Now that grilling season is here I am dreaming of that first, delicious hot dog cooked outside. I am lucky to have a high quality grill pan so I can enjoy the taste of summer all year round but I will admit that as good as it is, there is nothing like grilling with real charcoal. I made some pretzel hot dog buns for the first hot dogs of the season. It’s worth it.

I found this Pretzel Hot Dog Bun recipe on Food Network.

Hot Dog Pretzel Buns

Makes 12

1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 packet active dry yeast
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 small cloves garlic, grated
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup bread flour
1/2 cup baking soda
Pretzel salt or coarse ground sea salt, for sprinkling

In a small saucepan, heat the milk, 1/2 cup water, sugar and honey to 105 to 110 degrees F.
Add to the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over water mixture and wait for at least 10 to 15 minutes until the blooms.
In a separate saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and garlic and cook until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
Combine the all-purpose flour and bread flour in a mixing bowl. Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the blooming yeast, and then stir in the melted butter/garlic mixture.
Mix on medium speed until the dough comes together and is smooth and elastic in texture and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, 5 to 7 minutes.
Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board and form into a ball. Cut into 4 equal pieces, and then cut those in half to form 8 equal pieces.
Using your hands, roll each piece into a ball and place onto a prepared baking sheet.
Cover with a dish cloth and let rest in a warm place for to 15 minutes. Once rested, lightly dust your work surface again and roll the balls into 7-inch logs. Place onto the other prepared baking sheet, cover, place back in the warm spot and let rest for an additional 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Place one oven rack high and one low.
Line 2 more baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
In a large pot, bring 8 cups water to a boil, and then add the baking soda.
In batches, place the buns in the water and cook for 30 seconds on each side.
Using a slotted spatula, remove the logs and place onto the prepared baking sheets.
Sprinkle the logs with pretzel salt as they come out of the water, to ensure the salt sticks. Then cut 3 deep, diagonal slits on top of bread.
Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, rotating racks halfway through the cooking.
Cool on a wire rack.

How Were the Pretzel Hot Dog Buns?

They are slightly sweet and do taste very much like a pretzel. I found that the pretzel hot dog buns freeze beautifully and don’t take too long to thaw. You can easily pop one or two in a toaster oven to heat them up if desired.

I enjoyed one with a hot dog and some homemade ketchup and it was a perfect foil for the little bit of spice in the frankfurter. The hubby always piles on when he eats a hot dog; he had homemade relish, sauerkraut, and chopped onions.

If you are having a both hot dogs and hamburgers, I also have a recipe for pretzel hamburger buns! It’s slightly different but also makes a very good bun.

All Amazon purchase links are affiliate links which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you)