the flour in the bowl, since flours can vary from kitchen to kitchen and season to season. I generally hold back 1 cup (or 125g) from any yeast recipe and add the last cup in, using only as much as is needed to get the dough to the desired consistency. Sometimes I don’t use all of the cup. Occasionally, I have to use a few Tablespoons more. Hope that helps :)
Question: I’m thinking of baking pretzels and bagging as party gifts for family get together. Could I cut the ropes into 2 inch bites? How long would you recommend baking time based on size ? What would approximate yield be in cups?
What is the yield of the beer cheese? I’m guessing 2 cups?
Hi Maralee, yes, you could certainly cut the ropes into 2″ bites, then boil and bake. I haven’t tried it, so I’m just guessing, but I feel like it would be quite quick baking, maybe 5-7 minutes, but you would want to just watch closely as they bake and watch for colour on the pretzels. I think the beer cheese would be a bit more than 2 cups probably.