CINNAMON SUGAR PRETZEL BITES

As you approach an Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Shop in a mall, the smell of freshly baked pretzel hits you making it nearly impossible for a pretzel-lover like myself to walk past without stopping for one of their goodies. I do love their large buttered and salted pretzels, but my go-to are their pretzel bites. I waffle back and forth between the cinnamon sugar bites and the salted bites with cheese dip (recipe to follow for these) but my kids are fans of the sweet ones which I make often, so let’s start with the cinnamon sugar ones. Here goes:

For the pretzel dough

1 cup milk

2 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp packed brown sugar

2 tsp quick-rise yeast

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

For the baking soda solution

1/4 cup baking soda

2 cups warm water

For the cinnamon sugar topping

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon

In a small saucepan, slowly warm milk and butter - do not let come to boil. Add brown sugar, stirring to dissolve and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, yeast and salt. Slowly add the warmed milk mixture to the bowl while mixing with a wooden spoon. Keep mixing until it is well combined.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until it becomes smooth for approximately 5 minutes, adding more flour as needed until it’s slightly tacky.. Shape into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl; cover with a tea towel and let rise until doubled in size. Depending on temperature of kitchen this can be anywhere from 1-2 hours.

When ready to bake: preheat oven to 450F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, spray with baking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl mix baking soda with 2 cups warm water. Stir until baking soda is dissolved; set aside.

Punch dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces and cover with kitchen towel. Take first piece of dough and roll into a rope approximately 24” holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. With a dough scraper or knife cut into 1” pieces. Add pieces to bowl of baking soda mixture. Remove pieces with slotted spoon shaking off excess water And place them on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 8-12 minutes until tops are golden brown careful not to let bottoms burn. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes on tray.

Cinnamon sugar topping:

In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar until combined. In a large bowl, melt butter in microwave. Add pretzel bites to bowl and toss to coat with butter. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over top of buttered pretzels and toss gently to coat. With a spoon, carefully lift the pretzel bites from bowl and transfer to serving dish. These are best enjoyed straight away.