Cheddar Pretzel Hot Dogs
These Cheddar Pretzel Hot Dogs are wrapped in soft pretzel dough and covered with shredded cheese. Talk about a tasty way to bake up a hot dog!
I have a confession to make. I put cheese on my hot dogs. I know that’s not very common at all, but I just love cheese. I also love hot dogs. So there ya have it. Cheese on a hot dog. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!
A good grilled hot dog is hard to beat, and during the summer months, we grill hot dogs on a regular basis. I recently stumbled across a Harris Poll survey that found grilling is indeed America’s favorite way of cooking hot dogs (63%). However, I raised at an eyebrow at the 12% who steam hot dogs and the 9% who prefer the microwave over the grill. Another 8% prefer to pan-fry their hot dogs. I mean a microwave is nice and easy…but using a microwave to cook hot dogs? I’ll stick with my grill!
Cheddar Pretzel Hot Dogs
Cheddar Pretzel Hot DogsNow as much as I love my grill, I went a bit off script with these Cheddar Pretzel Hot Dogs. Using an oven to bake these hot dogs puts me squarely into that 8% ‘other’ category above. I’m ok with that. After all, you’ve got hot dogs wrapped in a soft pretzel and covered with shredded cheddar cheese. Add in some good mustard for dipping, and you’ve got one heck of a fun meal!
Have you ever made soft pretzels at home? If you answered no, then I challenge you to make a batch. I know baking with yeast can be scary, but pretzels are truthfully one of the easiest yeasted recipes to make. The dough doesn’t need to rise as long as other bread doughs, and the pretzels don’t need to bake as long as other breads (just 12 minutes).
Time for a quick science lesson! Don’t skip out on the baking soda bath before you toss those pretzels in the hot oven. The baking soda bath might seem a little strange, but there’s actually some science going on while those pretzels soak in the bathtub. The baking soda bath increases the pH level on the outside of the dough. This in turn leads to nice golden brown color once those pretzels go into a hot oven. Without that baking soda bath, you essentially have a breadstick instead of a pretzel. See? There’s science in everything…even pretzels!
If you’re looking for a fun way to mix things up, try your hand at these Cheddar Pretzel Hot Dogs. They’re great for game nights with friends or just a quiet Netflix night on the couch. Enjoy!
Did you make a batch of these Cheddar Pretzel Hot Dogs at home? Leave a comment! Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog).
Looking for more fun pretzel ideas? Check out these other favorites:
Classic Soft Pretzels
Pretzel Crust Pizza
Homemade Pretzel Rolls
Garlic Butter Pretzel Twists
Strawberry Pretzel Pie
Cheddar Pretzel Hot Dogs
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ Tbsp brown sugar
- 2¼ tsp active dry yeast
- ¾ cup + 2 Tbsp warm water
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
For the Soaker
- 2 cups boiling water
- ¼ cup baking soda
For the Pretzel Dogs
- 8 hotdogs
- ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 Tbsp butter melted
- coarse salt
- mustard for serving
Instructions
- Using a countertop mixer, combine all of the dough ingredients (flour, salt, brown sugar, yeast, warm water and shredded cheese). Mix on medium speed for 6 minutes.
- Transfer dough to an oiled bowl. Cover and place in a warm location for 30 minutes. (Note: I usually just put the covered bowl in the oven with the oven light on.)
- Meanwhile, prepare the Soaker by combining the boiling water with the baking soda. Mix until baking soda is fully dissolved, and set aside to cool.
- Divide dough into (8) equal pieces; roll each piece of dough into a 20-22” rope.
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Starting with one end of a hot dog, wrap dough around hot dog.
- Place pretzel dogs in the Soaker mixture for 2 minutes (spoon water over the top of the pretzel if it is not fully covered by the water). Transfer the pretzels to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt, and allow the pretzels to rest for 10 minutes uncovered. (Tip: Spray the parchment paper with non-stick spray first. This will help keep the pretzels from sticking to the paper.)
