“Twist Myself Into a Pretzel To Make You Happy” Warm Soft Pretzels with Cheese Mustard Dipping Sauce

Coat a large bowl with vegetable oil and set aside. Combine the water, yeast, and sugar in a large mixing bowl, stir until yeast dissolves, and let sit for 5 minutes 5 Minutes. Stir in the flour, butter, molasses, and salt. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead -- incorporating additional flour as necessary -- until dough is smooth and elastic -- about 10 minutes 10 Minutes. Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to the prepared bowl, turning to coat all sides with oil. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and set aside to rise in a warm place until it doubles in volume -- about 1 hour 60 Minutes .

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Punch down dough, place onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for 5 minutes 5 Minutes. Using a pizza cutter, divide the dough into 15 - two-ounce pieces. Form each piece into a ball, roll each ball out to a 1/2-inch-thick "rope," (about the size of your finger) and twist each rope into a pretzel shape. Make a ‘U’ shape, bring the tips together, twist them and fold down to the bottom of the ‘U’. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes 20 Minutes. Whisk together the egg white, 1 tablespoon water, and pinch of salt in a small bowl and set aside. Bring 4 cups of water and baking soda to a boil. Poach pretzels 2 at a time for 30 seconds on each side. Transfer pretzels to a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush lightly with the egg-white mixture, and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Bake until golden -- about 15 minutes 15 Minutes .

Combine the beer, mustard, butter, and cayenne in a small saucepan over medium heat. Gradually whisk in the cheese. Continue cooking until smooth and all the cheese is melted -- about 5 minutes 5 Minutes. Serve warm with pretzels.