Many snack producers are adding interesting flavors and ingredients to their pretzels. Recent product introductions include pretzel nuggets filled with peanut butter and dark chocolate, as well as more gluten-free options.
Whether hard or soft, pretzels have long benefited from an inherently simplistic approach. After all, the core ingredient makeup for pretzel dough is predominantly flour, salt, leavening and water, likely with a bit of malt extract for flavor and browning.
Once a simple snack aisle staple, the humble pretzel is experiencing a resurgence, as restaurant menus tap into the classic flavors of this ubiquitous snack. According to Mintel, Chicago, there has been significant growth in the number of pretzel buns on menus recently, to the tune of 97 percent more items on menus than in previous years.
In order to get a better finger to the pulse of the pretzel market, we gathered some insight from historic Unique Pretzel Bakery, a classic Pennsylvania pretzel baker.