What Makes Great Hard Pretzels?
Hard pretzels can be a healthier alternative to potato chips, or a light side to balance out the heaviness of a deli sandwich. With good crunch and saltiness, the straightforward flavor of a pretzel is a great snack on its own. Our chefs define high quality hard pretzels as having a moderately dark brown color with visible salt that adheres to the pretzels, rather than flaking off and settling at the bottom of the bag. Pretzel sticks may have grill marks or darker lines. Hard pretzels’ low aroma intensity—the relative strength of the ingredients’ smell—should feature toasted grain and salty notes. The aroma character, which is a measure of the quality of ingredients used, should be appropriately high with discernible notes of toasted and carmelized dough. You should not sense anything dull or stale about the pretzels, and there should be an absence of aroma or flavor off notes—unwanted, inappropriate smells—including staleness, cardboard, or musty notes. Optimal taste balance is achiev
