pretzels Archives - 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Pretzels Dogs

I am a huge fan of both hot dogs and homemade pretzels. Although I have never ordered a pretzel dog from Auntie Anne’s, they have always intrigued me. A football classic around this house is hot dogs cut into fourths and wrapped in crescent rolls, i.e. pigs in a blanket. When I saw recipes for pretzels dogs on a few blogs, I knew trying out mini pretzel dogs was in order.

Wrap Dough around Hot Dog

These mini pretzel dogs are made with Nathan’s Skinless Beef Franks wrapped in a perfect homemade pretzel. I prefer Nathan’s hot dogs because they taste great. Plus, they are from New York so it always makes me happy to see them over here in California. I added some cheese to the insides of half the pretzel dogs to test it out. The results were amazing! To do this, I made a lengthwise slit in the hot dog and folded some pieces of of deli American cheese in there.

Cheese Dogs

I had got the idea to add cheese from a dinner that we made on occasion growing up (and one that I still dream about!) My mom made us homemade meals practically every night so she absolutely hates when we rave about the “Crescent Roll hot dog” dinners we used to have. Her eyes are probably rolling right now as she reads this. A Crescent Roll Hot Dog is when you take a full hot dog, make a lengthwise slit in the middle, stuff a folded half piece of American cheese, roll it in crescent roll dough and bake it together. It’s very similar to how I make pigs in a blankets nowadays, except with a whole hot dog and the addition of cheese. What can I say- it was the 80’s and early 90’s!

Cheesy Mini Pretzel Dogs

These pretzel dogs were so good! I served them warm with deli mustard to dip. Although these are best fresh from the oven, I froze the other half of them for Superbowl Sunday and I am going to reheat them at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes until they are heated up again.

Mini Pretzels Dogs and Mustard

Mini Pretzel Dogs

Ingredients

For Pretzel Dough

1½ cups warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
2¼ tsp. active dry yeast (or one packet)
22 oz. AP flour (about 4½ cups)
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. butter, melted and brought back to room temperature

For Boiling Mixture

14 cups of water
1 cup baking soda

For Assembly

8 pack of hot dogs, cut into fourths for 32 hot dog pieces
1 large egg beaten with 1 tsp. water
Pretzel salt or course salt
4 slices of American Cheese (optional)

Instructions

In the bowl of your mixer (with dough hook attachment) add warm water and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the the water and let sit for 5 minutes.
Once the yeast is foamy, add in the flour,salt, and melted butter. Mix on low until the dough is combined. Take the speed up to around medium and mix the dough until it is smooth and easily pulls away from the sides of the mixer bowl. Knead for an additional 4 minutes at medium speed.
Coat a separate large bowl with some canola oil. Take dough ball from mixer bowl, scraping dough off the sides of the bowl if needed and place in oiled bowl. Turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set bowl in a warm draft free place for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. If using parchment paper spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
Once the dough has risen, turn out on a lightly oiled surface. Divide dough evenly into 32 pieces. This is done easily if you divide dough in half and then divide each half into halves, continuing until there is 32 equal sized pieces.
Take one dough ball and roll out 12-18 inch piece rope. Take hot dog piece and starting at the end of the hot dog, wrap the dough around the hot dog so that it is completely covered in dough (like a cocoon or mummy). Make sure to seal ends and where ever the dough is touching so that it stays connected and completely sealed during baking. Unlike Pigs in a Blanket you are covering the entire hot dog with dough. Repeat for all dough and hot dog pieces.
*to add cheese- take hot dog pieces before wrapping and make a slit lengthwise making sure to not cut through the hot dog all they way. Take a piece of American cheese and divide it up into 8 pieces. Take one of the pieces and gently fold it so it is around the same size as the slit made in the hot dog. Stuff the cheese into the slit and then wrap hot dog piece with dough like above directions.
In a large pot add 14 cups of water and 1 cup of baking soda. Bring to a boil.
Once the water comes to a boil, gently drop a few wrapped hot dogs into the pot and let cook for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and line up on baking sheet, leaving about one inch in between each. Repeat for all wrapped hot dogs.
Take the egg beaten with 1 tsp. of water and gently brush boiled pretzels with the egg mixture. Top with course salt.
Bake each cookie sheet separately for about 12-14 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Source- slightly adapted from Joy The Baker

