How to make it
In the bowl of a stand mixer, gently whisk sugar and salt into warm water.
Sprinkle with instant yeast, and let bubble (~5 minutes), before stirring.
Add flour, cinnamon, and raisins, and place the hook attachment on the mixer. Cover with a tea towel, and start on low speed for 30 seconds.
Remove tea towel, flour should not be fully incorporated at this point, but worked in enough not to fly. Add in melted butter.
Start the stand mixer again on low, slowly increasing speed. On medium, allow the hook to knead the dough for ~7 minutes. When the dough is close to ready, it will pull away from the edges of the bowl, and form into a ball.
Transfer dough ball into a lightly greased bowl, and cover with a towel.
Allow to rise in a warm place for ~1 hour.
Once ball has risen, fill a large pot with ~3-4 inches of water. Place on stove top on high heat to bring to a boil.
Preheat oven to 450F, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Meanwhile, divide dough into 6 even balls. Take each ball, and roll out on the counter into a long (~ 9 -12 inches) strand. Form dough strands into pretzel shapes. Holding the two ends, create a U. Then cross the ends into opposite hands. Pull dough back, and press into the bottom corners of the U loop.
Boil each pretzel in the water for 20-30 seconds, removing from water with a slotted spoon, and placing on prepared cookie sheet.
Place in over and bake for ~10 minutes.
While baking, mix together cinnamon sugar for the top. Melt the butter in the microwave.
When pretzels are done, brush each one with melted butter, and sprinkle with sugar mixture. Note, it is OK if you do not use ALL the butter and sugar - add to your taste!
Best enjoyed warm fresh out of the oven! These go great simply dipped in your morning coffee, or drizzled with a little cream cheese frosting or caramel sauce as a dessert!
What you’ll need
For the Pretzel
3/4 Cup warm water (110F)
1 tsp sea salt
3/4 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/8th tsp instant yeast (1/2 packet)
2 1/4 Cup flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsps melted butter
3 Tbsps raisins
For the Topping
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 Cup sugar
1/3 tsp cinnamon
