Pretzel Dogs

Just so happened that I had half a batch of pizza bread in my freezer along with some organic chicken hot dogs, I got on managers special at Kroger, and when life hands you those two things, don't hesitate one bit, make Pretzel Hot Dogs!! For some reason, P and I both really like chewy bread. When you boil dough, it makes chewy bread! Pretzels are made this way, as well as bagels and neither of us are disappointed when I pull dough out of boiling water.
Back a long long time ago, at the infamous place P and I actually met and I worked, we served a sandwich that was made, not from fresh bread, called a "cafe sandwich". I was almost embarrassed every time someone would order it because I knew (being the bread baker) that this was the only kind of sandwich we served that the bread actually came out of the freezer already made and not fresh at all. The bread was toasted of course because it came halfway baked. It was a dense, chewy, unappetizing (at least to me!) loaf of chewiness! Just so happens that was P's absolute favorite sandwich and not long after he discovered it, the company got rid of those type of sandwiches! haha He would rave over that bread like you wouldn't believe. I guess it doesn't take but a chewy hockey puck to please him in the bread department!
Anyway...
I loved that the pretzel dogs were not only SO easy to make, they were a nice meal that I could make quite a few and it would last us for more than a couple of days. And believe me, they weren't chewy hockey puck dogs! We had a really yummy broccoli salad to accompany! I think this meal will be one I put on my "when we have kids" list. It definitely seemed kid friendly :).

Pretzel Hot Dogs
recipe adapted from Fake Ginger

Ingredients:
1 batch pizza dough
1 packages of organic chicken hot dogs (or any hot dog really!)
10 cups water
1/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt (or kosher salt), for topping
 
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper with non-stick spray. Set aside.
2. In a large pot, bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a roiling boil.
3. Place the dough on a greased surface, and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope, roughly 12 inches long. Carefully wrap each piece around a hot dog. Pinch the ends together to seal the dough.
4. Boil the pretzel dogs, in the baking soda water for 30 seconds each. Using a slotted spatula, remove each pretzel dog from the water and place it on a drying rack to allow any extra baking soda mixture to drip off.
5. Place the boiled pretzel dogs back on a parchment lined baking sheets. 
6. Brush with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with pretzel or kosher salt.
7. Bake until golden brown, roughly 14 to 15 minutes. Transfer pretzel dogs to a cooling rack for a few minutes before serving.