Winner Weiner

When I was younger, I used to love going out to eat because it gave me the chance to enjoy all the yummy foods I couldn't get at home.  Now that I've been cooking (and trying a lot of new recipes) for quite a few years, I've spoiled myself on my own good cooking! Not that I don't appreciate someone else doing the cooking and cleanup once in awhile, but so many times I'm disappointed when the dish I get at the restaurant isn't as good as what I can make myself at home.

There are still a few holdouts, of course.  I have yet to make a really excellent pizza, which stinks because that's my favorite food, and my Chinese dishes lack a certain je ne sai quoi. The soft pretzel is another one of those treats that I always assumed I'd have to leave in the qualified hands of Auntie Anne, until recently when a friend told me how easy they were to make at home.

When I found this recipe for pretzel-wrapped hot dogs I knew I had to give 'em a try. Wouldn't you know it, they turned out great! I was all set to make these with regular hot dogs, as the recipe says, but my husband found some Polish sausage links on sale the other day, so we wrapped those instead--absolutely fabulous! I like my pretzels dipped in nacho cheese, so I served some on the side, but they were so tasty they really didn't need it. Don't be intimidated by the lengthy directions, aside from the rising time these came together really quickly and were easy as could be. 

Pretzel Dogs
Prep time: 10 min (then 1 hr rising), then 10 min    Bake time: 12 min
Serves 8

1 1/4 cups warm (110 to 115° F) water
1 Tbs sugar
2 tsp salt
1 package (7g) active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup baking soda
2 Tbs butter, melted
1 tsp kosher salt, for sprinkling
8 hot dogs (or fully cooked sausages)

Combine the warm 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 two large baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly brush with vegetable oil. Set aside.  In a large pot, bring 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil (the ratio is important.)

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 18 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 pans 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 pans, leaving plenty of space between them so they'll brown evenly, then brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with the kosher salt.

Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

522 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!