Pretzel Hot Dog Recipe (Elevate Dinner!)
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There’s nothing quite like the nostalgic taste of a classic hot dog – but what if I told you there’s a new way to enjoy this fan-favorite? Introducing pretzel-wrapped hot dogs, the perfect twist on an American classic. Imagine biting into a juicy, savory hot dog surrounded by warm, soft pretzel dough that’s both crunchy and chewy. Your taste buds will be screaming for more! So forget everything you think you know about traditional hot dogs and get ready to take your love for them to the next level with this mouth-watering recipe!
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What is a Pretzel Wrapped Hot Dog?
When you’re at the ballpark or carnival, there’s nothing like a good old-fashioned hot dog. But have you ever tried a pretzel wrapped hot dog? It’s a twist on the classic that is sure to please.
Hot dogs are a grilled or steamed sausage that is traditionally served in a bun. Pretzel wrapped hot dogs take things up a notch by wrapping the sausage in a warm, soft pretzel. This gives the hot dog a crispy outer layer and an extra bit of flavor.
Pretzel wrapped hot dogs are becoming increasingly popular as people discover this unique twist on an American classic. So next time you’re looking for something different, give them a try!
A History of the Pretzel Wrapped Hot Dog
The pretzel wrapped hot dog is a classic twist on the traditional hot dog. This unique take on the all- American favorite can be traced back to the early 1900s when German immigrants introduced the pretzel to the United States.
Pretzels quickly became a popular snack food and were often sold by street vendors. It wasn’t long before enterprising vendors began wrapping hot dogs in pretzel dough and frying them up for a delicious treat.
Pretzel wrapped hot dogs quickly caught on as a popular fair and carnival food. They can now be found at many concession stands across the country. And, with their crispy, chewy goodness, it’s easy to see why!
Just so you know…
If you do not want to use beer, you can make this recipe with water instead. Just use 1 ½ cups warm water instead and make sure it is heated to the proper temperature, 110 degrees.
Pretzel Hot Dogs
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups cups warm beer heated to 110 115 degrees
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp Tablespoon dry active yeast
- 4.5 cups cups bread flour
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- 8 hotdogs
- 5 cups water
- .25 cup baking soda
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- course salt to taste
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm beer, sugar and yeast. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes or until it appears frothy and foamy
- Using the paddle attachment, add the flour, salt and 4 Tablespoons melted butter. Use medium speed to mix until well incorporated.
- Switch to the dough attachment and knead on medium speed for about 5 minutes. At this point, the dough should start pulling away from the bowl. The dough should be sticky but not stick to your fingers. If it is too sticky, add one Tablespoon of flour at a time until it can be handled.
- Cover the bowl and place in a warm place to rise for one hour. The dough should double in size.
- Halfway through rising time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with a light coating of cooking spray.
- When the dough is ready, section it into 8 equal pieces and roll it into 8 long ropes.
- Wrap the dough ropes around the hot dogs, trimming when you get to the end.
- Meanwhile, boil the 5 cups of water, add the baking soda and stir. When the water is boiling, drop each hot dog pretzel into the water one at a time and allow it to sit for 30 seconds.
- Remove the pretzel dog from the water and place them on the prepared baking sheet,
- evenly apart and brush the remaining melted butter on top.
- Sprinkle coarse salt over the butter.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until they are beautiful golden brown.
Notes
If you want to change it up or make things a little more fancy,
you can try adding other seasonings as well. Try swapping out the salt for:
● Poppy Seeds
● Sesame Seeds
● Everything Bagel Seasoning
● Dried onion flakes
● Dried Herbs
You can also try seasoning the butter. Give these additions a try:
● Garlic Powder
● Herbs
● Honey Mustard
Yes, you can use rapid yeast but you will need to follow the package directions for expected
rising time. Typically rapid rise yeast takes less than half the amount of time to rise. Either way, the dough is done when it has doubled in size so that is a safe guideline to follow. For this particular recipe, I prefer regular yeast. It allows me time to prepare the rest of the meal and get the water and baking soda for dipping.
To prevent the bottoms from overcooking, you can place an extra baking sheet underneath the one you have the hot dogs on. This provides an extra barrier for the heat to pass through and prevents them from getting too brown and crispy.
You can easily make this recipe gluten free by using your favorite gluten free flour. I find that an all purpose gluten free mixture works best because they contain a blend of flours. When I tested this with a single grain gluten-free flour, they didn’t taste as good so try using a blend and stick with something that is a 1:1 ratio for regular flour.
These pretzels are best fresh from the oven but if you need to store extra overnight, they heat
up surprisingly well. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge, then heat them in the
microwave to warm them. If desired, you can put them in the oven to try and crisp up the pretzel a bit before serving but I have found it takes way too long to warm the hot dog through this way and I always seem to overcook the pretzel.
These pretzel dogs do not freeze well. However, you can prepare the dough ahead of time and freeze it before wrapping around the hot dogs. The day you decide to make your pretzel dogs, just take the dough out of the freezer and thaw it before you twist it around the hotdogs.
