Can we just go ahead and make hot dogs their own special food group? I mean, nobody really knows what’s in them anyway, right? I personally think the mystique adds to their appeal. Maybe they’re secretly made out of celery and you actually burn more calories than you consume. We could just add them in right next to the “eat 29 servings of veggies a day,” or whatever number they’ve decided on lately. (I should look this up. But I really just don’t want to know my own vegetable deficiencies.)
I could probably eat hot dogs every day for the rest of my life and die before I’m 30 and be happy. Bring on the mustard. Now, wrap a soft pretzel around said hot dog and we’re really gettin’ goin’. I told Eric I was going to make Pretzel Dogs and he said, “What’s that?” After giving him the most incredulous face I could muster I asked him if he had ever even been to the mall. Only to find out that Eric didn’t know that soft pretzels and malls go together like carnivals and cotton candy. Who ARE you and how are you my husband? 
Well I set him straight. It’s really just not that hard to sell somebody on a delicious hot dog wrapped in bread. By the way, this recipe solves the hot dog vs. bun problem. I haven’t noticed the industry torturing us with this anymore (selling only 8 packs of hot dogs and only 12 packs of buns), and I think it’s entirely thanks to George Banks. Thank you Steve Martin. Come on over and I will make you a Thank-You-Pretzel-Dog.
Do you guys give up? Or are you thirsty for more?
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Homemade Pretzel Dogs
Makes 8 Pretzel Dogs adjust servingsIngredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 package (1 scant tablespoon) active dry yeast
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (or salted butter, but decrease the 2 teaspoons of salt by a bit) Vegetable oil, for pan
- 10 cups water
- 2/3 cup baking soda
- 2 tablespoons butter (regular or unsalted), melted
- coarse sea salt or kosher salt, for sprinkling
- 8 good quality hot dogs
Instructions
- 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.
- Add the flour, salt, and butter. Combine with a spoon or the paddle until it start to come together, then switch to the dough hook. Mix with the dough hook 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. You may need to add a bit more flour, but be aware that this is a pretty soft dough. You should be able to touch it without it being impossible to get off your fingers, though.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size. I like to put mine in an oven that has been turned to 170? (warm) for about a minute, then turned off.
- Preheat the oven to 450. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
- In a large pot, bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, knead down the dough, turn it out onto a slightly floured work surface, and divide into 8 equal pieces.
- Roll out each piece of dough into a rope that's about 20 to 24-inches long, depending on how big your hot dogs are. 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.
- 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 pan, brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with the sea salt. (I forgot to do this butter and salt step until after I had baked them. It worked fine.)
- Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
- If you have extra dough, you can shape them into dinner rolls, cut a slit in the top, let rise for another 20-30 minutes, boil, and bake at 450 until golden.
by The Food Charlatan
Janice says
Those look soooo good right now – did I mention being on a mini-diet to lose 4 pounds? Put them on the list of things we must cook when I get there!
Karen says
I don’t think these will help you lose 4 pounds. But good luck with that. I’m on a hot dog diet myself, but since I’m 8 months pregnant and gaining weight like a heifer anyway, I feel like it’s okay.
Carol says
Your comment completely cracked me up about gaining weight like a heifer hahaha (LOL) i came across your blog today by accident and from here on out it will be no accidental reading 😆 Love your sense of humor !! Very similar to my own. Love your recipe’s.
I hope you continue blogging ! God bless you and your’s 😊✌🏻️
The Food Charlatan says
Ha! Thanks Carol! Seriously though if we ate these every day we would be in trouble :) I’m so happy you are enjoying the blog! Thanks for reading!
Crissi says
I, like Eric, have never heard of a Pretzel Dog either. But they look good and we’re definitely going to try them this week for dinner. Thanks!
Karen says
What!!!!! Apparently I need to take you on a trip to the mall. You could pretend to be a foreign exchange student or something. Just kidding. Let me know how you like them!
Nathan says
I’m glad you followed proper hot dog etiquette and left out the ketchup by picturing these with mustard. Ketchup on hot dogs is for children only! http://www.hot-dog.org/ht/d/sp/i/38617/pid/38617
The Food Charlatan says
Haha that is an awesome list. My favorite one is “Do…Use multi-colored toothpicks to serve cocktail wieners. Cocktail forks are in poor taste.” I still eat ketchup on regular dogs (I’m a child at heart) but ketchup + pretzel? Weird.
Maureen Zacharias says
When I was a kid we wrapped hot dogs in refrigerated biscuit dough and then baked them. I thought they were great back then, but this looks way better. Way to go, Karen!
The Food Charlatan says
That’s such a great idea Maureen! I bet you could do that and then just pick up with the boiling step. Let me know if you try it out!