Mini Pretzel Dogs

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soft homemade pretzels with jalapeño dipping sauce

I found this recipe for Soft Homemade Pretzels with Jalapeño Dipping Sauce via another blog (Smells Like Home) about a month ago and I finally got a chance to make it this week. I was originally going to make it as a Super Bowl snack, but then I realized I literally and figuratively had too much on my plate with my plan to make (and eat) Tex Mex Pimiento Cheese Dip, Mexican Black Bean Chili, Baked Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese, and Raspberry Truffle Brownies. I was right- I didn’t even get a chance to try the chili on Super Bowl Sunday so the pretzels definitely would have been too much.

These soft pretzels were a huge hit in our house- T keeps asking for “prets” (his words for pretzels) and I noticed my husband swapped out his usual Greek yogurt for a pretzel this morning for breakfast. These pretzels are really good on just their own if you are running short on time and can’t make the jalapeño dipping sauce.

soft homemade pretzels with jalapeño dipping sauce

And speaking of the dipping sauce, I chopped up the cilantro while I was waiting for the pretzel dough to rise. Of course, I completely forgot to add it to the jalapeño dipping sauce before I took the photos. It’s delicious with or without it, but I would add it if you have it as it adds a bit more green and another flavor dimension to the dipping sauce.

soft pretzels with jalapeño dipping sauce

Soft Homemade Pretzels with Jalapeño Dipping Sauce

Prep time: 1 hour 15 mins

Cook time: 12 mins

Total time: 1 hour 27 mins

Ingredients

Pretzels

1 and ½ cups warm water (yeast rises best between 110 to 115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
4 and ½ cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
10 cups water
⅔ cup baking soda
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Kosher salt (to taste)

Jalapeño Dipping Sauce

2 small jalapeño peppers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (it's recommended to shred your own- pre-shredded cheese does not melt as well due to the added preservatives)
cilantro, chopped
Kosher salt (to taste)

Instructions

Pretzels

Add the water, sugar, yeast, and salt to the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment to combine on low speed for 10-15 seconds. Remove the paddle attachment and put on the dough hook.Add the flour and 4 tablespoons melted butter to the bowl. Knead the dough on medium speed and until the dough is smooth (3-4 minutes.) Remove the dough from the bowl and lightly oil the mixing bowl. Transfer the dough back and cover it with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm place and allow it to double in size. This should take about an hour.
Place the dough onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide it into 8 pieces. Roll out each piece so that it is approximately 20-24 inches long. Tie the rope into a pretzel shape. Continue this process with the remaining 7 pieces of dough. Meanwhile, be sure to place a damp towel on the dough pieces and the completed pretzels.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set baking sheets aside.
In a sauté pan, bring 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil. Using a metal spatula, slotted spoon, or a mesh skimmer spoon, place the pretzels into the boiling water and boil them for 30 seconds (my pan allowed me to add three pretzels at a time, but use your judgement depending on the size of your pan.) After 30 seconds, remove the pretzels from the water and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the top of each pretzel with some of the 2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with the Kosher salt.
Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Once you remove them the oven, lightly brush pretzels with the remaining melted butter. Best served warm, but they keep 3-4 days in a sealed container. If not serving immediately, microwave each individual pretzel for 30 seconds before serving.

Jalapeño Dipping Sauce

If you have a gas stove, use tongs to blacken all the sides of the two jalapeños (if you do not have a gas oven, place the jalapeños on a baking sheet and roast them under the broiler until all sides are blackened.) Place the roasted jalapeños in a small pan or bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to cool for 10-15 minutes. Use a paper towel to scrap off the blackened skin and continue to de-seed and chop the two peppers. Set aside. (This step can be done while the pretzel dough is rising.
On the stovetop, melt the two tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan. Add the chopped jalapeños and stir until coated with butter. Whisk in the flour and continue to whisk until the peppers are coated (approximately 30 seconds.) Slowly whisk in the milk and continue to stir the mixture until it thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the shredded cheese. Continue to stir until all of the cheese has melted. Mix in the cilantro and kosher salt to taste. Serve immediately or reheat the dipping sauce in the microwave for approximately 45 second.

Source: Slightly adapted from Smells Like Home

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