2 loaves frozen white bread dough, thawed Flour, for dusting surface
1 egg, beaten
½ cup coarse salt
For the Cheese Dip:
1 cup whole milk
3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and deveined
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
12 ounces shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
Salt

Divide each loaf of dough into 7 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a 18-inch rope, and then form into a pretzel shape. Transfer dough to the refrigerator until ready to boil.



Preheat oven to 400 degrees.



In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add pretzels, 3 at a time, and cook until pretzels rise to the surface, about 2 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Arrange pretzels 3 inches apart on buttered sheet pans. Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with coarse salt or with choice of toppings. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned.



Serve with yellow mustard or cheese dip (recipe follows)



For the Cheese Dip:



Heat the milk in a small pot on medium heat until warm. Remove from the heat, add the chiles and soak for about 20 minutes. Transfer to a blender and process until smooth.



Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the chile-seasoned milk (the color will be red) and cook slightly until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Season with salt.