If you’re like me and roamed from job to job in your teen years, then you may have worked for Auntie Anne’s Pretzels for a week or two at some point. I actually never tried their cinnamon sugar pretzels until I did my nine-day stint behind their counter, but I’m really glad I did. Because it’s one of my favorite snacks, and all in all, they’re pretty simple to make. I even had my two-year-old son help me out with the last batch. Although, you may want to wait until you know what you’re doing before bringing a toddler in to assist. Anyway, here’s what you’re going to need:
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast (one packet)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup bread flour
3 cups all-purpose flour
Then:
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda
Finally:
1/4 cup of cinnamon
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of butter or margarine (half-stick)
Ok. Now that you’ve assembled your ingredients, you will want to gather two medium-sized mixing bowls, two baking sheets, a small souffle cup, a kitchen brush, some mixing cups and spoons, and a flat-bottom bowl.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, you’ll slowly dissolve the yeast packet in 1 1/2 cup of warm water.
After the yeast blooms for a couple of minutes, you can stir in the salt and brown sugar until they dissolve.
Combine both types of flour in a separate bowl, then slowly mix them into the salt, sugar, yeast, and water solution, kneading the dough as it thickens.
Take a 30-minute break. The hard part’s over!
Once you return, the dough should have risen, and you’ll be able to proceed to phase 2. Preheat the oven to 450° Farhenheit, and begin shaping the pretzels.
Here you can get as creative or uncreative as you like, but I suggest rolling them into long thin strands. From there, you can cut them into nuggets or rods, braid them into ropes, fold them into a pretzel shape, or whatever your heart desires.
Once your pretzels are shaped, you’ll want to stir the baking soda into the remaining two cups of warm water. Fully dip each pretzel into the water, then place them on the buttered baking sheets.
Place them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, mixing the cinnamon and sugar in the flat-bottom bowl while they bake.
Melt the remainder of your half-stick of butter, then brush it onto your pretzels. Dip the buttered pretzels into the cinnamon sugar, completely covering them.
Congratulations! You just made like $50 worth of Auntie Anne’s-Style Pretzels, and you didn’t even have to work there.
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