Soft Pretzel Dogs (an homage to Auntie Anne’s Pretzels) > Willow Bird Baking

By KSmitherman

Ingredients

• Toppings:
• 1 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup bread flour
• 3 cups regular flour
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons baking soda
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
• 8 Nathan’s all-beef hot dogs (do yourself a favor and don’t use anything but Nathan’s!)
• cheddar cheese
• jalapeno slices (wear gloves to handle, and don’t touch your eyes!)
• coarse salt, to taste
• 4 tablespoons butter (melted)

Details

Adapted from willowbirdbaking.com

Preparation

Step 1

Place warm water in mixing bowl and sprinkle yeast in, stirring to dissolve. Add the sugar and salt and stir. Add the flour and mix until combined. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic (this took a few minutes on high speed with my KitchenAid mixer equipped with a dough hook). Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it. Place it in a warm area to rise at least 1/2 an hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. When dough’s almost finished rising, prepare a baking soda water bath. I used one that I don’t think was strong enough (from the original recipe) to brown the pretzels appropriately, so I’ve poked around and found a better one for you. Mix the warm water and baking soda and continue to whisk periodically as you work with your dough.

Once your dough is risen, spray cooking spray over a spot on your counter and turn the dough out onto it. Use a sprayed pizza cutter to slice off a strip of dough. Roll it, starting from the middle and working outward with greased hands, into a thin rope — the thinner you get it, the more like Auntie Anne’s pretzels it’ll be. I even gently picked it up and let gravity help me lengthen it every now and then. For inspiration, watch this awesome video from the folks at Auntie Anne’s on shaping, dipping, and baking pretzels.

Form your strand into a pretzel shape OR wrap it around a hot dog OR wrap it around a hot dog and strip of cheese OR wrap it around a hot dog with a strip of cheese and some jalapenos. When you wrap it around the hot dogs, just slightly overlap the dough so there aren’t many gaps. Now dip the pretzel into your soda solution and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter and serve immediately with hot mustard or Cheez Whiz (tastes just like Auntie Anne’s cheddar dip!) for dipping.