Brandi says
I made these tonight and they definitely were a rousing success! My super picky 4 year old asked for THIRDS! And our dinner guest suggested I get a food cart and start selling them on the street, lol. Thank you for such a great recipe that has mad it into the permanent rotation! I found you through, foodgawker, and I will be coming back :)
The Food Charlatan says
Brandi, you are awesome! Comments like these are the fuel that keeps me going. (For real though :) I’m so glad you and your family loved this! Let me know if you set up that cart, I will totally pay you money to make these for me. Thanks for commenting! Happy New Year!
Ruth Baker says
Is the 10 cups of water correct? Just seems like lots of water.
The Food Charlatan says
Yes ma’am that is correct! And the full 2/3 cup of baking soda too. You need a big pot and lots of water to make sure those dogs get totally immersed. That way every edge of the dough gets a baking soda bath. That’s what makes it pretzel-y :)
You are making me crave these again. Let me know if you try them out Ruth!
Janice jorgensen says
Just took these out of the oven and my husband couldn’t wait… His remarks” these are really good “. He is a fussy one….. I had enough dough left over to make him his favorite pizza. Of course I couldn’t wait either to try the pretzel dog and yes everyone they were so worth the effort. The Mac and cheese is in the oven and that looks and smells like a winner also hummmmmmm!
The Food Charlatan says
Pretzel dogs can win over the fussiest of eaters! :)
deb says
I love pretzel dogs, but am curious if u could maybe do little smokies in the dough instead? With of course altering the cooking time in the oven, or even cut the hot dogs in half?
Am planning on making these on Super Bowl Sunday as a finger food.
The Food Charlatan says
Hey Deb! Yes, you could definitely use little smokies with this recipe. I’m not sure how many you would need honestly…probably a lot! Figure out a proportionate amount of dough, roll the dough into a long strip, wrap, and boil like you normally would. Keep an eye on them in the oven. I think this would work even better with halved hot dogs. They are thicker and you wouldn’t have to do so many. Just split the dough into 16. I hope you like them! Let me know what you end up doing!
Jenn says
I love pretzel dogs and would love to make yhem homemade for my family.Unfortunately I do not have a stand mixer with all the wonderful attachments. I am dying for one but as I have 5 kids and a very tight budget I just cant afford it. I am however going to try the idea with the biscuit dough and see if it works the same. I love the recipes and ideas posted on her. Thank you so much.
The Food Charlatan says
I totally get it Jenn! I’ve only had my stand mixer for 5 or 6 years. I never would have bought it, it was a wedding gift. You can still totally make this dough without a mixer though, it just requires a little elbow grease. Use a big bowl and a wooden spoon, then knead by hand for the specified amount of time. Or…you could just try the bought biscuit dough :) I’ve never tried it, you will have to let me know how it turns out! Thanks so much for commenting Jenn!
Jennifer Prue-Scott says
Are there any modifications that need to be made for high-altitude?
The Food Charlatan says
Hey Jennifer! When I made these the first time, I was living in Utah with an elevation of about 4,700 feet. I didn’t make any changes. I live at sea level now and use the same recipe. I don’t know how high up you are. If you are worried about it, I would just do a little internet research on baking yeast dough at high altitudes. Let me know how this works out for you! Thanks for commenting!
Lin says
I have died and gone to heaven. Thank you!!! Pinned for future reference!
The Food Charlatan says
Haha Lin! In that case, for your sake I hope there’s still food in heaven. (Who am I kidding though. If there’s no food up there, I’m out. This is when I start singing “You Gotta Have Faith”) Let me know how you like them Lin! Thanks for commenting!
Cassie says
WOW… these look amazing!! My boyfriend posted this to my page with the comment “kthx” so I will be making these for dinner one night soon.
The Food Charlatan says
Baha!! That just made me laugh out loud. Men. haha! Gotta love em. Well let me know how it goes when you make it Cassie! These babies haven’t failed me yet. I win many friends with this one :) Thanks for commenting!!
Julie says
My 15 year old son and I had a great time making these together this evening. Thank you so much for an easy recipe that tastes fabulous! I think I will use the pretzel recipe to make cinnamon sugar pretzel sticks for a sweet treat very soon.
By the way, the was my first time ever using yeast. I have no idea why I was so scared of it all of these years.
The Food Charlatan says
I’m so glad you guys had fun making it! This is perfect teenager food, right? :) At least it was for me way back when! Let me know how the cinnamon sugar sticks go, that sounds really good! Would you dip it in something? I’m thinking cream cheese…something? Mm.
