What makes these pretzel bites golden brown and irresistibly chewy? Drain cleaner, of course! It sounds sketch, but trust me, once you’ve used lye instead of baking soda to pre boil the dough? You won’t go back. It definitely requires a couple extra safety measures, but they’re well worth it!

Table of Contents show
bitten pretzel bite next to a bowl of cheese this recipe

Also included in this post is my favorite recipe for beer cheese dip. You just can’t make these pretzel bites and NOT also make the dip. No need to mess with a flour and butter mixture that ends up grainy. The secret? Keep reading. (Or use the table of contents) But be ready to play with some chemicals today!

Pretzel Dough

This is a pretty stiff dough that does best in a stand mixer. My 7 quart Kitchenaid gets a little whiny towards the end of the kneading time, so a smaller motor might struggle a little. But don’t worry, I’ve kneaded this dough by hand, and it just requires a little more upper body strength and a longer kneading time.

For ultra soft pretzels with minimal crunch, allow the kneaded dough to rise for a half hour before shaping. In most cases, though, shaping the dough immediately after kneading will yield the best results, i.e soft and chewy on the inside, with a crisp exterior.

While some pretzel recipes call for bread dough, that can make things a little too tough and chewy. All purpose really does a nice job of striking that structure/texture balance.

tray of pretzel bites and bowl of cheese sauce

Lye Safety

A lot of which comes with common sense. Although lye has been used in German bread baking for a couple hundred years, if you aren’t familiar with using it, it has the potential to be dangerous. But like I said before, a little common sense will keep you mostly in the clear. Wearing gloves is a must, I also wear safety glasses because of fumes. Be sure to purchase food grade lye.

  • Preparing the solution. The lye is the most dangerous when it’s dry, because that’s when it’s the most concentrated. Once you add it to the water, it’s diluted and much less likely to burn you. ALWAYS add the lye to the water, never add water to lye. If you pour water directly into lye, it could splash, risking you getting a highly concentrated liquid onto your skin.
  • Use a plastic or glass container, I have a designated ice cream bucket labeled “lye” for this exact purpose. Don’t use metal. After adding the lye to the water, stir it gently with a silicone/plastic spoon until the solution is clear. It will be warm to the touch, and that’s normal. Even if you’re wearing safety glasses, do not stand directly above the lye bath, because the fumes are caustic.
  • Using the lye bath. Carefully soak each dough bite in the lye for 30 seconds, flipping after 15 seconds. In my ice cream bucket, I usually fit 5 dough bites in at once. After soaking, transfer the dough bites to a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with coarse salt.
  • Disposing of the lye bath & cleanup. Once you’re ready to get rid of the lye solution, you can just pour it down the drain, rinse the bucket/container a couple times and let that water flush the drain. Rinse off the utensils you used before washing them with soap.

Beer Cheese Dip

I tested out this dip several times with a roux base, (flour and butter) but always hated the slight graininess in the final product. It didn’t reheat well, and it was actually pretty frustrating for a while. I also didn’t want processed cheese product in there either, because adding too much of that just makes everything taste like box mac and cheese.

Enter sodium citrate! If you don’t know what that is, don’t worry. I didn’t either. It’s just the ingredient in processed cheese that makes it gooey and melty, and you can get a good sized pouch on Amazon. If you’re worried about it being cost effective, there’s good news, because it doesn’t spoil.

Be sure to get blocks of cheese and shred at home! Anti-caking agents found in pre shredded cheese keep things from getting nice and melty.

Add the beer you’re using and the sodium citrate to a saucepan and bring it to a simmer, whisking as it heats up. Once it reaches a simmer, add the cheese gradually, whisking to completely melt everything before you add more cheese. Once all the cheese has been added and everything is smooth, you can remove it from the heat and serve!

large platter of pretzel bites and bowl of cheese dip in the center

Storage & Shelf Life

Leftover pretzels should always be frozen. If left at room temperature, even covered and airtight, they will weep. To reheat, microwave the frozen pretzel bites for 30-45 seconds.

Print
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large platter of pretzel bites and bowl of cheese dip in the center

Pretzel Bites & Cheese Dip

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  • Author: Megan
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour +15 minutes
  • Yield: Varies
  • Category: Snacks
  • Method: Oven, Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

These perfectly golden pretzel bites are even more dangerous with the beer cheese dip! No leftovers (almost) guaranteed.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the pretzel bites:

  • 1 TB active dry yeast
  • 1 TB brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups hot water, divided (as hot as it comes from the tap, about 105-110F/40-43C)
  • 5 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 TB food grade lye
  • 1 liter of warm water
  • coarse salt for sprinkling

For the beer cheese dip:

  • 1 cup + 2 TB beer
  • 2 tsp sodium citrate
  • 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
  • 2 cups pepper jack cheese, finely shredded
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  1. Make the pretzel bites. Preheat the oven to 400F/204C, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Grease the parchment with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Use your stand mixer bowl and add the yeast, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of the hot water. Whisk to mix together and allow to stand for 5 minutes. The yeast mixture should be foamy on top. Add the remaining hot water, flour and salt, and use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix until mostly combined. Use the dough hook on low speed until the dough comes together and there is no more raw flour remaining. You may need to scrape the sides a few more times.
  3. Increase the speed to medium, and knead the dough for 5 minutes. It should be smooth and should not stick to the sides of the bowl. Be sure to keep an eye on the mixer, since this dough is stiff and will definitely strain the motor.
  4. Skip the rise and skip the flour on the countertop. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and use a sharp knife to divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each of the 8 pieces into a log that measures about 2 feet long, and cut the log into 2-3 inch sized bites. The number of pretzel bites will vary based on how big you make them. Set aside the cut bites onto one of the parchment lined baking sheets while you prepare the lye bath.
  5. Prepare the lye bath. Use gloves to prevent burns. Add the liter of warm water to a clean, dry ice cream bucket (or glass container of equal size) and carefully sprinkle the lye into the water. Use a heatproof spatula or dedicated wooden spoon to gently stir in and dissolve the lye until the solution is clear. The lye mixture will be warm to the touch if you feel the outsides of the container. Do not touch the lye solution. 
  6. Working in batches of 5-6 pieces, soak the dough bites in the lye bath for 15 seconds, flip and soak for an additional 15 seconds. Use a skimmer to remove them from the bath, transfer them to the parchment lined baking sheets, and immediately sprinkle them with coarse salt. (I also used “everything bagel” seasoning.
  7. Bake the pretzel bites for 16-17 minutes, until deep golden brown. Halfway through baking, rotate the baking sheets to make sure everything bakes evenly. After removing the pretzel bites from the oven, make the cheese dip.
  8. Make the beer cheese dip. Combine the beer and sodium citrate in a saucepan and whisk to dissolve. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and add the cheese by handfuls, whisking vigorously to melt between each addition. Once all the cheese has been added and is smooth, add the onion powder, garlic powder, Dijon and Worcestershire sauce and whisk to combine well.
  9. Remove from the heat and serve hot with pretzel bites.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 197
  • Sugar: 1 g
  • Sodium: 350.4 mg
  • Fat: 3.1 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.7 g
  • Trans Fat: 0.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 22.5 g
  • Fiber: 0.6 g
  • Protein: 8.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 22 mg

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