The details
When I asked my husband, Charlie, if he had any requests for new recipes for the blog, his answer was pretzels (???). I was a little baffled considering all the amazing things that can be baked out there. But, I did ask for his opinion, so I started testing out pretzel doughs. I settled on this one, which is simple, stands up to twisting and shaping, and has a nice salty edge which makes it clearly pretzel and pairs nicely with its sugary coating. But I didn’t want to make just a regular old pretzel (though you could totally double this dough recipe, omit the sugar and spices, sprinkle with coarse salt and it would be great). So we went down the cinnamon-sugar coating route, and I quickly settled on cardamom. Ground cardamom is made from little pods and has an incredibly delicious cinnamon-meets-licorice flavor that I personally love. It’s toned down a bit by (lots) of cinnamon here, but you definitely taste it. I think cardamom really elevates these Cardamom Pretzel Twists from a one-note cinnamon sugar pretzel. I hope you agree.
The process
Don’t let making a dough and proofing scare you. This dough couldn’t be simpler, and is honestly very hearty and hard to mess up. I’ve made these pretzels with over-kneaded dough–they were delicious. I’ve made them with over-proofed and under-proofed dough, with all good results. I have found that after you knead your dough with your dough hook attachment or your hands, leaving at warm room temp (75 degrees) for about 2 hours seems to be best. But, you can rest assured that even if the dough isn’t made optimally, you will still enjoy these pretzels! If you are new to proofing dough or just need reassurance that you’re doing it right, see my Tips + Tricks page for more dough-proofing details.
similar recipes
If you love the cardamom-cinnamon-sugar flavor in these pretzel twists, you will love my Overnight Olive Oil Cinnamon Rolls. They have that same combination in the filling, plus a few more warm spices and a little bit of lemon zest. So good.
Bake to this music
Cardamom Pretzel Twists
Salty pretzel dough, cardamom cinnamon-sugar, and melty butter come together in these Cardamom Pretzel Twists. It’s a match made in heaven! Auntie Anne’s eat your heart out.
- Yield: 8 pretzel twists 1x
Ingredients
For the pretzel dough:
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
For the baking soda bath:
- 6 cups water
- 1/3 cup baking soda
For the cardamom sugar:
- 4 tbsp salted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
Instructions
- Make the pretzel dough. In a large mixing bowl, stir together active dry yeast, lukewarm water, and sugar. Cover with a dishtowel and let sit for 10-15 minutes. The mixture should have a layer of foam at the top at this point. Add flour and salt and mix together with a dough hook or spatula until a shaggy mass forms. Using a stand mixer with the dough hook or with your hands, knead the dough for about 5 minutes on medium, until a cohesive ball comes together and when poked, the dough bounces back slightly. Add water or flour 1 tbsp at a time if needed until the dough comes to the right consistency.
- Turn the dough out into a generously oiled, large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and proof for 1-2 hours at warm room temp, until doubled in size.
- In a large saucepan, create a baking soda bath by mixing 6 cups of water with baking soda and bringing the water to a boil.
- Turn out your proofed dough onto a well-floured surface. Shape your dough into a roughly 12 inch-long horizontal rectangle by pulling and patting. Using a dough knife, separate the rectangle into 8 equal vertical pieces. Take each piece and roll into a snake about 12 inch in length. Pinch the ends of the snake together, twist the dough, and tuck the sealed ends under.
- Drop each twisted piece of dough in the baking soda bath for 20 seconds. The dough will sink, then float by the time it needs to be taken out. Remove with a slotted spoon and shake the excess water off before placing on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Make your cardamom-sugar by mixing together sugar, cardamom, and cinnamon in a bowl. Pour out half this mix onto a plate.
- Bake twisted and boiled dough pieces at 400 degrees F for 8-12 minutes, until they begin to brown. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
- Baste the top of each pretzel twist generously with melted butter. Place the twist buttery side down onto the plate with cardmom sugar, Baste the back of the twist with butter, and flip over to coat the other side. Spoon on the extra cardamom sugar to cover the front side evenly as needed. Serve warm!
- Store these pretzel twists in an airtight container at room temp for 3-4 days.
Notes
- The baking soda bath imparts that classic pretzel taste and brown, shiny finish. Make sure not to leave the pretzel twists in the bath longer than 30 seconds max, or they will have a strong metallic taste.
- For tips on proofing dough, see my Tips +Tricks page.
- You can adjust the amount of cinnamon and cardamom in the cardamom sugar to your preferences. I like A LOT of spice, so this recipe is definitely cardamom-forward.
- You can make this dough the night before up to step 2, and allow to proof covered in the fridge overnight. In the morning, leave at warm room temp for 1 hour to allow it to come to temperature before shaping your twists.