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Hey guys, I was wondering if you were up for another major comfort food item, because I have to tell you, they’re my favorite things to share!

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Before I get that, I was curious if you guys want to see videos about things other than food. Something a bit more like my travel videos but just about my everyday life? Let me know in the comments.

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Anyway, I don’t know about you, but it’s almost indescribable how happy the smell of these wafting through the house can make me. MMMMMmmm! All that warm yeasty goodness mixed with cinnamon spice is enough to make me giggle with childish glee!

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It’s an aroma of favorite childhood memories. (Note to self; figure out how to bottle and sell the stuff as a perfume ’cause it would be dynamite!)

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Soft Pretzels

Prep Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Yield: about 8 pretzels

Ingredients

Pretzel Dough:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (neutral) oil
1 egg yolk
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

Cinnamon Raisin Filling:

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup raisins (or craisins)

Pretzel Wash:

2 tablespoons baking soda
1/2 cup hot water

Instructions

Stir water, sugar, and yeast together until yeast is dissolved and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. Pour into a large mixing bowl and whisk in egg yolk and oil until combined. Add flour and mix until dough comes together. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes, adding a little more flour until the dough doesn't stick to your hands. It should spring back when you press your thumb into it. Place in oiled bowl and cover bowl with plastic or a damp towel, then place in warm place to rise until doubled in size.
While bread is rising, mix together the ingredients for filling. Stir the butter, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl until smooth, then add raisins and stir until mixed.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and line a baking tray with parchment. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a rectangle, about 1/4 inch tall. Spread out your filling on top in an even layer and then, starting from a longer edge, roll the dough into a "log" shape. Make a cut down the center to divide in half, then start gently twisting one half to stretch it into a thinner rope, about 1 inch in diameter. Divide the rope into 4 equal pieces and repeat this step with the other half of your log until you have 8 ropes.
Twist each rope into a pretzel (you can do spirals if that is simpler) and place on parchment tray.
Stir together the hot water and soda until dissolved, then brush over pretzel (you can also sprinkle with a bit of pretzel salt if desired). Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm.
P.S. If you feel like living in the edge, these are amazing dipped in vanilla frosting!.....just sayin'

ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL! All of these food photos were taken with my Nikon D750 and my favorite Lens, the Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G. You can find out more in my INTRO POST.

And, by the way, to all the minnows out there, my intro post did a huge $0.21. The key to success on Steemit is to be consistent and persistent. Click on the link below for some great tutorials on how you can also succeed on the steem blockchain:

Master Toolkit: Steemit Resource Guide Illustrated by @sndbox

Also, a huge shoutout to Hive account@rigaronib for designing my logo!

Hey, did you see my NEW YORK VIDEO?????

Oh, and did you catchall the other travel posts from my Canada and New York?

NEW YORK

Do you want to learn more about me? Click here to see a recent Hive account@wadepaterson interview with me - 20 questions with @gringalicious

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Soft Pretzels with Cinnamon + Raisins - FOOD PHOTO SHOOT