cinnamon sugar – my thyme zone

Ok so this is not a mistake. I recently posted a sourdough soft pretzel recipe but this one is different because yeast is used to leaven the dough instead of sourdough. I’m loving the use we’re getting out of our sourdough discard for so many great tasting recipes but most people will have yeast on hand instead of sourdough starter so I wanted to share this option as well. The process is exactly the same but the measurements are a bit different. I know active dry yeast is not at my grocery store right now and flour is sparse but it is on Amazon! If you can get your hands on some, it is worth it for this recipe. I thought for sure that I would like the sourdough pretzel recipe more than this one but these are actually really good. My husband says he likes these better. I think they’re both good.

Both are pillowy soft inside and have that “pretzel” flavor with the classic pretzel chew you get from all the pretzel places. And to top it off (pun intended), the customized toppings make these taste even better. Again I used milk instead of water in the recipe and this entire baking project can be completed in less than 3 hours including the rise time. This recipe makes 8 pretzels and again, I like mine to be thick and doughy so that’s what is pictured. If you like skinnier pretzel with larger pretzel “holes” then just roll the dough out a bit longer. The details are below, enjoy!

Ingredients

For the dough:

2 and 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1 cup milk, warmed to 110 degrees (30 seconds in my microwave)

1 tbsp melted butter

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour

For the water bath:

10 cups water

1 tbsp baking soda

For the toppings:

1 egg white (not optional)

1 tbsp coarse sea salt

1-2 tbsp everything spice (mixture of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion flakes, coarse sea salt)

2 tbsp cinnamon sugar (1 and 1/2 tbsp sugar + 1/2 tbsp cinnamon)

Instructions

Place the yeast in the warm milk and mix to combine, then let sit for 5 minutes. Add the melted butter and brown sugar.
Mix together flour and salt then combine the flour mixture with the above mixture. It should come together to form a sticky ball which you should then begin kneading with your hands for about 2 minutes.
Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl (so it doesn’t stick when pulling it out later), cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours or when doubled in size.
After the dough rises, preheat the oven to 450 degrees then place the water into a large stock pot on medium high heat.
Punch the dough then divide the dough into 8 equal parts, I like to form it into a disc then slice it like a pizza.
Roll these out into 12-14 inch logs. They will be a bit sticky, do not add flour. If you like a thick and fat pretzel, go for 10-12 inches. If you want a larger but skinny pretzel, aim for 14-16 inches.
Form each log into the pretzel shape by crossing the ends together twice then laying over the center of the log. Press the ends to attach them firmly, see above.
Place each pretzel on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Once the water begins to simmer, add the baking soda.
Dunk each pretzel into the water bath for 30 seconds, 2 at a time. (see notes)
After removing them from the water, place them back on the baking sheet and brush each pretzel with the egg wash for the toppings to stick.
Sprinkle the desired toppings on each pretzel.
Bake for 13-14 minutes until golden brown. (see notes)

Notes

If you opt for the skinnier pretzel, the baking time may need to be adjusted to 11-12 minutes as these will bake quicker
Using a large firm spatula works great for removing the pretzels from the water bath. Tongs made a bit of a mess and unfolded the pretzels.
For added sweetness, stuff raisins or dried fruit into the pretzels of your choice! Just be sure to squeeze shut the dough so they don’t come out in the water bath.

removal from water bath, using firm spatula

cinnamon sugar (raisin) sourdough pretzel – 14in log

These pretzels are a direct result of having school at home during this quarantine. At school the boys have pretzel day on Tuesdays and they have been reminding me that we have not been having them “at home school” on Tuesdays. Since I have been using my daily sourdough discard on various recipes, making homemade soft pretzels just made sense. I have to give credit to the Rebooted Mom where I adapted my recipe from. You can check it out here.

These pretzels are soft, chewy and very satisfying. We love Auntie Annie’s pretzels when we take a mall trip so the cinnamon sugar topping was a must. We stuffed a few raisins in these too prior to baking too, yum! We also regularly eat everything bagels and wanted to incorporate that flavor into one of the topping choices as well.

These are best enjoyed hot out of the oven so we have been making them using half of the recipe at a time to make 6 instead of 12 but you could also make a full batch then freeze and reheat. They boys have been enjoying the process of making them (which doesn’t take as long as you would think, aside from the rising time) so making them fresh has been a fun project for us to do together. Not only do these taste great, they make the house smell like a bakery!