Wholesome Wednesday (Cinnamon Soft Pretzel)

One of my children's favorite treats is a cinnamon sugar pretzel from the famous pretzel shop in the mall.  Recently we made our trip to the mall (about an hour away) and all the boys, Jay included, feasted on this treat.  On the way home that day, I told the family I would try to find a recipe to make those at home. 

Fast forward to last evening, I was looking through my Taste of Home Cookbook, and found a pretzel recipe that looked easy.  In the past, all the recipes involved making the dough, cooking them in boiling water, and then baking. I really didn't want to go through that much trouble. This particular recipe had you make the dough, dip it in hot tap water, then bake.  I was in! I made the dough just before dinner, allowed it to rise for 30 minutes, and then baked them. The whole process was easy and a bit fun. Rolling the pretzels reminds me of playing with Play Doh.

The reason I chose this for Wholesome Wednesday is the dough itself has no egg, oil, or butter making it low cholesterol.  The topping is the treat part, but the whole recipe (which yields 14 pretzels) only uses 3 tablespoons of butter and 3/4 cups of sugar.  You could probably use a sugar substitute and reduce the sugar. I had left over cinnamon sugar topping after coating all the pretzels.

recipe for dough

1 package active dry  yeast
1 1/2 cups of warm water (110 to 115 degrees, really hot tap water)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups cake flour
2 to 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour


In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and add sugar. Wait a few minutes for yeast to proof. Then add cake flour and salt, stir well.  Add all purpose flour until a soft dough forms. On a floured surface turn dough out and knead for about 6 to 8 minutes. Dough will become smooth and elastic.  Place in a greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise for about 30 minutes.  Divide into 14 balls. Roll each ball into a 15 inch rope.

In a bowl, add 2 cups hot water (120 to 130 degrees) and 2 tablespoons of baking soda.  Dip each rope into the water and lay on paper towels to drain.  Shape into pretzel and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven, until golden brown.

Topping

3 tablespoons melted butter
3/4 sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and set aside. Brush each pretzel with melted butter and roll into sugar mixture.  Allow to cool on a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container for several days.