Pretzel dogs are an airport delicacy for me, and every time I eat one, I feel instantly transported to LaGuardia Airport, where I first had one many years ago. (I wonder if any cookbook author has ever associated something delicious with LaGuardia Airport? This may be a first.) The truth is, pretzel dogs are so easy to make at home, and the results are eve better than what you’ll get at LaGuardia! I’m not sure if that is a comfort or not, haha. You do have to remember to thaw the frozen dinner rolls overnight in the fridge, but once they’re thawed out, the process really does move quickly! And the quantity is limited only by the number of hot dogs and frozen dinner rolls you have on hand. Great for teenagers and middle-agers alike!
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 35 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 6 pretzel dogs |
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 6 frozen dinner roll dough balls, thawed, at room temperature
- 6 hot dogs
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pretzel salt
- Heavenly Maple Mustard, recipe follows, for serving
- Refrigerator Pickles, recipe follows, for serving
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup grainy brown mustard or Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 English cucumbers
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 green onions, white parts only, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2/3 cup white wine vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Mist a sheet pan with cooking spray. Bring a 4-quart pot of water to a boil.
- Roll one dinner roll into a long skinny roll about twice the length of the hot dogs you’re using.
- Starting at one end and tucking in the open end of the dough to start, coil the dough around the hot dog, being careful not to pull the dough too tight.
- Leave the end of the hot dog exposed and tuck in the other end of the dough.
- Repeat to roll up the rest of the hot dogs in dough.
- Slowly add the baking soda to the boiling water. (Don’t add it too fast or the water could boil over. Don’t ask me how I know this.)
- One by one, lower a wrapped hot dog into the water and let it boil for 30 seconds, carefully moving it around the water so that it boils evenly. (If the dough comes loose on one end, no worries! You can fix it after it comes out of the water.)
- Remove the hot dog to the prepared sheet pan and repeat with the rest.
- Brush the dough with the beaten egg and sprinkle on some pretzel salt.
- Bake the pretzel dogs until the surface is deep golden like a pretzel, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Serve with Heavenly Maple Mustard and Refrigerator Pickles on the side!
- In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise and mustard. Add the maple syrup, the paprika and the salt. Stir until everything is mixed together. Then transfer the mixture to a half-pint jar and screw on the lid. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks!
- Slice the cucumbers about 1/8 inch thick. (Use a v-slicer or mandoline if you prefer!)
- In a 1-quart mason jar, layer a few cucumber slices, a little of the dill, some of the mustard seeds and a little of the green onion.
- Continue layering the ingredients, pressing and packing everything as you go.
- Add the salt and the vinegar and top it off with cold water until it covers the ingredients. Screw on the lid tightly. Then turn the jar over a few times to mix.
- Refrigerate for at least 8 hours before using. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 999 |
| Total Fat | 41 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 126 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Sugar | 21 g |
| Protein | 30 g |
| Cholesterol | 61 mg |
| Sodium | 4760 mg |