And I was TOTALLY the same way with yeast Julie! My mom NEVER used it growing up, so to me it was scary. Then I tried it and it was just no big deal. I’m glad you and I have both seen the light! :)
Jami Davis says
These were great! My first time to ever try any type of homemade pretzel. They aren’t the prettiest but they tasted amazing!! In my opinion not too bad for a guy’s first attempt at homemade bread!!
http://tinypic.com/r/5ob6lv/8
The Food Charlatan says
I’m so impressed Jami! They look awesome! Thanks for including a picture, I love that! I’m glad the recipe worked out well for you. Thanks for coming back to comment!
thatonegirl says
Correction: the most incredulous face I could mustard
The Food Charlatan says
I thought this was a spam comment and immediately deleted it. Then I read it again and died laughing. You are awesome.
maribel says
Can I freeze them and bake them later? If so, how do I do that? Thanks.
The Food Charlatan says
Hey Maribel! I’ve never tried freezing them. I think it would be better to make them start to finish and freeze and reheat, but that’s just me. If you want to freeze them while it’s still dough, just do everything the same through the wrapping the dough around the hot dog part. Don’t boil them. Then freeze, let thaw completely, boil, and bake. Let me know if it works out!
Lola says
I love pretzel dogs! I don’t eat red meat, I found out last year that it disagrees with me . I would have to use turkey dogs. I wonder if you could use frozen pretzel dough? May have to try that.
The Food Charlatan says
Turkey dogs would work great! And I’ve never tried frozen pretzel dough, I didn’t even know they made that!! Let me know if you try it!
PseudoShea says
Made these using a bread machine. I was surprised by how easy it was and how pretty the presentation was. I’m not really a fan of hotdogs, but I love how soft and fresh the bread was. My only note is that the baking sheet really DOES need to be greased well… the pretzel dogs stuck even after using parchment paper and some oil.
The Food Charlatan says
I’m so happy they worked out well for you! Good tip about greasing the pan :) Thanks for the review and have a happy Monday!
Janelle says
I don’t have a stand mixer and can’t afford one. Any suggestions?
The Food Charlatan says
Hi Janelle! You can totally make this (and any bread!) without a stand mixer. Just takes some elbow grease! Mix everything as directed in a large bowl. Stir it with a wooden spoon until you get most of the flour in, then start mixing it in with your hands. Turn it out onto a well-floured work surface. Knead for the directed amount of time. Then let it rise as directed! Good luck, let me know how they turn out!
Kayiu @ Saucy Spatula says
THIS is like the Hong Kong style hot dog buns with a twist! It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for in my hot dog bun research!
You nailed it! Looks amazing!
BOOKMARKED!
-Kayiu :)
Kayiu @ Saucy Spatula recently posted…Ketchup Sriracha Shrimp
The Food Charlatan says
Thanks Kayiu! I’m so happy to hear that someone out there is doing “hot dog bun research.” Humans are awesome, especially you. :)
Carrie Swensn says
You are brilliant! My kids are going to love this. They hotdogs and always get so excited when they are on the menu. I am trying this for sure. I am so excited that its a homemade version and doesn’t use the pre-made stuff. My kids always want me to make the kind with the pre-made dough and I refuse.
Thanks again!
Carrie
Dean says
Me and my husband definitely going to try them this week for meal.
Dean recently posted…Diet Paleo
Selena says
These look so good. I can’t wait to try them. I just have one question though. Do the hotdogs have to be cooked prior to starting with the recipe or do they get cooked in the oven?
The Food Charlatan says
Hi Selena! Most hot dogs are pre-cooked, but if you get your hands on uncooked ones, definitely cook them fist!
Sinea Pies says
Wow! This recipe is going on my “to do” list. My family will love it. Especially my hubby, who is crazy for hot dogs. Pinned it to my new “Hot DIggity Dog” board. :)
Sinea Pies recently posted…Pound Cake – Why This Is Now My Favorite Dessert Recipe!
The Food Charlatan says
Enjoy Sinea! I like the name of your board :)
Anne says
Hi Karen.
Love your recipies. I am from Danmark and here they are called pølsebrød:) and we mix mustard and ketchup and put it on the dough befour putting on the sausage and roling it. Gives it a Nice flavor and moisture.
The Food Charlatan says
Oh my gosh that’s genius Anne! I’m totally rolling the dough with mustard mustard next time!! Thanks for the tip!
Jonathan Bern says
Wonderful recipe, I added crushed garlic and parsley to the butter I brushed on them. Turned out perfect!
The Food Charlatan says
Ooh ooh garlic butter! Yes please! Thanks for the idea Jonathan!
Laurie says
I made these a few days ago, and they were exactly what I was looking for! Delicious! I’m not sure why you boil them, and that did intimidate me, but they turned out perfect. The leftovers even heated fairly well, although the salt had absorbed off the top. I plan on making these for about 30 people for a picnic this summer.
The Food Charlatan says
Hey Laurie, I’m so glad you like them! You boil them to infuse the baking soda, which is what makes them “pretzel-y” :)