Soft Pretzel Dogs

I love hot dogs. I have always loved hot dogs. As a child I actually didn't like hamburgers so if we ever went to a fast food place my mom would have to take us somewhere that had hot dogs  or else I wouldn't eat anything. My love for hot dogs caries over to all realms of hot dogs. I love hot dogs on a bun, in mac n cheese, corn dogs, pigs in a blanket, and newly added to my list are these soft pretzel dogs! In my last post for homemade soft pretzels I mentioned I would be doing something else with the dough. I wish I could say I thought of this ingenious idea myself, but I didn't. I found this recipe over at Katrina's Kitchen and knew I had to try it. I also need to put a plug in for good hot dogs. There are a million different types of hot dogs out there, but not all hot dogs were made equal. Yes you might be able to get some cheap hot dogs for practically nothing, in fact the store might actually pay you to take them but who knows what is in them! My absolute favorite type of hot dog is Nathan's, and my absolute favorite kind of Nathan's hot dogs are the cheddar dogs. Now if you have had cheese dogs before and didn't like them don't rule these ones out quite yet. They don't have a strong cheese taste, but they have just enough to make them delicious! The best part about Nathan's is that they are all beef. They are kinda pricey (as far as hot dogs are concerned) but to me they are worth the cost!

Soft Pretzel Dogs (I actually halved this recipe and it was enough for 2 dogs, a full size pretzel, and several bites)

Ingredients:

·        1 package active dry yeast (approx. 2 ¼ teaspoons)

·        2 Tablespoons brown sugar

·        1 ¼ teaspoons salt

·        1 ½ cups warm water (110- 115 degrees F)

·        4 cups flour

·        6 cups water

·        6 tablespoons baking soda

·        2 – 3 Tablespoons melted butter

·        Coarse Kosher Salt (optional)

Directions:

1.   In the bowl of your mixer (fitted with dough hook) dissolve yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Mix in flour until you can turn your dough on a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl. Cover, and let rise for one hour. Punch down dough and cover with saran wrap. Place in fridge and let rest over night. (This step is optional, I ran out of time and made them the next day but they turned out so amazing!

2.   The next day take dough out of fridge, cut into 12 pieces. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Roll each piece into a 2-3 foot rope.

3.   In a large saucepan, bring water and baking soda to a simmer over medium heat.

4.   Roll your dough around the hot dogs and dip into the baking soda solution for about 20-30 seconds. Place on parchment covered (or greased) baking sheets, and let rise 15-20 minutes.

5.   You could certainly roll your pretzel dough into any shape at this point. I had 6 hot dogs and made the rest into pretzel bites.  6.   Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 8 -10 minutes, or  until golden brown. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt.

* I halved this recipe, but I still used the full amount of water and baking soda mixture and it worked out perfect.