Pretzel Bread Bowl With Cheese Dip Recipes

Steps:

• Prepare the pretzels according to package instructions. Stack vertically on a vertical paper towel holder to create a pretzel tower.
• Place the cheese, vegetable stock and mustard in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on medium power until the cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk until the dip comes together as a smooth sauce.
• Serve warm with the pretzel tower, sliced apples, seedless green grapes and extra mustard for dipping.

Steps:

• Mix pretzels, dressing mix, yeast, sugar, baking soda and 1 cup flour. In a small saucepan, heat water, milk and butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat on low speed until moistened. Add cheese; beat on medium 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough., Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Cover with plastic and let rest 10 minutes., Grease a baking sheet; sprinkle with cornmeal. Shape dough into a round loaf; place on prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Whisk egg white with water; brush over top of loaf. If desired, sprinkle with salt. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped, 30-35 minutes. Cool on pan 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely., For dip, mix sour cream, pepper jack cheese and dressing mix. Refrigerate until serving., To serve, cut one fourth off top of bread loaf. Hollow out bottom of loaf, leaving a 1/2-in.-thick shell. Cut removed bread into cubes. Fill bowl with dip. If desired, top with peppers and additional cheese. Serve dip with bread cubes and vegetables.

Steps:

• Make Pretzel Dough:
• Stir together warm water and yeast in a large bowl and let stand until a creamy beige foam develops on the surface, about 10 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, start over with new yeast.)
• Meanwhile, in a smaller bowl, stir together flour, salt, and light brown sugar.
• Add flour mixture and butter to yeast mixture, and stir together first with a wooden spoon and then with your hands, until it forms a dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until it is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes, dusting with more flour as needed if dough sticks to work surface.
• Transfer dough to a lightly oiled large bowl and turn over to coat with oil. Cover with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draft-free place at room temperature until doubled, 2 to 3 hours.
• Alternatively, after kneading, let dough rest at room temperature for 15 minutes, then transfer to oiled bowl as above, and let rise in the refrigerator overnight (12 hours or up to 2 days).
• Punch down dough and divide into quarters. Form each quarter into 4 balls. Roll each ball into a 12-inch-long rope. Cut each rope into six (2-inch) pieces, and transfer to wax paper-lined rimmed baking sheets.
• Bake Pretzels:
• Heat oven to 450°F with racks in upper and lower third. Well oil 2 large baking sheets (about 17- by 12- inches).
• In a 4- to 5-quart saucepan, bring water and baking soda to a boil (mixture will be foamy at first, but foam will dissipate). Add 12 pretzel bites and cook 30 seconds (they will rise to the surface almost immediately), then transfer with a slotted spoon to baking sheets. Quickly sprinkle pretzel bites lightly on both sides with pretzel salt before they dry (so salt sticks). Repeat with remaining pretzel bites, returning water to a boil between batches.
• Bake pretzel bites in oven, switching sheets between racks and rotating sheets halfway through baking, until deep chestnut brown, 8 to 10 minutes (watch closely toward end of baking; bites brown quickly in last few minutes). Immediately transfer pretzel bites to wire racks to cool.
• Make Cheddar Dip:
• Purée cheese with 6 tablespoons wine or water in a food processor fitted with knife blade, stopping and scraping down sides with a spatula occasionally, until mixture is creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Thin to desired consistency with additional wine or water, adding it 1 tablespoon at a time. Serve immediately, or chill, covered, and return to room temperature before serving.