30 Minute Apple Pie Pretzel - SRC

This month's Secret Recipe Club recipe brought to you courtesy of Burnt Apple.  Traci shares her delicious and budget-conscious recipes she developed along the way from cooking for 3 picky eaters and a diabetic husband.  Which sounds similar to my home, where my husband is diabetic, and when my kids were young one hated fruit, one kid veggies, and one who seemed to live solely on air.  Traci, in case you are reading this, don't worry, because eventually the kids grow up, becoming adults who find other foods not to eat as well.

While looking over Traci's recipes, I quickly noticed 30 Minute Apple Pie Pretzel.  The  30 minutes caught my eye.  It totally had me at apple pie pretzel.  How cool a name is that?

I made a batch to share at work.   It did take a bit longer than 30 minutes.  So what?  No one's sued Rachel Ray yet over any of her alleged 30 minute meals.  Anyway, it was my own durn fault.  

Chop apple MUCH finer than this.

I didn't take Traci's advice and didn't chop up the apple fine enough.  As a result, the diced apple kept popping out of the dough ropes during the rolling and shaping ... pushing them back in every time a piece popped out took ALOT longer than expected.

Only 9 made it to work (had to first check them out myself, in the interest of science of course ...they are GREAT freshly cinnamoned and drizzled BTW).  Everybody at work who tried one said it tasted just like apple pie! 

I did make a few minor changes here and there, such as subbing unbleached flour for the whole wheat and halving the amount of butter and granulated sugar for the topping.  No biggie.

I did have problems holding onto the pretzels during the dipping steps, so I gave up and just brushed on the egg wash before baking, and the butter after. 

I'll just shut up now and enjoy the last pretzel I selfishly hid for the perfect time ... which is right now.  YUM!

30 Minute Apple Pie Pretzel Recipe
Adapted from: Burnt Apple
Yield: 12 pretzels

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 pkt. (2 1/2 tsp.) yeast
1 Tbl. granulated sugar
1 tsp. table salt
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 large firm apple, cored and finely chopped
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 egg
2 Tbl. water

Cinnamon-sugar topping:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter (or margarine for a parve/non-dairy version), melted

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2-3 tablespoons of milk, regular, or parve/non-dairy of your choice (I prefer almond or coconut)


Preheat oven to 425F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or 2 medium-sized ones, or line with parchment paper.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir warm water and yeast together. Add sugar and salt; continuing mixing until sugar and salt are dissolved. Set yeast mixture aside for about five minutes to proof.

In a mixer with the dough hook attached, add the yeast mixture to a large mixing bowl. Turn mixer to stir or low and slowly add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough comes together but is still tacky to the touch. Add diced apple and sprinkle in cinnamon; continue mixing just until apples and cinnamon are incorporated into the bread.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough with floured hands for about five minutes, or until the dough is smooth. Add extra flour, a few tablespoons at a time, if needed, depending upon how juicy your apple is.

Cut dough into 12 pieces; roll each piece into a rope approximately twelve to sixteen inches long.

Form ropes into pretzel shape and place on prepared baking sheet(s), leaving 1-2 inches of space between pretzels.

In a small bowl, lightly beat together egg and water.  Brush each pretzel with the egg mixture.

Bake for 10-15 minutes in preheated oven. If desired, brown tops by turning on the broiler for an additional 1-2 minutes.

Remove from oven.  Transfer pretzels to cooling rack and set aside a few minutes while you make either or both toppings.

Hmmm ... reminds me of something.  Inky?  Blinky?  Clyde?

For cinnamon-sugar topping, combine sugar with cinnamon in a small bowl, then pour onto a rimmed plate.  Pour melted butter (or margarine) into a small bowl. 

Brush each pretzel face with butter (or margarine), then dip pretzel, face side down, into cinnamon-sugar.

For glaze, mix together confectioners' sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk.  Add additional milk, if necessary. You want glaze to be spoonable, yet hold its shape after drizzling.  Drizzle glaze on face of each pretzel.

Serve warm or room temperature.

Disclaimer - because this recipe is part of an online cooking group, the linked recipes below might not be kosher. 

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