Martinsbrezeln: Irresistible Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

German Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels. 5 layed out on a white surface. A bowl of cinnamon sugar next to it. A basked with more pretzels

5 from 1 vote

Martinsbrezeln: Irresistible Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

Soft, fluffy German sugar pretzels brushed with melted butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar. These authentic Martinsbrezeln taste like a German bakery brought to your kitchen—way better than any mall pretzel! Perfect for breakfast, snacks, or holiday gifting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine German

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Resting Time 1 15

Total Time 1 45

Servings pretzels

Calories 348kcal

Author by Marita Sinden

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cups lukewarm milk
½ cups sugar
2 teaspoon instant yeast 1 sachet, 7 g,
⅓ cup butter (unsalted and very soft)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
4 cups all-purpose flour (Germany type 405, UK plain flour, USA All-purpose Flour)

For the cinnamon sugar coating

¼ cups butter melted
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Make the Dough

Preheat your oven to its lowest setting (mine is 122°F/50°C). Once it reaches temperature, turn it off but keep the door closed.
Pour the lukewarm milk into a bowl, add the sugar and yeast, and stir to combine. Let it rest for 10 minutes—you should see small bubbles appearing on the surface. (If nothing happens, your milk was too hot and killed the yeast. Start over with cooler milk.)
In a separate bowl, mix the soft butter, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
Add the yeast mixture to the butter mixture, then add the flour and salt. Knead by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in a clean bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let it rise in the warm oven for about 1 hour.

Shape the pretzels

While the dough rises, line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove the dough from the oven and knead briefly on a clean surface. For even pretzels, weigh the dough and divide by 8, then portion it out.
Roll each portion into a ball, then roll it into a rope about 18 inches (45cm) long, tapering the ends to points.
To shape each pretzel: Lay the rope in a U-shape. Take both ends, cross them over each other twice in the middle, then press the ends onto the bottom curve of the pretzel (the "belly").
Place the shaped pretzels on your prepared baking sheets and cover with a tea towel. Let them rise for 15 minutes.

Bake and Coat

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
Brush the pretzels with about a quarter of the melted butter, then bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. A toothpick inserted should come out clean—feel free to bake a bit longer if you prefer a deeper color.
While the pretzels bake, mix the cinnamon and sugar in a shallow bowl. Have your remaining melted butter ready.
As soon as the pretzels come out of the oven, brush them generously with the melted butter while still warm, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar to coat completely.
Serve warm or at room temperature—they're delicious either way!

Notes

I would strongly recommend for you check out the recipe pictures in the main post. It also has some recipe variation suggestions.

Storage Instructions:

These cinnamon pretzels are best eaten the same day they are baked. This is when they taste the best, but they will stay good for up to three days. Just make sure you store them in an airtight container.

Nutrition