- Sprinkle tops of pretzel dogs with shredded cheese.
- Bake at 450°F for 10-12 minutes, or until pretzel dogs are golden brown in color.
- Remove pretzel dogs from oven and brush with melted butter.
- Serve with mustard for dipping.
Microwaving hot dogs??? No, grilling any day! Also, cheddar and pretzels AND hotdogs. Wow, the kid in me just wants to chow down!
Tell me about it, Matt! Microwaving a hot dog just seems wrong. Truthfully, I felt a little wrong using the oven here, but I had that pretzel dough that needed baking. Either way, this is one heck of a delicious hot dog! Cheesy, pretzel-y goodness for the win! 🙂
I’ve never even heard of microwaving hot dogs! A microwaved hot dog sounds incredibly unappealing. But a pretzel-wrapped hot dog sounds awesome! And I love the addition of cheese!
I know, right? Microwaving hot dogs just shouldn’t be allowed. I was shocked that 9% prefer microwave over grill! I mean the grill takes longer, but still. Either way, the pretzel-y, cheesy goodness going on with these hot dogs is my kinda talk! 🙂
David, somehow you always know exactly what I want to eat! These look so good! I can’t even tell you how crazy my kids would go over these!
Grilling has always been my favorite way of cooking hot dogs. Gonna have to rethink that though after these baked ones!
Haha! I think we just share similar tastes, Kelly! I swear I say the same thing whenever I see one of your new posts, too. 🙂
So while I feel wrong advocating oven over grilling (especially in the summer), these pretzel dogs are pretty darned amazing! Of course, when it comes to ‘regular’ hot dogs, it’s grill all the way for me!
Cheese on a hot dog is the BEST!
(I didn’t even know it wasn’t that common… but I always do it! haha 🙂 )
These look super fantastic, David! I know all of my friends would love this – they would be perfect for a movie night 🙂
I’m right there with ya, Alexandra. I grew up eating cheese on my hot dogs and hamburgers alike, so I didn’t know that other folks usually omit cheese on hot dogs. You know what, though? Even knowing that it’s a bit strange, I still put cheese on my hot dogs! So there. 🙂
And you make a great point about these for a movie night. I might need to plan one of those soon. I’ve been wanting to go back and watch The Sting again. Either that or Coming to America. You know, just to keep it classy. Haha!
Rules are meant to be broken, and food rules are even more fun to (occasionally) break. For instance, it’s considered that seafood pasta and cheese ain’t a good combination, but it does taste good to me. And hotdogs? In fact, I’m surprised hotdogs and cheese rarely go together; it should be a common recipe! I’ve elevated hot dogs to a more elegant level, David. I wouldn’t mind having one or two…dozens 🙂
Yes! You make an excellent point, Ben. Who says you can’t put cheese on hot dogs? That’s a rule that was made to be broken! If it tastes good to you, then do it! I’ve gotta say that the cheesy, pretzel-y goodness of these hot dogs is quite the combination of flavors. I could eat a couple dozen myself, too. Haha!
these look delicious david. i’ve only ever had a few hot dogs in my life but these look superior:-) and i think cheese is a great idea. Yes it is a very useful thing to have some science knowledge when cooking. cheers sherry
Homemade pretzels are truly amazing, and I was in awe the first time I made ’em here at home. I was like “Holy cow, I made those!” It’s fun to know the science going on behind the scenes with baking. I find that stuff fascinating! Thanks, Sherry!
Lil Shashi adds to the number of those people who like their dogs microwaved rather than grilled – and that leaves me shaking my head! Though I’m thinking if I had to choose between a microwaved dog or a cheesed one… hmmm… 🙂 While the thought of cheese on a hot dog has me befuddled, the thought of jam on a Chik Fil A fried chicken biscuit had me similarly befuddled until I tried it one day and then I was sold … so we might have to stop by your place this weekend when we are in NYC and sample a few of these and then I’ll let ya know?
