This post may contain affiliate links. Read disclosure policy
This pretzel dogs recipe is an Auntie Anne’s copycat featuring a simple homemade pretzel dough wrapped around juicy hot dogs and baked!
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
I made lunch. Then I ate it.
That’s about the end of that story.
Except for, you know, the part where I cried tears of joy because these pretzel dogs were ridiculous in all the right ways. They even made it to the Buns In My Oven Favorites Category!
While I love all of the recipes that I share with you, the Favorite Recipes section is where you’ll find the best of the best, those recipes that I make for my family as often as I can get away with!
Don’t be too intimidated by this recipe – it does look like a lot of steps, but it’s pretty straightforward and we think it’s totally worth the effort.
Working with yeast is one of my favorite things. If you also enjoy that, check out our one hour dinner rolls! A total family favorite!
Ingredient Notes:
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate and member of other qualifying programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Hot Dogs – You can use any variety of hot dogs that you’d like for this recipe. All beef, pork, or whatever mix you like will work but I’d stick to using the regular sized and not jumbo sized hot dogs for this.
Pretzel Dough – You’ll prepare this homemade pretzel dough using flour, active dry yeast, warm water, sugar, kosher salt, and butter.
Baking Soda Water – This is just water mixed with baking soda. The baking soda is going to help add that deep brown pretzel color and crispy texture when baking!
Egg – Before baking the pretzel dogs you’ll brush them with an egg yolk and water mixture. It’ll help hold the salt in place and add a deeper golden color.
Pretzel Salt – This is my favorite part of a pretzel! You’ll sprinkle this on after applying the egg wash. Use as much or as little as you like! Kosher salt works just fine, too.
What Readers are Saying!
“WOW! These are amazing! My 9-year-old made these (with some help) for dinner tonight and I’m trying not to eat the whole batch. The only thing we did differently from the recipe was to use a Silpat for baking. They turned out wonderful.” – Glynis
How to Make Pretzel Dogs:
Yeast: To begin you’ll need to activate the dry yeast by combining warm water and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and then sprinkling the yeast on top. It’ll take about 5 minutes or so for it to begin foaming.
Pretzel Dough: When the yeast is ready add the flour, salt, and butter to the bowl and mix on low speed with a dough hook until well combined.
Next, increase the speed to medium and knead until the pretzel dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It may take about 4 to 5 minutes of mixing.
Cover: When the pretzel dough is ready remove it from the stand mixer bowl and place it into a clean, oiled bowl.
Cover it up with some plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Prepare: Mix 10 cups of water with the baking soda and bring to a boil. While the water heats separate the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll the pieces and stretch them into ropes about 12″ long.
You’ll also want to start preheating the oven now. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and brush it with oil.
Wrap: Now you can start wrapping the hot dogs with the pretzel dough! Wrap one piece of dough around each hot dog leaving just a bit of each end uncovered. Press the ends together to seal the dough in place.
Boil: When the baking soda water has come to a rolling boil start boiling the pretzel dogs, one at a time, for 30 seconds each. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water to the prepared cookie sheet.
Brush: In a small bowl beat together egg yolk and water and then start brushing the tops of each pretzel dog with the mix. Finally, sprinkle the pretzel salt over the top of each one after brushing.
Bake: To finish up place the sheet with the pretzel dogs into the oven and bake until they are a dark golden brown pretzel color. It should take approximately 12 to 14 minutes.
Transfer the pretzel dogs to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving. You’re going to need some dipping sauce too, and I’d strongly recommend my homemade honey mustard sauce to go with this recipe! Other favorites include ketchup and mustard, cream cheese (sounds weird, but try it!), and our Carolina BBQ sauce! This Chick-Fil-A sauce or homemade ranch dressing would also be tasty!
FAQs:
A quick boil of the pretzel dough in baking soda water gives it the characteristic golden brown color and crispy exterior with chewy interior that makes pretzels so popular! That, and the salt.
They’re similar except you’re taking the extra step of boiling the pretzel dogs in baking soda water to give it that golden brown pretzel look and crispy, crackly exterior. Try out my air fryer pigs in a blanket recipe if that’s what you are looking for!
Yes, but if you are planning to do so you’ll want to skip adding the egg wash and pretzel salt. See the tips & notes section in the recipe card below for more info on freezing.
MORE HOT DOG RECIPES!
- Hot Dog Chili
- Chili Dog Casserole
- Air Fryer Hot Dogs
- Cajun Andouille Hot Dog
- Fried Green Tomato and Pimento Cheese Hot Dogs
- Mac and Cheese Dogs
- Corn Dog Bites
Pretzel Dogs
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup warm water 110 to 115 degrees F
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 cups water
- 2/3 cup baking soda
- 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- Pretzel salt
- 8 hot dogs
Instructions
- Combine the water and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let set for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.
- Add the flour, butter, and salt and mix on low speed using the dough hook until well combined. Increase to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and place in a clean, oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and brush with the vegetable oil.
- Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in a large, deep pan.
- In the meantime, separate the dough into 8 equal pieces. Use your hands to roll and stretch the pieces of dough into ropes, about 12 inches long.
- Wrap one piece of dough around each hot dog, leaving just a bit of the dog peeking out at the ends. Press the ends of the dough together to hold in place.
- Place the pretzels, one at a time, into the boiling water for 30 seconds.
- Remove them from the water using a slotted spoon. Return to the prepared cookie sheet, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt.
- Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Pamela Watkins says
Pretty good, but not as good as Aunt Anne’s.
Think the recipe made a little too much dough for 8 hot dogs. I could have gotten 12 out of it.
Lovneet Singh says
2/3 “cup” of baking soda? You sure??
Karly says
Yep. The baking soda is added to the boiling water, it’s not mixed in with the dough.
Katie says
This recipe was great! Although my dough did not rise (I am new to baking at all) it still tastes great. Also, made the recipe vegan by just using vegan hot dogs! Thanks for the recipe!
KB says
When you take out of freezer, do you need to defrost first, and then egg wash and put in oven?
Karly says
You bake while still frozen.