Walking through a mall comes with a great decision to weigh after a day of shopping — do you get Auntie Anne’s pretzels or not? The sweet, bready smell influences customers to approach its blue and yellow counter with all sorts of delicious treats in view — it’s a double-whammy if there’s a Jamba Juice attached to it. It hurts to spend more money than you came there to do, but after all that walking, your body might be craving some water and carbs. While you can’t recreate the entirety of this classic mall ritual at home, you can certainly get a taste of Auntie Anne’s pretzels by picking up a box from the store. However, you may be wondering if the frozen version is the same as those freshly baked from Auntie Anne’s.
According to a response on the company website’s FAQ page, Auntie Anne’s frozen pretzels are made with the same proprietary flour blend as the ones from brick-and-mortar store franchises. The pretzels in store are made from scratch, which gives them their unique taste and aroma. The dough is prepared each day, hand-twisted into pretzels that are then baked and stacked on a warming rack, ready to go by the time you pull up to the counter. The frozen Auntie Anne’s pretzels lack the same fresh taste because the dough has been cooked and then frozen for later reheating.
Make Auntie Anne’s frozen pretzels taste more homemade
Auntie Anne’s frozen pretzels may not taste the same as the in-store variety, but they’re still a tasty treat that can satisfy your soft pretzel cravings. Heating them in the oven comes a lot closer to the fresh taste than heating them in the microwave, which tends to leave them stiffer and too chewy. They take four to six minutes to cook at 425 degrees Fahrenheit in the oven, and you can spread the butter and salt on them after pulling them out. The frozen pretzels also come in either the original or cinnamon sugar flavors, original or nugget shape, or a pretzel hot dog. By popping them in the oven, the taste can come pretty close to those made from scratch.
Another way to recreate the Auntie Anne’s experience yourself is to make pretzels at home using store-bought pizza dough as the base. Yeast and flour are the main ingredients for both of these doughs. Bake them with thick sea salt crystals and melted butter sauce for a delicious dupe. This method comes in handy when you’re craving an Auntie Anne’s flavor that doesn’t have a frozen counterpart, such as sweet almond or pepperoni pizza. You’re not limited in the sauce department either — you can recreate Auntie Anne’s glaze dip at home with a few simple baking ingredients. There’s nothing wrong with putting a new twist on an old classic.