What!? I was thinking that survey must have been lying…but then Lil S proved me wrong. Now I’ve gotta shake my head. I think we need to shake some sense into her! 🙂 The cheesy, pretzely goodness of these hot dogs is definitely worth making the trip upstate. Let me know when you’ll arrive, and I’ll have a batch waiting for you! (Don’t worry, we can just microwave Lil Shashi’s…haha.)
These look fun and fabulous! We were at the Bronx Zoo (an incredible zoo) and I had not one but two hot dogs. They were certainly not microwaved. But no cheese was offered, which surprised me.
Yeah, I don’t think cheese would be a customary option for a good street dog. However, that isn’t going to stop me here at home! I’ll add my cheese. And I’ll add my pretzel dough, too. Haha! Thanks so much, Mimi…and enjoy that trip to NYC! 🙂
Cheese on hot dog not being very common? David! I gotta have cheese! I’m right there with ya, my friend! Granted, I haven’t had an old school hot dog in a bazillion years, but recently I had a vegan (just because I enjoy them) one and slathered it with cheese….and sometimes I’ll do Cheez Whiz (yep, can’t stop, won’t stop 🙂 ). These cheddar pretzel hot dogs look like a real treat! Pinned! Hope you’re having an awesome week!
Tell me about it! If there is a chance cheese can be involved, then I need cheese to be involved. 🙂 Add in a good hot dog and a pretzel “bun” and I’ve got everything I need right there! Thanks, Dawn!
I’m a grilled dog person all the way. My husband will sometimes boil them! Yuck! That’s just wrong. These cheesy dogs look a-okay to me! I love the cheddar pretzel you’ve wrapped them in!
I’m with you 110% here, Kathy! Grilling over boiling every.single.day. The grill just brings so much flavor! But I do have to admit the oven worked well here…mainly because of the pretzel dough and cheddar cheese. 🙂 Thanks so much, my friend!
Confession time: I have a weakness for corn dogs and these totally remind me of what I love about them. These are SO happening this summer!
Yes! I totally love a good corn dog, too…especially dipped in brown mustard. Yum! These pretzel dogs are absolutely right up the same line as corn dogs. And I recommend a good mustard for these, too. 🙂 Thanks, Marissa!
I actually love cheese on my hot dogs, too. Or even in them. If you’ve ever been to Vienna (where I lived for a couple of years) you may have tried one of the very favorite local forms of ‘hot dog’, the Kasewurst, or Cheese Wurst. The cheese is on the inside, and it oozes richness as you bit into it. Delicious stuff!
Vienna is still on our list, so I can’t say I’ve tried the Cheese Wurst yet. But you better believe that will be on the list whenever we make our way there! It sounds like those cheese-stuffed sausages that you can get in the store…I love putting those on the grill and watching the cheese ooze out. Yum!! 🙂
Oh I love hot dogs. And yes grilling is definitely the best way in my opinion! But you know, after reading this I think I’d be willing to give oven baked a go. This recipe looks fun and simple too. Thanks David!
I felt like I was cheating on my grill here, Neil. But that pretzel dough and cheesy goodness totally makes up for that. 🙂 These pretzel dogs really are quite tasty! Thanks, my friend!
My kiddos will DEVOUR these!
I think I’m just a big kid at heart as I totally devoured these myself, too. Thanks so much, Melissa! 🙂
Can I prep ahead of time ad freeze these? As a singleton, I only eat one, maybe two max, but I hate to labour for so small a product. I need to know if I can store my laborious effort.
Hey there, Karyn! I totally understand your point of view here. I haven’t tried freezing this exact recipe, but I do know you can freeze pretzel dough by placing it in an airtight container in the freezer. I would think you could totally make these hot dogs, place them in an air tight container and then freeze. I would recommend stopping and freezing after Step 6 in the recipe. Then I would just thaw them back out overnight in the refrigerator. From there, proceed with Step 7 (baking soda bath). Let me know if you give this method a shot. It should work well, but now you’ve got me curious! 🙂