Pretzels – what’s not to love? They come in a variety of sizes and shapes and can be savory or sweet, stuffed or dipped, soft or crispy, and eaten with just about anything. They’re even good as-is. You can find them practically everywhere, from movie theaters and malls, to sports events and concerts. Plus, they make a great on-the-go snack! In short, pretzels are pretty much one of the world’s greatest food creations.
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Check out this old photo I found of Mr. Food at Philadelphia Soft Pretzels!
According to HowStuffWorks.com, “The average U.S. citizen consumes up to two pounds of pretzels per year…” The city with the most pretzel-consumption? Philadelphia. In fact, this city is even home to the Pretzel Museum, where you can learn everything you ever wanted to know about pretzels, including their history, photos, and trivia. With pretzels being so popular, it’s no wonder we’ve got a whole day dedicated to celebrating them.
So, in honor of National Pretzel Day, which takes place on April 26th this year, I thought I’d share some pretzel recipes for you to celebrate with.
Soft Pretzels
Soft pretzels were invented long before hard pretzels were. There are “pretzel historians” (what a cool job!) who’ve traced this snack all the way back to the 6th century and claim that this doughy treat came to the U.S. by way of German immigrants. All I know is, thank you Germany.
Sure, there are a ton of places where you can get soft and chewy pretzels, but isn’t it fun to try and make ‘em from scratch anyway? Here are some homemade soft pretzel recipes that look great:
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Clockwise from far left: Homemade Soft Pretzels | Soft Baked Cinnamon Roll Pretzels | German Soft Pretzel Sticks | Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites
Of course, if you don’t have the time to bake a pretzel entirely from scratch, you can always use shortcuts like frozen bread dough to make them, like in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen’s German Pretzels recipe:
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The freezer aisle is also a great place to pick up pretzels. When I’m really craving a pretzel, I can just pop one (or several) in the oven and I’m all set!
Hard Pretzels
Those “pretzel historians” I mentioned earlier claim that hard pretzels were a result of one baker falling asleep on the job. After realizing he had basically baked all the moisture out of the pretzels, he decided to dump them. Before doing so, he gave one a try and realized he liked the crunch! In all honesty, this sounds like something I would do. Hey, you never know what you may discover!
Most of us buy our hard pretzels in the snack aisle, next to the potato chips, but did you know you can make these at home too? These Homemade Hard Pretzel Rods from, blogger, Girl Versus Dough look amazing!
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Personally, when it comes to hard pretzels I like to use the already packaged kind to make other delicious eats and treats.
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Clockwise from top left: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bars | Pretzel Crusted Chicken Bites | Fruit Cocktail Pretzel Pie | Sweet and Salty Cookies | Pretzel and Beer Dogs | Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites | Ham and Cheese Pretzel Bites | Sweet ‘n’ Salty Raspberry Bars
Okay, my mouth is really watering now! I think I might just make myself one of these pretzel bun sandwiches for lunch tomorrow:
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Soft Pretzel Reubens | Ham Sandwiches with Swiss & Gruyere
Before I go, I did want to let everyone know that there are several companies giving out free pretzels on National Pretzel Day. Some of the ones that I found are: Auntie Anne’s, Philly Pretzel Factory, Pretzelmaker, and Wetzel’s Pretzels. If you have any of these places near you, I suggest you stop on by!
One last thing before I go:
Do you like your pretzels soft or crispy?