Mini Pretzel Dog Recipe

There's certainly a time and a place for an elaborate meal. Sitting down to a nice lunch or dinner can be truly relaxing, no doubt about it. But what about when you want a quick and easy meal that doubles as comfort food? Enter: mini pretzel dogs.

Mini pretzel dogs aren't a new concept by any means. Even Auntie Anne's sells them at their delicious-smelling mall kiosks. They're a total classic, making for the perfect snack on the go or an easy dinner paired with another side or salad.

And while you can certainly buy a box of mini pretzel dogs in the frozen food aisle to warm up at home, we're here to tell you making them from scratch on your own is totally doable. And recipe developer and food photographer Petar Marshall has all the tips and trick you'll need to pull it off. Whip these mini pretzel dogs up in under an hour, and don't forget to pair them with plenty of mustard options and other dipping sauces!

To get started on making mini pretzel dogs on your own at home, you'll want to grab all of the ingredients first. For this recipe, you'll need one package of your favorite hot dogs, one and a half cups of warm water, one package of active dry yeast, one teaspoon of salt, two tablespoons of sugar, three tablespoons of vegetable oil, and five cups of flour.

You'll need an additional three cups of water along with three tablespoons of baking soda to make a water bath for the pretzels, as well as one egg yolk. Of course, including coarse salt or pretzel salt for topping your pretzel dogs is a great addition too.

The first step to making these mini pretzel dogs is to prep your pretzel dough. Add the one and a half cups of warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer and put on the dough hook attachment. Stir the sugar into the water, and then sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow the yeast and water mixture to sit for five minutes so it can proof. "You'll know the yeast is fully proofed and ready to continue mixing once it's bubbly and foaming on the top," says Marshall.

Once the yeast is proofed and ready to go, it's time to finish the pretzel dough. Turn on the mixer, and then gradually add in the flour. First, start with two cups, add the salt and vegetable oil, and continue to mix. Keep adding the remaining flour until the dough begins to form. "You don't want the dough to be too sticky, so keep adding flour until you reach a good consistency," says Marshall.

Once the dough has formed, turn the speed up on your mixer and allow it to knead the dough and pull the dough away from the sides. Knead the dough for three minutes.

After kneading, the dough will be ready for proofing. Keep the dough in the bowl, and set it aside to proof for at least 30 minutes. It should double in size at this point. "It's best to leave it in a warm spot or cover it with a dish towel to create warmth," adds Marshall. As the dough proofs, preheat the oven to 425 degrees and cut your hot dogs in half so they're prepped.

Once the dough is ready, transfer it to a floured surface and cut it into equal-sized sections. Using your hands, roll out long ropes of dough. Hold one piece of hot dog in one hand, and use the other hand to wrap the pretzel dough rope around the meat. Once it has been wrapped around the hot dog about three times, push the end of the dough into the wrapped dough and remove any excess. "You'll want to make sure you push the dough together so it doesn't come apart," says Marshall. Repeat this step until all of the hot dogs are wrapped.

One of the most important steps to making soft pretzels, or making pretzels in the form of mini pretzel dogs, is to give the dough a water bath. "This is what gives the pretzels that golden, chewy exterior," says Marshall.

Add three cups of warm water into a large pot, and then stir in the baking soda. While the water is warm, put all of the pretzel dogs in the pot and dunk them down in the liquid. Once bathed, remove the pretzel dogs from the pot and put them on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper.

After the mini pretzel dogs have had their bath, it's time to bake! To be sure you get that nice, golden crust on the exterior, add an egg yolk into a small bowl and whisk it with one tablespoon of water. Use a brush to gently brush the egg wash over top of each pretzel dog, and then sprinkle the tops with salt.

Once prepped, bake the mini pretzel dogs in the oven for five to seven minutes. Remove the pretzel dogs once they're golden brown and allow them to cool slightly before serving with mustard or any other sauce of your choice.