Description
Warm, soft pretzels form the "bun" on these fun Mini Pretzel Dogs. They're easier to make than you'd think, and they don't require a bread machine or stand mixer! You can make them with beer for adults or water for a mixed crowd!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle room temperature beer, or warm water
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon water
- 4 cups hot water
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 1/4 cup kosher salt, divided or to taste
- 3 packs hot dogs, cut in half to equal 48 mini hot dogs
- Brown mustard
Instructions
- Heat the beer in a saucepan over low heat until it is very warm, but not scalding.
- Combine the warm beer, sugar, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt in a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top, and let the mixture stand until the yeast becomes foamy, about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, butter, and yeast mixture. Use a large, wooden spoon to mix together the ingredients until they form a ball shape and pull away from the dough. The dough will still be a bit straggly at this point.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth, about 2 minutes. Then form into a smooth ball, spray the bowl it was originally mixed in with non-stick spray, and place the dough back in the bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface, and cut off a finger-sized strip of the dough using a pizza cutter.
- Roll out the cut dough into a long, thin strip. Place the mini hot dog on one edge of the dough, push the dough into the dog, and roll the dog up in the dough, leaving the ends open. A few centimeters of hot dog should peek out of the front end of the dough (the uncut side of the hot dog) and the dog should be even with the dough in the back.
- Stack two baking sheets on top of each other, and line the top one with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray. This will prevent the bottoms of the pretzel dogs from getting too hot and burning before the rest of the pretzel is done.
- In a metal bowl, add the 4 cups of hot water and the baking soda. Whisk until the baking soda has dissolved. One at a time, dip the mini pretzel dogs into the solution, place them quickly on a folded-up kitchen towel to let any excess water drip off, and then transfer them to the baking sheet. Make sure the pretzel dogs have room to expand without touching surrounding dogs. You only have to dip and drip each one for a few seconds.
- Beat the egg yolk in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the egg wash over each pretzel dog.
- Sprinkle with the remaining kosher salt, and/or toppings of your choice.
- Bake in a preheated oven until golden brown, about 15-17 minutes.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins