Happy Life, Happy Wife

I’m not gonna lie and say this is a quick and easy recipe, because it isn’t.  Well, it isn’t hard, but it’s definitely time consuming!  Bagel dogs have been on my “to do” list for awhile now.  Each night I would drive home from work with the intention of making them for dinner, and then I’d remember that for some reason Shane likes to eat dinner before 11:30pm.  Crazy, right?

So these had to wait until I finally got a free weekend — and here they are!  *Insert self-compliment here* I’m actually pretty proud of them because I think they look awesome for a first attempt!

While we were enjoying the finished product, Shane said, “I really like these pretzel dogs.”  To which I promptly replied, “Ummm… they’re bagel dogs… helllllooooo….”  (But after that all I could taste was soft pretzel)

So what is the difference between a bagel and a soft pretzel?  Besides the obvious answer (their shape), I couldn’t really figure it out.  I think that bagels are usually made with more salt in the water and soft pretzels have more baking soda?  Or maybe it was just that I chose to use salt as the topping, which must automatically turn it into a pretzel?  I don’t know!  Someone please enlighten me.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water (110 degrees F)
• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 3 Tbsp granulated white sugar
• 3 tsp table salt
• 5 to 5 ½ cups AP flour
• 12 hot dogs
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg yolk
• Coarse sea salt for garnish

Required Equipment:

1. Mixer (with paddle and dough hook attachments)
2. Kitchen towel
3. Large, heavy pot
4. Baking sheets
5. Parchment paper
6. Pizza cutter

Directions:

1. Pour the water into  a mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast over top.  Let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy.  Stir in the sugar and salt.
2. Turn the mixer on medium speed (using the paddle attachment) and gradually add flour.  You should end up with a stiff dough.
3. Change your mixer to the dough hook and knead thoroughly until smooth and elastic.
4. Lightly grease a bowl.  Form the dough into a ball and place in bowl, turning once to grease all sides.  Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for about an hour (until doubled in size).
5. Punch the dough down and knead briefly.
6. Lightly flour a board or your (clean) counter, and then turn the dough out onto the floured surface.  Used a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12×9 inch rectangle (should be about ¼ inch thick).  *Add flour as needed to prevent sticking*
7. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the dough into 12 1-inch strips.
8. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
9. Remove hot dogs from the refrigerator and dry thoroughly.  Wrap the dough around the hot dog, overlapping the edges slightly.  Place, seam side down, on the baking sheet and then cover loosely with the kitchen towel and let stand for 30-45 minutes.
10. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
11. Using a deep, heavy pot, fill with water and add the baking soda.  Bring to a gentle boil.
12. Working 2 bagels at a time, carefully place them in the water, turning frequently for about a minute.  Lift out of water with a large, slotted spoon, dry gently, and arrange at least 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
13. In a small bowl, lightly beat 1 egg yolk with 1 Tbsp water.  Brush the bagels with the egg wash and then sprinkle on your salt garnish.
14. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until brown.
15. Transfer to a wire rack for cooling – Serve warm.

Notes:

• If you’re rolling the dought out on the counter, be very careful when using the cutter on it so you don’t damage the surface.  I rolled mine out on the counter and then just slid a cutting board under it for the slicing.
• Short, stubby hot dogs don’t work as well.
• The dough will be incredibly sticky when you remove it from the boiling water.  If it starts to unwind a bit like mine did, carefully re-wrap the dough around the hot dog.  It’s super hot – don’t burn yourself!