History
The development of Pretzels can be attributed to the creativity of an unknown French monk. This bread-making holy man, apparently fashioned the design (symbolic of a child's arms folded in prayer) from left over dough. Thus the first soft Pretzel was created. Legend has it a pretzel baker dozed off while baking his batch of pretzels. When he awoke, to try and remedy his mistake, the oven was fired up to an even greater temperature and the pretzels cooked for a longer duration.Thus the first "hard" pretzel was created. This new texture proved so popular that production began on a regular basis.
Known as a traditional favourite in the US, Pretzels have also developed a loyal following in the Australian snack market. Parker's Pretzels are made in a variety of shapes including minis, twists and sticks.
How they are made
Pretzels are made from a mixture of flour, water, oil and yeast, combined to make a firm dough. Pretzels are cut into their unique shape, before travelling to a cooking bath before being salted. Once salted, the Pretzels enter a tunnel oven where they are baked and then kiln dried prior to packing.