Pretzel Dogs
When I was a kid, I only ate hot dogs one of two ways: nearly burnt to a crisp on the grill, or wrapped in crescent rolls and baked in the oven. The former typically happened during the summer, while the latter was almost always a fall and winter treat. My mom would kick the crescent-wrapped dogs up a notch by slicing the hot dogs down the middle and stuffing a half-slice of American cheese in the middle. As far as my 8-year-old palate was concerned, that was just about as gourmet as you could get. That was my favorite way to eat hot dogs for years and years… until I discovered pretzel dogs. I have been a soft pretzel lover for what seems like forever, so imagine the shock and awe when I discovered hot dogs wrapped in soft pretzel dough. I don’t eat hot dogs very often, but a few times a year, I’ll have one either straight from the grill, black and charred, or wrapped in a buttery soft pretzel, which is usually accompanied by copious amounts of outlet shopping. For some reason, it never occurred to me to make them at home. Until now. Which is definitely cause for celebration.
I’ve been making homemade soft pretzels for nearly as long as I’ve had this blog and I’ve shared a couple of recipes with you in the past. This one, however, has been my staple for the last nearly three years. I can’t believe in all that time I haven’t gotten it out to you! To make the pretzel dogs, I used this basic soft pretzel recipe and instead of shaping the dough into pretzels (which you could also totally do), I wrapped it around hot dogs. It’s so easy, and if you’ve been intimidated by yeast recipes before, this would be a perfect one to start with. The dough is easy to mix together, very forgiving, and only requires one quick rise of less than an hour.
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Whether you want to get in some hot dog-eating while it’s still summer, or you’re on the hunt for game day food for the upcoming fall season, these are definite musts for your menu. You could cut the hot dogs in half for smaller portions, or even use lil’ smokies for bite-size versions. Serve them up with ketchup, your favorite mustard and an ice-cold beer. Perfect for summer, perfect for watching the game, perfect for shopping… perfect anytime!
Pretzel Dogs
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (375 ml) warm water, 110 to 115 degrees F
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 package active dry yeast, 2¼ teaspoons
- 4½ cups (562.5 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (56.75 g) unsalted butter, melted
- Vegetable oil, for pan
- 10 cups (2.5 l) water
- ⅔ cup (80 g) baking soda
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Kosher salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Combine the water, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.
- Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it in a clean, oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
- Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart pot.
- In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a rope that’s about 24-inches long. Starting at one end, wrap the dough around the hot dog, pinching each end together so that it’s sealed. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan and repeat with the remaining dough and hot dogs.
- Place the pretzel dogs into the boiling water two at a time and boil for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat slotted spatula. Return the boiled pretzel dogs to the half sheet pan, brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with the coarse kosher salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This is my go to recipe! It turns out perfectly! I’ve made these multiple times and they are absolutely delicious!
Excellent! Came out perfectly! Everyone loved them!
OMG THE BEST! I tried making pretzels a couple of weeks ago that came out very heavy. When I came across this recipe I knew I had to try – I always have success whenever I make anything that you have written and this was no exception. Recipe was easy to follow, ingredients were all items I have in on hand and was able to pull together rather quickly. Needless to say it’s a food coma sort of night😆 so good. Thx u!
I made these over the weekend and they were SO DELICIOUS even though I messed up on the timing. After I let the dough rise, we made alternative plans for dinner and I wasn’t sure what to do. I gently degassed it, covered it, and stuck it in the fridge for 24 hours until the next night. I let the dough sit out for an hour before proceeding as normal and it turned out great!
Also, if you only have a pack of 6 hot dogs like I did, use the extra dough to make dessert soft pretzels! I skipped sprinkling on the salt and instead did an extra coat of melted butter with cinnamon and sugar once they came out of the oven topped with a quick vanilla glaze.
Thanks for the great (and flexible) recipe!
What a disaster. I followed the recipe EXACTLY, to the Tee. I am comfortable with yeast doughs. I make bread at least twice a week, pizza dough, and babkas. I am thinking the temp was too high. Maybe If I bake them at 390 for 20 minutes. 450 for 15 left them browned but not baked on the inside. put them back in the oven, baked but really not what I expected. You need a crowd for these.
