Pretzel Podcast

Co-hosts Mitch and Michelle talk with the owners of two pretzel companies — one packed with protein and another that calls itself "the people's pretzel." And, Mitch finds himself making some pretzel news.

Co-hosts Michelle and Mitch make their triumphant return to Chicago and the 2019 Sweets and Snacks Expo. While they're on-site, they learn which company may have "inadvertently" been influenced by The Pretzel Podcast. Plus, they hear the story of a serendipitous meeting at last year's expo that yielded a surprisingly tasty result.

Who would have thought that National Pretzel Day is upon us again already? Or is it National Soft Pretzel Day? Mitch and Michelle dig into that question, and also learn about a place that goes against the grain and celebrates its own Pretzel Day. Plus, a tour of a grocery store with more varieties of pretzel than you can shake a pretzel stick at, and two new varieties of seasoned pretzels are put to the test.

Just in time for Lent, the Pretzel Podcast uncovers the details behind a 1970s movement that sought to harness the godly power of pretzels. We meet writer and recovering anthropologist Shoshi Parks, who penned an article on the Pretzels for God movement for Gastro Obscura. Plus, Michelle shares the story of her husband's first successful efforts to make high quality pretzels at home. And on Crunch Time, Mitch and Michelle try Unique Pretzel's new Sourdough Craft Beer pretzels, and the decidedly less-unique "Snak Favorites," about which little is known.

For Episode 20, Pretzel Podcast co-host Mitch Teich goes on location to Philadelphia, where he meets up with one of the show's biggest fans at Center City Pretzel. The bakery plays a huge role in the pretzel-loving lives of thousands of Philadelphians. Plus Mitch and Michelle try some hard pretzels purchased at Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market. And we hear a delicious pretzel memory from a woman who went to elementary school in South Philly.

Following our New Year's break, the Pretzel Podcast is back with another trip to Europe, courtesy of Michelle's Aunt Linda. We try two brands of Slovakian pretzels and a German snack called "Gypsy Wheels" all direct from a Polish grocery store - plus some Polish pretzels brought back from a German Christmas market in Milwaukee. Also, Mitch relates his family's effort to make German New Year's Pretzels. And we use an online snacking calculator to figure out how many bags of snacks Michelle might need to feed an experimental carnival party, whatever that might be.

On our last episode of the Pretzel Podcast for 2018, Mitch and Michelle share the story of the daring rescue of a deer from a pretzel jar. The hosts of America's Test Kitchen, Julia Collin Davison and Bridget Lancaster, share their pretzel memories and a hockey game sparks a decades-old pretzel flashback. And on Crunch Time, we try to decide whether three brands of pretzel crackers are more pretzel, more cracker, or more cardboard.

On a pre-Thanksgiving edition of the Pretzel Podcast, Mitch and Michelle explore the mystery that is "yogurt-coated" pretzels. They ask a food scientist whether the yogurt coating in any way resembles the yogurt we eat in small cups at breakfast, learn about a new project that combines pretzel-making with beer brewing. And as they try two coated pretzel brands, they ask whether a pretzel can truly be "versatile," or whether that's just an annoying word that shows up on packaging.

On the latest episode of the Pretzel Podcast, Michelle and Mitch travel to Pretzel Land, at least as it's imagined by the developers of a new pretzel-themed app. Plus, Atlas Obscura co-founder Dylan Thuras shares a pretzel memory he shares with his young son. And we taste three varieties of pretzels shared with us by a very generous listener in Pennsylvania.

On a very special episode of The Pretzel Podcast, we speak with Dorothy "Dot" Henke of Velva, North Dakota, who turned a turned a likable recipe for seasoned pretzels into a booming national business, Dot's Homestyle Pretzels. Will Dot's Pretzels take over the universe? Will Dot's Pretzels advertise in next year's Super Bowl? Journey with us to find the compelling answers about these compelling pretzels...

The latest episode of the Pretzel Podcast is an international epic, as Mitch and Michelle talk with a German master pastry chef. She tells them about the German Pretzel Diploma program at an upcoming trade show in Germany, but also sparks an existential crisis that requires a philosopher to resolve. And on crunch time, they try pretzels made of spelt and cauliflower, and hopefully live to tell the tale.

On this episode of the Pretzel Podcast, Mitch and Michelle sample two more pretzel varieties Mitch came across on his summer travels, and listen to a Very Special Taste Test recorded on the road, featuring a possibly ill-advised fast food pretzel purchase.

It's a special edition of Le podcast des bretzels, Mitch and Michelle try two varieties of pretzels Mitch brought back from his week-long trip to France. Plus on Pretzels in the News, how support for a pretzel-maker is affecting the prospect for peace in the Middle East.

Pretzels + Caramel + Podcasting = a very sticky episode of the Pretzel Podcast. Hosts Michelle and Mitch try several pretzel concoctions they recently encountered on their pretzel travels. And on Pretzels in the News, we learn about a pretzel festival lacking a key ingredient.

Hosts Michelle and Mitch head to Chicago for the Sweets and Snacks Expo, where they find a plethora of snacks - especially pretzels. That's where they meet Brad Smith, who tells his remarkable story of keeping a southern Indiana pretzel tradition alive.

On the latest edition of the Pretzel Podcast, we learn about a yeast-based art exhibit on the East Coast, hear a dining critic's fondest pretzel memory, and Michelle and Mitch share their love for their favorite pretzels... so far.

For this episode of the Pretzel Podcast, Mitch and Michelle look back through the dusty recesses of their minds to recall some of their earliest pretzel memories - plus they put those pretzels to the Crunch Time taste test. And, sportswriter and guest pretzel memoirist Steve Rushin talks about the pretzel sticks and pretzel rods of his Minnesota childhood.

It's a very special episode of The Pretzel Podcast... Mitch and Michelle venture out of the studio to visit the Food Lab at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee. They meet food scientist and instructor Anne Vravick and ask her some very fundamental questions about pretzels. Plus, they brought along pretzels, some crisp Moldovan bread rings, and something called Twiglets to try.

Why have Mitch's Google pretzel alerts been going crazy for weeks? What is the "cheese-flavored" filling inside Combos? And is Michelle still addicted to the pretzels of her fond college memories? The answers to those questions WILL BE REVEALED on this very cheesy episode of The Pretzel Podcast.

On this special edition of the Pretzel Podcast, musician Trapper Schoepp helps hosts Michelle and Mitch count down the top pretzel songs of all-time, and then sticks around to sample two homegrown Wisconsin pretzels. Plus, we learn why pretzel-making is a dangerous business.