Description

A pretzel is a bread pastry of Medieval European origin that has the shape of a three looped knot or twisted braid. Pretzels are either soft or hard. Hard pretzels have evolved into a variety of shapes from knotted loops to straight "pretzel sticks" (called Salzstangen in German, Ropi in Hungarian). The pretzel dough is made from wheat flour, water, sugar, and yeast, sprinkled with coarse salt. Pretzels are typically glazed with lye and salted. Pretzels can be found in a variety of shapes and sizes. Traditional soft pretzels are about the size of a hand. The wedding phrase "tying the knot" got its start when a pretzel was used to tie the knot between two prominent families. The pretzel's loops stood for everlasting love. Since the pretzel was invented, bakers have come up with a wide variety of shapes and flavors.

How to select

Pretzels are available as soft or hard pretzels. They are readily available at bakery stores across US and Europe and can also be baked at home.

Culinary Uses

· In the United States, pretzels are a popular snack
· One American variety is yogurt-covered pretzels (or "ghost-face"). Hard pretzels are also available with a sweet candy coating of chocolate, strawberry, and other flavors. Chocolate-covered hard pretzels are very popular, especially around Christmas time. Other serving possibilities include pretzels dipped in mustard or cheese
· In the Philadelphia area, crumbled hard pretzels are a common accompaniment to ice cream.

How to store

Pretzels taste the best when freshly baked. Ready to eat pretzels can be refrigerated in plastic wrappers and heated just before serving.

Health benefits

· Pretzels provide a quick source of carbohydrate thus keeping hunger away.
· Choose pretzels made from whole wheat or oat bran over refined flour and you have a tasty and healthy breakfast or snack item.