Cheese and Dijon Pretzels Recipe

In large bowl, combine all but 1 cup of the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and cheese.

Heat milk and mustard until very warm (about 125°F); stir in dry ingredients.

Mix in enough reserved flour to make soft dough that does not stick to bowl. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Cover and let rest on floured surface 10 minutes.

Divide dough into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 20" rope. On lightly greased baking sheets, shape into pretzels; curve ends of each rope to make circle, cross ends at top, twist ends once and lay over bottom of each circle. Cover and let rise in warm, draft-free place for 15 minutes.

Brush tops with water; sprinkle with coarse salt and sesame seeds, if desired.

Bake in preheated 375°F oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove pretzels to cooling racks.