Ingredients
Scale
Pretzels
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
- 6 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 large egg (for egg wash)
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
Water Bath
- 10 cups water
- ⅔ cup baking soda
Instructions
Making the pretzel dough
- Combine warm water, brown sugar, and yeast in a large bowl, give it a stir, and let sit for 5 minutes, until a light foam develops on top of the water.
- After several minutes have passed, add the butter, flour, and salt, and mix in a stand mixer with a dough hook until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Rub all sides of a large bowl with a paper towel coated in vegetable oil. Form the dough into a ball and place in the bowl. Roll the dough around in the bowl until all sides of the dough are lightly coated in the oil.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and let it sit in a warm place for approximately 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.
Shaping the soft pretzels
- Once the dough has doubled in size, cut it into 8 equal-sized pieces and roll into balls.
- Roll out each piece into a rope, measuring at least 14 inches long.
- Then form the dough into a pretzel shape by turning each of the ends toward the middle, giving them one twist in the middle, and gently pinching the ends to the bottom of the pretzel so the ends stay in place.
Boiling the pretzels
- Preheat oven to 425℉ to get it ready for baking after the pretzels are briefly boiled.
- Start a large pot of water on the stove over high heat, using about 10 cups of water.
- Once the water is boiling, slowly and carefully add the baking soda. You’ll notice that the water fizzes and bubbles up each time you add the baking soda, which is the reason to take it slowly and carefully.
- Once the baking soda has dissolved into the water, using a slotted spoon or spider strainer, gently place each pretzel into the water and let boil for 30 seconds, occasionally dunking each pretzel underneath the surface of the water, to bathe the top of the dough.
- Place the pretzels on a parchment lined baking sheet to get ready for baking.
Baking the pretzels
- Make an egg wash with 1 egg and a few drops of water, and whisk. Brush each pretzel with the egg wash, making sure to get the tops and all sides.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
- Let cool slightly on a cooling rack.
Adding the sweet cinnamon sugar topping
- In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon, then pour the mixture onto a flat plate.
- Once the pretzels are still warm but not too hot to handle, brush the tops and sides of each with melted butter, then dip them into the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat.
- Serve and enjoy your homemade cinnamon sugar soft pretzels!