Auntie Ang’s Mini-Cini Soft Pretzels

Okay, so technically I am not an aunt, unless you count Sophie, my brother and sister-in-law’s little cutie-patootie poochie.

Otherwise, I’m not an aunt, but if I was, I would make my nieces and nephews these little soft pretzels!

I have always liked Auntie Anne’s soft pretzels, with a preference for the cinnamon raisin flavor. Now, if you know these pretzels, you know they are pretty much smothered in brown sugar and butter. That really won’t fly in our new, more health conscious lifestyle, but, there is a solution!

This is a pretty fun project and also kid-friendly if you want little helpers in the kitchen. You could do a zillion different flavors, like parmesan garlic, asiago cheese, plain salted, and the list goes on. But, I went with my favorite, good ole’ cinnamon raisin.

Auntie Ang’s Mini-Cini Soft Pretzels

Original Recipe/Inspiration: Adapted from Food Network Magazine

Downloadable Word Document Recipe

Time Required:

• 20 minutes to prepare dough
• 10 minutes to roll out
• 16-18 minutes to cook

Skill Level (out of 5):

2Chili’s Taster Rating (out of 5):

Makes: 24 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
• 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup raisins (optional)

Method:

• Preheat over to 475 F
• If using raisins, soak in 2 cups of water while you’re mixing the dough and drain in a sieve before using them. (This will keep them from getting that weird “cooked raisin” flavor).
• Mix 1 ½ cups warm water, yeast, and honey or agave in a bowl and side aside for five minutes.
• In a large food processor or high speed blender (I used the Ninja Professional Blender) pulse the whole wheat flour, 2 cups of all-purpose flour, cinnamon and salt until blended.

• Add 1 egg and yeast mixture, and pulse in 10 second intervals until the dough comes together.

• Turn out onto a floured surface (be careful of the blades!) and knead 10 to 12 times, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky.

• Cut the dough into four equal portions, roll into balls, and cover 3 portions with a clean towel.
• 
• On a floured surface, add 1/4 of the cinnamon and drained raisins by kneading them into the dough, and then roll out into a rectangle roughly 14 x 11 inches, with the short side facing you.

• Using a pizza cutter, cut into strips about 1.5-2 inches wide.

• Working with one strip at a time, pinch the long edges together and roll into a rope with your hands.

• Shape pretzels by grabbing the ends of the rope and crossing the right end over the left, and place on a sprayed cookie sheet. (You could also double twist the ends here – I didn’t.)

• Repeat this process until dough is used up; For a small batch, you can freeze the leftover dough for later use.
• Beat an egg in a small bowl and brush tops of pretzels with egg before baking.

• Optional: sprinkle more cinnamon on the tops of the pretzels before baking.

• Bake for 14-18 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. (If you sprinkled with cinnamon, they may look a little dark, but yum yum yum!)

Nutrition:

For pretzels with raisins, with about half of the egg wash left over.