What’s not to love about pretzels?
Typically seasoned with salt or covered with other toppings such as poppy seeds, cheese, and chocolate, these knot-shaped breaded pastries are very versatile, ranging in type from soft to hard, and sweet and salty. As well, pretzels make for nice snacks to pair with your favourite dishes or drinks.
Do get your taste buds twisted with these terrific pretzel pairings found in Metro Vancouver, brought to you by The Great Canadian Baking Show (airing Sundays at 8 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem).
Bavarian Pretzel (Brezel). Photo: Deutsches Haus.
DEUTSCHES HAUS
4875 Victoria Drive, Vancouver.
For the city’s most authentic German grub and beer, the Deutsches Haus beer hall at the Vancouver Alpen Club is the place to be.
Their famous fresh-out-of-the-oven Bavarian pretzel (or Brezel), with its soft and chewy center, complements traditional hearty dishes like breaded pork schnitzel, spaetzle egg noodles, Bratwurst sausage with sauerkraut, or Apple Strudel. Add in a stein of Krombacher Pilsner with pure felsquellwasser (mountain spring water), with its crisp clean taste and a peppery finish, and you have the perfect German meal.
Pretzel Croissant. Photo: Swiss Bakery.
SWISS BAKERY
143 E 3rd Avenue, Vancouver.
Swiss Bakery, the beloved artisan bread and pastries destination in Mount Pleasant destination, offers soft vegan pretzels in four forms — including the traditional knot-shape, small buns, and two-bite sized rolls (also called Laugenwecken).
The fourth variation is the pretzel croissant. Ever the experts at croissant combinations, the pretzel croissant can be paired with the frissant, a deep-fried fritter and flaky croissant hybrid which is Vancouver’s answer to the famous cronut. The frissant can be savoury (brie cheese and prosciutto) or sweet (salted caramel or ruby chocolate) — it’s up to you!
Pretzel Board. Photo: 33 Acres Brewing.
33 ACRES BREWING
15 W 8th Avenue, Vancouver.
Pretzels are always a nice addition to any charcuterie board. The Pretzel Board from 33 Acres offers the perfect balance of food textures and flavours that pair nicely with a fresh soft pretzel and a crisp craft beer. The selection includes North Shore sausage, pickled cabbage, and sweet dijon mustard. For a plant-based option, the farmer’s sausage can be substituted with pickles.
Bonus Bakery’s Pizza Pretzel. Photo: @vegvancouver on Instagram.
BONUS BAKERY
1185 West Georgia Street, Vancouver.
One of the most popular items from Bonus Bakery’s 100% plant-based selection is their pizza pretzel. Drizzled with mount-watering melted cheese, this savoury pretzel can be paired with their scones, cinnamon buns, and other sweet vegan treats.
Movie Time Rocky Ridge. Photo: Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHOCOLATE FACTORY
1017 Robson Street, Vancouver.
Looking for a little pretzel-filled sweet treat? From the B.C.-based Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory comes Movie Time Rocky Ridge — a rich chocolate confection that contains pretzels, popcorn, and sea salt potato chips covered in milk chocolate. It’s a truly indulgent piece of pretzel and chocolate goodness that’s fit for a movie night in.
Pick up a pretzel from your local restaurants and be inspired by (rise their way to the challenges on) “Bread Week” Season 4 of The Great Canadian Baking Show, airing Sundays at 8 p.m. PST on CBC and CBC Gem.
Hosted by Alan Shane Lewis and Ann Pornel, The Great Canadian Baking Show features ten of the best amateur bakers from across the country. Watch as they bake their way through a series of themed culinary challenges to compete for the title.
