Recipe: Lit’l Smokies Mini Pretzel Hot Dogs

In your mixer bowl add the water, sugar & yeast. Mix them together. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes until it foams.

Add in the flour, salt & butter. Using the mixer’s dough hook mix the ingredients on low until just combined. Up the speed to medium & continue to mix until the dough pulls away from the sides. You can also do this by hand & knead the dough for about 10 minutes.

Coat another bowl with some oil or butter. Transfer the dough to this bowl, roll it around in the oiled bowl. This is where the magic happens. Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap. Let the dough sit for one hour in a warm, dry place. I heated my oven to 100 degrees F, turned off the heat & put my dough bowl in there.

If your pretzel dough was in the oven be sure to remove it. Pre heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper. Transfer the dough to a work surface. Cut the dough with a knife into the equally sized pieces you will need for the hot dogs (should be between 30 to 36 pieces.)

Make a 10 inch snake shape with each piece. I worked one at a time, would be great to have a helper at this step! Flatten each “snake” with your fingers and start rolling the hot dog up with the dough. Be sure the dough completely wraps around each hot dog & that the ends are sealed well. Trim off any extra dough at the ends. Repeat this with each dog.

Boil the water mixture in a large soup pot. With a slotted spoon, carefully place 4-5 pretzel dogs in the water for 30 seconds each. Remove them & place them one inch apart on the baking sheets.

Once all the pretzel dogs have been boiled. Brush each with the egg mixture & sprinkle with some salt.

Bake for about 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving. I had no leftover dough, but if you do make some fun shapes & bake those!