We couldn’t stop saying, “yummmmm” as we ate these. I have the next batch in the bread machine right now for our annual Halloween pot luck. And they are on the menu for a movie set I’m catering next weekend. Yummmmmmm
These are sooooo delicious that I don’t think I will ever go back to hot dogs in buns! And my family agrees!
Love this recipe!! It is a huge hit with my family!!
Hi,
These look amazing! Do you think I could use oil instead of butter? I need them dairy free, and I won’t use margarine. (Because it’s so bad for you, which is hilarious considering we are talking about hot dogs, but everyone has their limit!)
I haven’t tried substituting the butter, my guess is that using oil will give the dough a slightly different texture and flavor. If you try it, let me know how it turns out.
Just curious, can you tell me why the baking soda is needed in the water? And does it have to be that much, I ask because I wanted to make this recipe but I don’t think there’s enough baking soda in my pantry, I usually use teaspoons of it, and this is a 2/3 cup…
Hi Patricia, The baking soda bath is extremely important; it’s what “sets” the exterior of the dough, and gives pretzels both their characteristic flavor and firm, chewy exterior. Yes, you do need ⅔ cup.
Just made these for my kids who are home from school for the summer! They loved them & so did I. Sent a picture to my husband at work & he is so jealous! We MIGHT leave him one! MIGHT. LOL! Will definitely make again! Thanks for sharing!
My kids seem to like the pretzels more than the dog so I made half with the dumpling press and stuffed them with cheese!
I am making these tonight for our Friday Family Movie Night! Waiting for the dough to rise. What an awesome recipe. I usually make cheese filled pretzel bombs so these will be a nice change! Thanks so much!
These were AMAZING! Mine came out a lot fatter than yours so I may try the suggestions of 10 dogs per dough recipe next time. I did a batch with half all purpose/half white wheat flour and they worked perfectly, then a batch with all white white flour and it came out kind of dry and harder to work with but still tasty in the end. We froze some and 2 minutes in the microwave brings them back to life perfectly. I think it’s the butter in the dough that makes the pretzel so yummy. Yum, yum, yum yum yum, yum. Also, yum.
These were delicious! Thx so much. Want to make These for a party how would u recommend making in advance. Can I freeze the raw dough then boil and bake or do u suggest boiling and baking before freezing?
Hi Sarah, I would recommend boiling and baking these, and then freezing and reheating. Enjoy! :)
Wow!! This is a great recipe and we are hooked! We’ve made pretzel dogs twice in the last week and the soft pretzels are the best we’ve ever eaten. I don’t think I will ever buy hot dog buns again!! Great alternative to boxed snack foods:-)
LOVE this recipe! I added it to my Super Bowl blog post, if you would like me to remove it please notify me.
BTW: Awesome blog!
thisladyshouse.com
I made the best pretzel dogs ever using this recipe with Niman Ranch Fearless uncured franks! Delicious!! Thanks you!!!
Made these tonight, easy and yummy! Even had leftover dough for a few pretzels! Thank you!
Just made these for the New Years Eve. They were wonderful. I wont say easy, but Ive never worked with yeast before. Once we got that right, fourth time, everything else was smooth sailing. I made them with my 15 year old son. It was fun. Very delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Delicious and quite easy (with the stand mixer :) ). Will do them again, for sure. I just wonder why does the recipe require so much baking soda in boiling water? Just asking :)
The baking soda bath sort of “sets” the outside of the pretzel and gives it that characteristic chewy texture; it also helps ensure a nice golden color.
Thanks! :)
Great recipe, loved it. I made the dough a little too soft and had a hard time wrapping it round the dog, but overall we loved it. Will be making it with mini dogs for a children’s birthday party.
I’m in the UK and have always indulged in the guilty pleasure that is a pretzel dog when in the USA. My son wanted a USA themed birthday party and I made these today.. Thanks for such a phenomenal recipe! These went down a treat and vanished dry quickly!!!!
love this but came out kind of bitter im assuming from the baking soda…
Made these for dinner as a treat for the first day of school. There was more dough after wrapping the dogs so I made pretzels with them- definatly better than my regular pretzel recipe!! Kids said they have the best mummy ever!!m husband and I loved them too :)