Sesame Philadelphia Style Pretzels with Gouda Cheese Sauce

I think my body has finally recovered from our cross-country road trip or maybe it’s all that ham I ate on Thanksgiving giving me a weird burst of energy. A week sitting in the car really tests the limits of your bladder, your podcast attention span, and how long you can really sustain on cheese, crackers, and dates. The drive really wasn’t so bad! I didn’t have to drive a single second because Reuben wanted to drive the whole time. I kept him alert and awake with conversation, ridiculous would-you-rather questions, and was on constant snack and beverage duty. America is so pretty, we tried to ignore all the giant Trump signs and focus on the cows and changing landscape instead.

It felt so good to finally arrive in New Jersey! Even though we kept our masks on for 2 days and ate in separate rooms from Reuben’s parents until our Covid test came back (negative!). It was definitely a unique Thanksgiving, but I’m very grateful for the safe travels and home cooked food. BTW, I tried my first jello “salad” in the form of cranberry salad and I’m VERY into it. I may be from the Midwest, but jello salad is something I somehow never encountered. Whatever we end up doing for Thanksgiving next year, I’m going to bring cranberry salad to the table.

Philadelphia Style Pretzels!

There are a few things we always do whenever we make it back to the East Coast. First, we get a lot of bagels from our favorite bagel shop and proceed to eat them for breakfast everyday. Reuben takes us on a drive around town so that he can relive his childhood. Then we plan a day or two to sneak off into Philadelphia and pretend we live there. So much history, good architecture, closeness to family, and really good food! We love that city so much and hopefully one day we’ll move somewhere close by.

We’re going to drive into the city for a few hours to snap a few photos for the cookbook. But otherwise we won’t really have time to (or feel comfortable) visiting our favorite food spots. Normally, we try to have lunch at Monk’s Kettle for their amazing mussels and fries (frites?) and get freshly made pretzels from a little hole-in-the-wall spot. Philadelphia pretzels make for the best snack! They are just like regular soft pretzels but shaped a little differently and they are baked close together so they form a really satisfying grid of soft and chewy pretzely goodness. I love watching the trays of pretzels come out of the oven and pulling them apart while they are still warm!

Ever since our first trip to Philly together a few years ago, I’ve played around with making soft pretzels. Tweaking the recipe to get that perfect balance of dense, chewy, and fluffy. I made them for our Super Bowl party a few years back when the Philadelphia Eagles won and I made them again this month when I was beyond anxious waiting for the election results from Pennsylvania to come in. I think these pretzels are good luck because good things happened on both of those days! They are also just really freaking good. The best pretzels I’ve every had honestly. I covered these with a generous sprinkle of sesame seeds because they are my favorite bagel topping and I’m generally very obsessed with anything coated in sesame seeds. Feel free to add your own twist to them though! Topping options are limit less!

The Best Cheese Sauce

A good pretzel should be satisfying on its own. But you know what makes a soft pretzel even better?! CHEESE SAUCE. This cheese sauce is dangerous because you’ll want to eat it with a spoon or immediately boil some macaroni noodles to make a quick mac and cheese (that actually wouldn’t be a bad idea!). Making a cheese sauce only takes a few minutes and a few standard ingredients. You make a quick roux out of butter and flour and then add milk as the base. Continue to whisk, whisk, whisk, until smooth and thick. Finally, add the cheese, some mustard, and a pinch of sauce, and give it a few good whisks until everything is beautifully melted. It’s a magical pairing with the soft pretzels and would taste good with so many other things if you want to do a fondue situation.

Of course you’ll want to make sure you have a quality cheese for your cheese sauce. Old Amsterdam Aged Gouda is INCREDIBLE in this sauce. It’s so rich, nutty, and has the perfect level of saltiness. You really want to avoid bagged shredded cheese because those typically have cornstarch to prevent the cheese from clumping and the extra cornstarch will ruin the texture of your sauce. So stick with the good style that come in wedges or whole chunks!

Happy pretzel making and cheese dunkin’!

Sesame Philadelphia Style Pretzels with Gouda Cheese Sauce

makes 6

pretzel dough:

113g (1/2 cup) milk
113g (1/2 cup) water
25g (2 tbsp) granulated sugar
1 tsp active dry yeast
350g (2 ½ cups) bread flour
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
toasted sesame seeds, for topping
flaky sea salt, for topping

alkaline bath solution:

8 cups water
½ cup baking soda

gouda cheese sauce:

2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp whole grain mustard
4oz (1 cup) Old Amsterdam Aged Gouda, shredded
Pinch of salt

pretzels:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, water, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Allow to cool until warm to touch (about 105-degrees). Stir in yeast and allow it to activate. Tiny bubbles should appear on the surface after 10 to 15 minutes.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine bread flour, butter, salt, and yeast mixture. Mix until shaggy, 1 minute, and increase speed to medium-high and knead until smooth and tacky, 8 minutes.

3. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl (lightly brushed with oil or sprayed with nonstick spray) and allow the dough to rest until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees and prepare the alkaline bath by boiling water with baking soda. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and line a large platter with paper towels

5. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece into an 8-inch long rope or as long as it can stretch without resisting. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes. Roll out the ropes of dough again until they are about 16-inches long.

6. Twist the dough into desired pretzel shapes, making sure to pinch the ends so they don’t unravel.

7. Working with one pretzel at a time, carefully lower the pretzel into the boiling water. Boil for 30 seconds, flip, and boil the other side for another 30 seconds. With a slotted spoon, carefully lift the pretzel from the water and onto the platter lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining pretzels. 

8. Arrange the boiled pretzels on a prepared baking sheet, either close together (traditional Philadelphia style) or spaced 2 inches apart. Sprinkle the tops with toasted sesame seeds and salt or your preferred topping (like plain flakey salt, cheese, or everything bagel seasoning). Bake until golden brown, 13 to 15 minutes. Allow the pretzels to cool for a few minutes before serving.

cheese sauce:

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until a thick paste forms. Add milk and continue to constantly whisk until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to whisk until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add mustard, gouda, and salt. Whisk until smooth and serve warm. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge or frozen for up to 3 months.

Thank you, Old Amsterdam, for sponsoring this post!