Pretzel Dogs (better than the mall)

Tony and I had Monday off together again.  We did a few household choirs and spent some time together watching James Bond.  Hubby's favorite.  I made pretzel dogs for lunch.  They turned out AMAZING!  They were warm and soft. The recipe makes 12, but there was no way the the three of us could eat that many, so I made 8 and made the rest of the dough into bites.Tony loved them so much he wants the rest for dinner!! I am sure I will be making these again soon.  Better than the pretzel place at the mall, and waaaaay less expensive !!

Soft Pretzel Dogs

I Found this great recipe at Katrina's Kitchen

Ingredients:

�        1 package active dry yeast (approx. 2 � teaspoons)

�        2 Tablespoons brown sugar

�        1 � teaspoons salt

�        1 � cups warm water (110- 115 degrees F)

�        4 cups flour

       12 hot dogs (I used 8 and made the rest of the dough into pretzel bites)

�        2 cups water

�        2 tablespoons baking soda

�        2 � 3 Tablespoons melted butter

�        Coarse Kosher Salt (optional)

Directions:

1.   In the bowl of your mixer (fitted with dough hook) dissolve yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Mix until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl. Cover, and let rise for one hour.

2.   After dough has risen, cut into 12 pieces. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Roll each piece into a 2 foot rope.

3.   In a large saucepan, bring water and baking soda to a simmer over medium heat.

4.   Roll your dough around the hot dogs and dip into the baking soda solution for about 20-30 seconds. Place on parchment covered (or greased) baking sheets, and let rise 15-20 minutes.

5.   I had 8 hot dogs and made the rest into pretzel bites.

  6.   Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with course salt. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8 -10         minutes, or until golden brown. Mine took about 12 minutes, I wanted to make sure they were cooked through.