Who doesn't love a good hot dog? Make them even better wrapped in a salted bread dough. Serve them with mustard or favorite condiments.
1½ c. warm water (110 - 115 degrees F)
1 T. sugar
2 t. salt **
1 package (1 scant T.) active dry yeast
4½ c. all-purpose flour
¼ c. unsalted butter, melted (or salted butter, (decrease the 2 teaspoons of salt a bit**)
vegetable oil, for pan
10 c. water
2/3 c. baking soda
2 T. butter (regular or unsalted), melted
coarse sea salt or Kosher salt, for sprinkling
8 very good quality hot dogs
mustard, for dipping
Combine water, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer; let sit for 5 minutes or until mixture begins to foam. Add flour, salt, and butter; combine with a spoon or the paddle until it starts to come together. Switch to the dough hook; mix with the dough hook on low speed until well combined.
Change to medium speed; knead until dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 - 5 minutes. A bit more flour may need to be added, but be aware that this is a pretty soft dough. You should be able to touch it without it being impossible to get off your fingers.
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl; cover; let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size. It could be placed in an oven that has been turned to about 170 degrees (warm) for about a minute, then turned off.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; lightly brush with vegetable oil; set aside.
In a large pot, bring 10 cups of water and baking soda to a rolling boil.
Meanwhile, knead down the dough; turn it out onto a slightly floured work surface; divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a rope about 20 - 24 inches long, depending on the size of the hot dogs.
Starting at one end, wrap the dough around the hot dog, pinching each end together so that it's sealed. Place onto the prepared pan; repeat with remaining dough and hot dogs.
Place pretzel dogs into the boiling water 2 at a time; boil for 30 seconds; remove them from the water using a large flat slotted spatula. Return the boiled pretzel dogs to the pan; brush tops with melted butter; sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake until dark golden brown in color, about 12 - 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes. Serve with mustard or favorite condiments, if desired.
Tip: Any extra dough can be shaped into dinner rolls. Cut a slit in the tops, let rise for another 20-30 minutes, boil, and bake at 450 degrees until golden.