Monday, February 3, 2014

Underdog Dogs: Mini Pretzel Dogs

I love underdogs.

Underdog Dogs: Mini Pretzel Dogs

I especially love cheering for the underdog. I am a sucker for sports movies, because it's usually an underdog overcoming great adversities to win the game in the end. It makes me feel like if this kid who lost his left leg in a freak tractor accident can go on to get a prosthetic leg and jump the highest at the pole vaulting world championship, then I can sure get up every morning and face the world.

It reminds me that even though life isn't fair, sometimes the nice guy comes out on top.

Rolling it up

And I'm really looking forward to cheering for the underdog when the Sochi Olympics start this Friday. Can we say Jamaican bobsled team, people?!

I especially love this recipe, because it reminds me of the underdog.

They're unassuming, because they're mini. 

Putting them together

But they pack a real punch.

They will surprise you too--they will disappear quickly and everyone loves them.

You will be the hero of your next party, I promise.

Golden, delicious Underdog Dogs!

Underdog Dogs: Mini Pretzel Dogs
Adapted from Joy the Baker recipe

Ingredients:
1 package of 8 hotdogs
1 1/2 c warm water
1 tbsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
22 ounces flour
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

14 c water
1 c baking soda

1 egg, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated cheese

Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add water and stir in sugar to dissolve. Sprinkle the yeast in the water and mix for a few seconds with a spoon. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Yeast will get foamy. If not, your yeast is probably dead; you'll need to start over.

Add flour, salt, and butter to your yeast mixture. Mix on low till all the ingredients are incorporated. Increase to medium speed and knead for about 4 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and oil it. Replace dough in the bowl and cover for about an hour or till dough has doubled in size.

After about an hour, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Spray your baking sheet generously with cooking spray. Oiled parchment paper works too, but I found that I sometimes had bits of paper stuck to my pretzel dogs if I didn't oil it up well enough.

To a large stockpot, add the baking soda to the water. Put this mixture on to boil as you start working on the dough.

Remove dough and on a lightly oiled surface, roll out the dough till about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into strips. Halve the hotdogs. With each dough strip, wrap a half hot dog, sealing the ends by pinching the dough.

When the water/baking soda mixture is boiling, add 4 pretzel dogs to the pot for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate, then transfer to the baking sheet.

Brush each pretzel dog with egg and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper, coarse salt, and/or grated cheese. Bake in the oven for 13-15 minutes till golden brown.

The Underdog Dogs are best served the day of baking. If you are packing it for lunch the next day, microwave your pretzel dog for about 30 seconds and you're all set!

Enjoy!

6 comments:

  1. Ohh that looks so good! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I am totally going to make those and Aaron will be so happy!

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  2. These were great! Our first go at boiling dough wasn't so great, so we were a bit afraid to try. But these were perfect. The entire family thanks you.

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    1. I'm glad it worked for you too! We were worried ourselves, but it worked and I felt like I could open a pretzel shop!

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  3. thought i'd tell you that we used this dough recipe again to make some stuffed pretzel bites (since we were feeling a bit confident) this morning. however, stuffing them proved really time-consuming. they were just as good as plain little pretzel bites! thanks again!

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    1. Hmm...what did you stuff them with? Now I gotta try just plain pretzel bites! With some sauces! Thanks for the great idea.

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    2. We put chopped jalapeno and cheese in one batch and nutella in another. I love the spicy jalapenos, but the nutella was just too messy!

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