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Ever wonder how tasty soft pretzels are made? Well, here is the secret behind the scenes. First and foremost, you need clean hands. Cleanliness and good hygiene are the priorities, explained Jason. So we were off to the kitchen basin. To start, we put in a 50-pound bag of flour, 16 ounces of dough conditioner and a little bit of yeast, which helps it rise. Next, mix it up, add water and then mix it for six to seven minutes. Voila! The batter!
After that, we put them on the dough table, where we added a little flour so they do not stick, and we cut them up into football-sized chunks. Finally the dough is put into this humongous machine called a stringer. The top part of the machine is called the hopper. It has an auger, which grinds it, and then pushes it out where the blade cuts it. It then gets rolled between two rolling boards and it comes out in strands about 16 inches in length. These dimensions are perfect for a full-sized pretzel.
I know you are wondering about its weight. It weighs only about 4-1/2 ounces.
Next, Chubby Checker would be happy, because we do the twist. Oh well, not his twist, the pretzel twist. LOL. This was a highlight for me. They let me make five pretzels.
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Watching them twist seems easy, but it is not. It is an art. Once they showed me a few times, I got the hang of it. The dough that is not twisted fast enough falls on an end table and is put back in the hopper to be processed again. This can only be done a few times because the dough will get air bubbles in it.
Once this was done, we placed them on these racks for at least 45 minutes to get that shell. The shell makes it easier to bake. Then from there in the baking area, we put them in this candy pot, which is water that is kept at 180 degrees. We added some soda flakes, which gives it the brown shine and adds a little taste, too. Without this, they would come out pure white and almost taste like bread.
We then moseyed off to the salting board, where we applied some salt and then popped them into this rotating oven, which held 6 trays (240 pretzels). The oven is kept at 525 degrees as they cook for about seven minutes. After that, they are taken to the front counters and ready for you.
On average, they sell 1,500 to 2,000 pretzels a day. And in case you are interested, I was allowed to take home my five pretzels.
Here is the pretzel low-down: they can come in different shapes and food sizes: regular size, mini, pretzel twists, pretzel hotdogs and pretzel hot sausage. Their new addition is Pretzel Rivets, which are like little nuggets.
They also make full- and half-tray party trays. The full tray comes with 100 sticks, while the half tray has 50.
All trays can be divided into various toppings: plain, poppy seed, sesame, garlic, salt and everything. The full tray comes with four cups of hot mustard, three spicy, three yellow and four cheeses, while the half tray only comes with two of each. They can customize the trays.
They usually request that an order for a party tray be placed the previous day, as they are a special order item.
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Pretzel trivia according to the world of Jason:
• The amount of water they need to use varies with the climate. During cold, dry conditions, they need to use more water.
• What seems to make the pretzels in Philadelphia the best? Jason believes it is the water.
• Pretzels are cooked on the crispier side because people in the Far Northeast seem to prefer them that way.
• The dark marks on the bottom of the pretzel are not burn marks. They are called the foot prints and they are the result of dipping a cold pretzel into a solution and then a hot oven stove.
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Jason, the owner, is 28 years old. He was born and raised and has lived his whole life in Northeast Philadelphia. A lot of his background and training is in the computer field. Jason and his family co-own the store, which they opened approximately 10 weeks prior to our interview.
His family picked the Philly Pretzel Factory franchise because other owners had a very positive attitude, and his family just felt like it was the right decision. Jason told me that he eventually would like to open up a second store and continue to expand the business.
CONTEST EXTENDED
Here is your chance to munch on some of Jason’s and Kathleen’s fresh pretzels. Fifteen lucky winners will receive 10 pretzels from their store.
Just answer this trivia question: The pretzel is believed to have been invented by what monk in the 6th century? Hint: It’s a country shaped like a boot. ••
Columnist William Feldman can be contacted by e-mail at wmkidscolumn@aol.com