Pretzel Dogs

Pretzel Dog Recipe from The Food Charlatan.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• Vegetable oil, for pan
• 10 cups water
• ⅔ cup baking soda
• 2 tablespoons butter, regular or unsalted, melted
• Coarse sea salt, or kosher salt for sprinkling
• 8 hot dogs, good quality

Directions

1. Combine the water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.
2. Add the flour, salt, and butter. Combine with a spoon or the paddle until combined, then switch to the dough hook on low speed until well combined.
3. 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. Add more flour if needed.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour. The dough should double in size.
5. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil.
6. In a large pot, bring 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil.
7. Knead down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 8 equal pieces.
8. Roll out each piece of dough into a rope that’s about 20 to 24 inches long, depending on the hot dog’s size.
9. Starting at one end, wrap the dough around the hot dog, pinching each end together so that it’s sealed. Place onto the pan and repeat with the remaining dough and hot dogs.
10. Place the pretzel dogs into the boiling water two at a time boil for 30 seconds and then remove.
11. Return the boiled pretzel dogs to the pan, brush the tops with melted butter, and sprinkle with the sea salt.
12. Bake until dark golden brown, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
13. Serve the pretzel dogs with ketchup, mustard or plain. Enjoy!