Free-form Pretzels

serves 8     multiply recipehalfone and a halfdoubletriplequadruplequintuple

• Ingredients
• 1 yeast
• sugar
• water
• salt
• flour
• sharp cheddar
• 1 egg
• salt
• Recipe
• Dissolve yeast and sugar in water. Combine salt, 4 c. flour, and cheese. Stir in yeast mixture, adding more flour if needed to form a stiff dough. Knead 5-10 minutes until smooth. Break off small pieces of dough. Roll between hands to form long ropes. Place pretzels on ungreased pans, leaving space for expansion. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.
• 1 yeast, pkg.
• 1 tbsp sugar (13g)
• 1¹/₂ cups water (198g), warm
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups flour (512g), up to 5 c.
• 4 cups sharp cheddar, grated
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp salt (18g), coarse (to taste)