Oktoberfest Mustard Pretzel Bites with Beer Cheese

Intro

Soft pretzels are about two things: the baking-soda bath that gives them that mahogany crust and chewy pull, and the dip you put beside them. Get both right and you have a snack spread that wipes out before the second beer is cracked. The Oktoberfest does double duty here,  straight from the jar for dipping, and stirred into the beer cheese to give it the tang that keeps it from going pasty. Don't skip the boil. That's the whole reason these don't taste like little dinner rolls.

What you need

Food:

1 lb store-bought pizza dough, room temperature

1/4 cup baking soda

8 cups water

1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water

Coarse pretzel salt or flaky sea salt

6 tbsp TGCS Co Oktoberfest Mustard (4 for the cheese, 2 on the side for dipping)

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

1/2 cup German-style lager (a pilsner or helles, nothing too hoppy)

2 tbsp cream cheese, softened

Equipment:

Large pot for the boiling bath

Slotted spoon

Two parchment-lined sheet pans

Small heavy-bottom saucepan for the cheese

Whisk or wooden spoon

How to cook it

1. Preheat your oven to 425 F. Let the dough sit out for 20 minutes if it's been in the fridge,  cold dough fights you. 
2. Cut the dough into 1-inch pieces. You should get 30-something bites. Roll them into rough balls if you want them tidy, or leave them rustic. Either works.
3. Bring 8 cups of water to a rolling boil and stir in the baking soda. It will foam up; that's normal, just don't lean over it. This bath is what makes them taste like pretzels.
4. Drop the bites in 6–8 at a time and boil for 30 seconds. Pull them out with a slotted spoon, let them drain for a second, and transfer to the parchment-lined sheet pan. Space them out; they need room.
5. Brush each bite with the egg wash and hit them with coarse salt. Be generous, some will fall off in the oven.
6. Bake 12–15 minutes until they are deep golden brown, not pale tan. Pale pretzels are sad pretzels.
7. While they bake, make the beer cheese. Warm the lager in the saucepan over low heat; you want it just steaming, not boiling. Whisk in the cream cheese until smooth, then add the cheddar a handful at a time, whisking after each one. Once it's glossy and smooth, kill the heat and whisk in 4 tbsp of the Oktoberfest. Taste it ;add more mustard if you want more tang. If it's too thick, you can a bit more warm beer until the desired texture is reached.
8. Pile the pretzel bites on a board with the warm beer cheese in a bowl and the remaining 2 tbsp of Oktoberfest in a second small bowl for straight-up dipping.
9. ENJOY!