Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

When I was at high school, it became tradition when spending an afternoon in the city to head to the Auntie Anne's pretzel stall and treat myself to a cinnamon sugar pretzel. Now I've not eaten one of these for years but found myself this week with an inexplicable craving for a soft, buttery pretzel that just would not go away. With no way of getting into the city to buy one, and the craving not going away no matter what I tried, I decided to make them myself.

I wont lie to you, this is not an 'easy' recipe, but its not impossibly difficult either, its just very fiddly - I can promise you though that the extra effort is so worth it. This recipe needs at least three hours from start to finish, but at the end of that time you'll have yourself a batch of delicious soft pretzels that taste even better than the ones you can buy in store (sorry Auntie Anne, but its true!) Anyway, I've rambled on long enough here, lets get on with the recipe. 

Ingredients:

Pretzel dough:

300ml warm water

1 x 7g sachet dried yeast

2 tbsp brown sugar

350g plain flour

150g bread flour

1 heaped tsp salt

Baking soda wash:

40g baking powder

400ml warm water 

Cinnamon Sugar:

40g butter, melted

6 tbsp caster sugar

1 heaped tbsp ground cinnamon

Makes 12 pretzels

Method:

1. Place the yeast into a large mixing bowl, add the warm water and sugar and stir to combine. This is to activate the yeast - set the bowl to one side for about 10 minutes or until the yeast has proved. You'll know its done when it looks like the picture below

2. Add the flours and salt to the bowl and mix well - first with a spoon and then with your hands as the dough comes together.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. This will take somewhere between 8-10 minutes and is one hell of a workout! Once the dough has been kneaded place in a lightly oiled bowl, turning so the dough gets a covering of oil. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Before...

...and after

4. When the dough has finished rising, mix the baking powder with the warm water and pour into a deep dish or tray, set to one side.

5. Turn out the risen dough and cut into 12 equal pieces. The easiest way to do this is to cut the dough into quarters,  and then cut each quarter into thirds. 

6. Now its time to make the pretzels. First up take a piece of dough and roll it into a long, thin sausage about the thickness of a pencil. DO NOT USE FLOUR here, don't flour your hands or the surface as it makes rolling the dough impossible - the dough shouldn't stick anyway, but if it does then use a tiny bit of oil to stop it. Twist the dough into a pretzel shape, here's how I did it:

7. Quickly dip the pretzel into the baking powder mixture, making sure its completely covered. After dipping, blot the underside of the pretzel on a piece of kitchen paper - this will stop the bottom cooking quicker than the top

8. Place the dipped pretzel on a tray lined with baking paper. Repeat for all pretzels then leave to rise for about 30 minutes. 

9. Preheat the oven to 230°C. When the pretzels have risen, bake for 8-9 minutes or until they are risen and golden. 

10. Place the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and mix well until fully combined. Pour into a shallow tray.

11. Take a cooked pretzel and brush the top with the melted butter. Then take the pretzel and dip it butter side down into the cinnamon sugar (I used tongs to hold the pretzel - its far less messy!). Lightly shake the pan to ensure the whole pretzel gets a good coating.

 Tap of the excess and leave one a wire rack to cool. Repeat for all pretzels. 

These are best enjoyed on the day of baking, but if they do last longer than that - and I'd be amazed if they did as they're so moreish - then reheat them in the oven at about 200°C for five minutes before eating. 

If cinnamon sugar isn't your thing, you could always dip these in vanilla sugar, chocolate sauce, anything that takes your fancy really! If you prefer savoury pretzels, just sprinkle with coarse sea salt before baking and voila!