These mini pretzel dog bites use an easy 5-ingredient pretzel dough that only rises for 1 hour! Wrap the pretzel dough around mini hot dogs, boil and bake for a delicious savory snack ready in 30 minutes!
8hot dogs (plant-based or regular, about a 12 oz package)
1/4cupbaking soda72g
1whole egg or egg yolk, beaten for the egg wash
pretzel salt, flaky salt or seasonings of your choice
Instructions
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine 3/4 cup warm water, 1.5 tsp granulated sugar and 1.25 tsp active dry yeast. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes, until foamy.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl, add the foamy yeast mixture. Stir in 2.25 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and 1 tsp kosher salt until you have a shaggy dough. Using the dough hook attachment, knead the dough for 5 minutes until a soft dough forms and pulls away from the side of the bowl. (Alternatively, you can knead the dough by hand--this might take up to 10 minutes.)
Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm spot for 50-60 minutes, or until doubled.
Preheat oven to 450 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the risen dough on a lightly floured surface to approximately a 9x15" rectangle. Cut hot dogs into thirds.
Use a hot dog third to measure out a width slightly narrower than the length of the hot dog. Cut the dough into 8 even strips, then into thirds (make sure each strip is long enough to wrap around each hot dog. Wrap each hot dog in a strip of dough, pinching to seal the seam.
Add 1/4 cup baking soda to 4 cups of water in a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Once boiling, add the hot dogs in batches of 5-6. Boil for 1 minute, then remove to let excess water drain.
Place hot dog bites on the prepared sheet spaced about an inch or two apart. Brush pretzel dogs with beaten egg, then sprinkle with seasonings and salt.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until dough is golden brown. Enjoy warm with a cheese sauce or mustard!
Video
Notes
The dough is essentially a halved recipe of Alton Brown's soft pretzels. The only changes I recommend: add the salt in the same step as the flour rather then when you're proofing the yeast. I also cut down slightly on the amount of baking soda used in the boiling mixture because it felt a bit excessive.