These mini pretzel dogs are my second favorite dog. Montana, the most adorable dog in the whole world, is my first favorite. I mean come on… Look at that face?!
Okay okay… I know you came here for food so let’s get back to it! Look below… Aren’t they beautiful?? The answer is yes. 😉
Background story: Every time I go to the mall all I can think about is Auntie Anne’s Pretzels… Specifically their pretzel dogs (OMG)… I seriously have to avoid that side of the mall because once I see the pretzels, I will eat all of them plus drop like $200 on pretty dresses at Francesca’s because it’s right next door. Bad news bears.
So instead of eating a bajillion greasy mall pretzels and dropping two hundo on clothes I decided to make my own (pretzels… not clothes)! Who’s on board?!
Glad you’re in!
I’ve made these delectable mini pretzel dogs many many (many) times. They are definitely in my top five for snacks that I loooooove to make. Why? Because they are so EASY and FUN to make plus they are incredibly delicious. Pretzel bread, hotdogs, egg wash, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper… What’s not to love?!
Mini pretzel dog recipe time:
mini pretzel dogs
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water 110 to 115 degrees F
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 package of active dry yeast 2 1/4 tsp
- 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp butter melted and cooled
- a little bit vegetable oil yes, a little bit is a technical measuring term
- about 10 to 14 cups of water depending on how big your pot is
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1 large egg beaten + a splash of water
- 8 hot dogs cut in half (I used Hebrew National 97% Fat Free Beef Franks)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for topping
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixed (fitted with a dough hook), stir together warm water and sugar then sprinkle active dry yeast on top of the water and wait about five minutes
- After five minutes, the mixture should be frothy and foamy (say that ten times fast…) – if not you will need to start over with new warm water, sugar and yeast 🙁
- Add flour, salt and butter to the frothy water mixture and mix using your dough hook on low speed until well combined
- Once well combined, increase speed to medium and knead the dough for about 3-4 minutes or until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball
- Remove the dough ball from the mixing bowl, cover the inside of the bowl with a little vegetable oil then place dough back in the bowl and sprinkle some flour over it
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm area for it to rise (I let mine sit on the stove with the oven on 200 F and it works like a charm – just don’t forget your oven is on…)
- In about one hour, the dough should double in size (if not… throw away and start over… so sad)
- Preheat oven to 425 F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper then brush the paper with oil (IMPORTANT STEP… otherwise the pretzels will stick eek!)
- Fill a large pot (at least an 8 quart) with water and stir in baking soda then bring to a boil
- While the water is coming to a boil, pour the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into 16 equally sized pieces (I formed my dough ball into a rectangle then cut it in half long ways and then cut each half into 8 slices… 16 slices WOO)
- Using your fingers, roll each piece of dough into a 12 inch rope and repeat for all the dough pieces
- Wrap each dough rope around one half hotdog and make sure to seal the ends, repeat for all half hotdogs
- Once the water (from step 9) comes to a boil, place a few mini pretzel dogs into the water and boil for 30 seconds then remove with a slotted spoon and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the hotdogs have been boiled
- Brush the boiled mini pretzel dogs with egg wash and top with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Bake for about 12-14 minutes or until golden brown then transfer to a cooling rack for a couple minutes before devouring 😉
Recipe Notes
recipe adapted from Joy the Baker
Mini pretzel dogs are perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, supper, dinner and every type of party you can think of… Basically you should just make them now because they are awesome and you don’t need a reason to eat awesome food. This is why I have placed this recipe in both small bites and big bites… I’m so logical. If you make these mini pretzel dogs, leave a comment!! Ok happy Friday! Toodles.
– A