Pretzel Dogs

These little guys are perfect for a snack or lunch. My husband saw this recipe online last weekend and emailed me the link as a "hint, hint, want to try and make these?". I don't think I would have picked this recipe myself, but they were mighty yummy!

You begin by making a homemade pretzel dough and wrapping it tightly around pieces of hotdog (I cut each hotdog into thirds). Each piece of pretzel wrapped hotdog gets a quick bath in a baking soda/boiling water hot tub (i.e. large pot), brushed with egg wash, and sprinkled with salt & pepper. They are then baked until golden brown.

There were two major lessons I learned while making this recipe. First, I experience cognitive dissonance while buying hotdogs (a nod to my training in social psychology!). I needed to buy hotdogs for the recipe, but they are typically not an item I would buy since I stay away from processed, pre-packaged food. I ended up buying an all beef, organic, no hormones added hotdog figuring they were at least a higher quality of ground-up meat. Second, if you make these, wrap and seal the dough very securely around the hotdogs. If you don't the dough will unwind when they bake. It's really no big deal because they taste the same, but they won't look as pretty.

LESSON LEARNED: These will freeze well too! Just heat in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until warm.

Recipe for Pretzel Dogs