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For the first time in 10 years, the K & R Pretzel Bakery is offering Hard Pretzels, made on site.  Yes, it is true, you can have them hard or soft now.

We are also giving away $20 worth of product from this bakery, just comment below for a chance to win.

Have you been to this bakery?  It is in a neighborhood, near the corner of Patterson and Woodman Dr.  It is one of the most interesting Food Adventure spots we have ever encountered.  And we discovered, there is a lot to love about this place.

K & R reminds many Daytonians of their childhood elementary school days, and 10 cent pretzel Tuesdays.  These exact pretzels were the ones we ate as kids.  We are very happy to have found the place where they make these soft bites of heaven.

 

HERE’S THE SKINNY:

— Tucked into a neighborhood at 1700 Flesher Avenue in Kettering,  is a humble building with a great products and a great prices.  They are open Tues – Fri 10am – 4pm, and Sat 11am-4pm.

— K & R Pretzel Bakery is a family owned business and the entire operation is based on a huge soft pretzel making machine, and a hard pretzel stone oven.

— Started in 1967 by Karen & Ralph Glaze, hence the K & R name, Ralph learned pretzel making from a German pretzel maker.  In their heydey, they manufactured 7,000 pretzels a day.

— Today the bakery is run by the next generation, siblings Pattie and James Glaze.  The friendly duo have carried on the tradition of their parents.  If you have not been here, you are missing out on a piece of Dayton nostalgia.

— The machine which cooks the tremendous soft pretzels on a conveyor belt method.   Simple huh?  Make good pretzels,  and they will come.  They have perfected the treat, and K & R’s Soft Pretzels, are some of the best we have ever eaten. (Although Chef House is a die hard fan of Smales Pretzel Bakery)

 

GET THEM HARD-  Here’s how they get them hard at K &R Pretzel Bakery:

— The old brick oven is heated up, and the soft pretzels and dried out until hard.  The oven is about as big as a closet, and looks very old fashioned. (Did you know hard pretzels were discovered by accident when a baker fell asleep and cooked the pretzels too long?)

— The hard pretzels are packaged into bags of 20 each, and sold for $4.00

— WARNING! When we say “hard,” these babies are hard!  Great for dipping in all kinds of dips, cheese, mustard, or even beer!

 

GET THEM SOFT-  Here is the process K & R uses to make some of the world’s most delicious soft pretzels:

— First, they brought a tray of already twisted pretzels out and laid them on the metal conveyor belt at the front of the machine.

— The pretzels get a water bath then they are hand salted before they enter the machine’s oven.

— The pretzels then make their way through oven part of the machine and come out piping hot at the end.  In  fact, they are so hot you can barely hold on to them.

The whole process takes about 10 minutes, and you can choose with salt, without salt or light salt.

Watching this machine work is a mini-event in itself.  It is a great place to bring kids, as it has a slight, old Willy Wonka feel to it, and it is a memorable place with lots of personality.

Our important tip on the soft pretzels: The fresher these pretzels are, the better they taste.  It is better to eat them now than later.  They even sell various packaged sauces for dipping your pretzel, but we like them plain or with mustard.

Oh but wait, there’s more …. K & R Pretzel Bakery also has one of the most extensive offerings of “old time” candies we have seen recently.  Hungry Jax, The Big Ragu and Chef House share some of their favorites below.

Win $20 worth of pretzels by commenting below, we will pick a winner at random next week.

 

OTHER MUST EATS:

— CANDY CIGARETTES:  Where else on earth can you corrupt your nieces or nephews with some candy cigarettes for only 25 cents a pack?  At that price, the candy cigarettes are a steal.

— CANDY BUTTONS:   As a kid, do you remember candy buttons on a piece of paper?  They have the exact same candies as K & R Pretzel Bakery.

— SWEDISH FISH: Chewy and flavorful, just like you remember them.  They might pull out a filling or a loose tooth, but the taste is worth it.

— BUBBLE GUM CIGARS: Green, yellow, pink and other colors, the gum cigars were always  favorite.  Your jaws will be sore after taking this trip down memory lane.

— CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZELS:  White or milk chocolate covered pretzels.  You can’t go wrong here with this treat.  Best served around the holidays, or tucked into a bag somewhere so you can indulge yourself.

 

Honorable Mention: K & R Pretzel Bakery has popcorn for sale too.  The popcorn, popped on site are in little or large bags.

They even have a cooler with cold soft drinks.  

The bakery is old and unique.  It is different and some may say odd, but we love this place.  They maintain their roots and the pretzels have the same great taste with a recipe that is unchanged for decades.   Every time we are in the area, we try and stop by for a pretzel or three.

Now, how do like them Hard or Soft?  Get down there and find out.  Order your pretzels today!

Please browse even more photos of the bakery below.

WANT A CHANCE at $20 WORTH OF PRODUCTS at K & R PRETZEL BAKERY?

JUST COMMENT BELOW AND ONE WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN AT RANDOM NEXT WEEK.

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