Sturgis Pretzels

Pretzels have an ancient history, but the origin of the pretzel remains a mystery. There are many stories as to how the first pretzel was created, the most common being that in 610 A.D. Italian monks used scraps of dough to form the shape of children’s arms in prayer, with three holes to represent the Christian Trinity. They were called “pretiola” in Latin or “little reward” and were given to children who learned their bible verses and prayers. - Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery

I really like quaint little towns with lots of History. So, when Mrs. Susan (a blogging friend from my 4 years of blogging on xanga) suggested to me the Pretzel Bakery in Litilz, Pennsylvania, I wanted to check it out. So, on Saturday, we headed over there!

In 1850, Julius Sturgis ran a bread bakery in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Legend has it that a hobo who had hitched a ride on a train that ran behind the bakery followed the smell of freshly baked bread, looking for a job and something to eat. Julius couldn’t offer the man a job, but he extended his hospitality and invited the hobo to sit down at the family dinner table. In exchange for the kindness, the hobo gave Julius a pretzel recipe.

Julius had never baked pretzels, so he decided to test the recipe on his wife and fourteen children. It was a hit, and Julius added pretzel baking to his business. In 1861, eleven years after he baked his first pretzel, Julius stopped making bread and established the first commercial pretzel bakery in America.

- Julius Sturgis website

These are the Pretzel ovens! Aren't they amazing?

I really like these Pretzel Molds.

The Pretzel Crest

(Click to enlarge to read the story)

While at the Pretzel Bakery they learned how to make hard Pretzels.

Extremely Fun!

And, of course, we took Pretzels home to eat!

Yummy!