Homemade Whole Wheat Pretzel dogs make this fun meal whether your watching the big game or a family movie with the kiddos. Make them small bites for an appetizer or large for a meal-on-the-go!
Whenever I bake for my kids and family, I am always trying to make it a little bit healthier – even when it isn’t consider health food. Soft pretzels are loved by all of us, but I know we shouldn’t eat too much of a good thing!
I made these whole wheat pretzel dogs for my kids when they were young. They love them now as big teenagers just as much as they did when they were little ones.
Jump to:
Recipe highlights
- Healthier: I made them a little bit more healthy so I split the flour half white flour and half whole wheat flour.
- Versatile: This recipe makes 16 big dogs that use ¼-pound hot dogs or spicy sausages. You can also use smaller hot dogs, turkey or beef.
- Family Friendly: This is a recipe that everyone in the family can agree on! It makes great picnic food, school lunches or anytime you need to grab a meal and go!
- Beginner Friendly: If you are intimidated with yeast recipes, have no fear! I break down the steps so it is easy to follow and the dough is very forgiving.
Ingredients you need
Step-by-step directions
- Hot dogs: You can use any type of hot dogs. I like using all beef Hebrew National hot dogs.
- Granulated sugar: Sugar is used to feed the yeast.
- Active dry yeast: You can also use instant yeast, which doesn’t require blooming.
- Kitchen staples: Egg and butter.
- Pantry staples: All purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, kosher salt.
Step by step directions
- Bloom the yeast. Combine warm water, sugar and kosher salt. Sprinkle yeast over the water and let sit until foamy.
- Add flour. Add in flours and melted butter. Mix until combined, then increase speed and mix until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Add water. If dough is crumbly and not holding its shape, add water 1-tablespoon at a time until it is smooth and soft. Work dough into a ball.
- Let the dough rise. Coat a large bowl with oil and add dough ball. Cover bowl with a towel and let it sit until the dough has doubled in size.
- Wrap the hot dogs. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces for ¼-pound hot dogs. Roll each piece of dough into a long rope, about 24-inches long. Wrap it around one hot dog. If the rope tears, just pinch the ends together, smooth it out and continue rolling.
Want to save this recipe?
Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week!
- Tuck the ends of each rope into the folds and place the wrapped dogs on a baking sheet, seam side down. Cover with a damp paper towel while you work.
- Parboil the hot dogs. Combine water and baking soda in a large pot and bring to boil. Boil the pretzel dogs one at a time in the hot baking soda water for 30 seconds each. Remove dogs and place back onto baking sheet.
- Brush the egg wash. Whisk together egg water. Brush each pretzel dog with egg wash and sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Bake the bagel dogs. Bake until browned then allow to cool on a cooling rack.
Recipe tips and FAQs
If you have a newer style oven, check to see if it has the ‘proof’ button on it. This was a life changer for me and my bread making skills. This is the perfect temperature for your dough to rise, but some ovens do make it too hot so pay attention to your dough.
If you want more delicious sandwich recipes, you should also try my Baked Brats in the Oven or this fabulous Chicken Caesar Club Sandwich. And if you want to try some of my other yeast bread recipes you must my olive bread with rosemary or this wonderful Azerbaijani sweet milk bread (shirin chorek).
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Store your pretzel dogs in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 7 days.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze pretzel dogs. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
You should not replace all of a recipe’s all purpose flour with whole wheat flour without making any modifications. Whole wheat flour is a bit more dry and needs more liquid than regular white flour. You can substitute half of the regular flour with whole flour in almost any baking recipe and for the most part, the recipe will turn out just fine. But if you want to completely use whole wheat flour, you will have to increase the water and fat in the recipe to keep the dough from turning into a lead weight once baked.
yeast needs warm water to bloom and will die if the water is too hot. Stick your finger in it. Does it feel warm? If you pull your finger out because you can’t keep it in the water, it’s too hot. You want the water to be warm to touch.
This is achieved by boiling the pretzel dogs first in a water bath containing baking soda. Baking soda is an alkaline ingredient. By boiling your pretzel dogs in water with baking soda, you are increasing the alkalinity on the outside of the pretzel. And by doing this, you can bake your pretzels for less time so it can brown more quickly. So wrap your dogs, tuck the ends, and boil them one by one for 30 seconds. Once boiled, they get baked in a hot 450ºF oven and turn dark without burning.
If you are enjoying my recipes, please sign up for my newsletter and get my free 28-day meal plan! You can also follow me on Instagram or Facebook.
Whole Wheat Pretzel Dogs
Ingredients
Pretzel Dog Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups water warm
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 ¼ cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter melted and cooled
Water Bath Ingredients
- 10 cups warm water
- â…” cup baking soda
- 8 hot dogs ¼-pound each
Egg Wash Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Garnish Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the hook attachment, combine 1 ½ cups warm water, sugar and kosher salt. Sprinkle yeast over the water and let sit for 5 minutes, until foamy.
- Add in flour, whole wheat flour and cooled, melted butter. Mix on low speed until combined, then increase speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes.
- If dough is crumbly and not holding shape, add water 1-tablespoon at a time until it is smooth and soft.
- Work dough into a ball. Coat a large bowl with non-stick spray or vegetable oil and place dough ball into the greased bowl.
- Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it sit in a warm place for approximately 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 450ºF.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and set aside.
- Combine remaining 10 cups water and baking soda in a large pot over high heat and bring to a rolling boil.
- In the meanwhile, place dough on a lightly greased work surface or silicone pastry mat and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a long rope, about 24-inches long.
- Wrap each rope piece around one ¼ pound hot dog.
- Tuck the ends of each rope into the folds and place the dough wrapped dogs on the prepared baking sheet, seam side down. Cover with a damp paper towel while you work.
- Boil the pretzel dogs one at a time in the hot baking soda water for 30 seconds each. Use a slotted spatula to remove from the pot and place back onto baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg and 1 tablespoon water.
- Brush each boiled pretzel dog with egg wash and sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Bake until browned, about 13-15 minutes.
- Allow pretzel dogs to cool on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.
You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my eMail list, too!
Written by Laura BasharÂ
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
I haven’t had a pretzel dog in forever but now you’re reminding me what I’ve been missing – these look so good!
They look so neat and perfect and what a special dish for the kids to help prepare. I saw on TV recently that another way to get a good crust on bread is to throw some ice cubes onto a second tray in the oven. The steam crisps up the bread apparently. I haven’t tried it yet though.
yum these look so good!! Such a healthier alternative to the corn dogs my kids are always begging for!
Laura these are absolutely amazing! What fun, creative idea. Bet my hubby would simply love these. Added them to my recipe box.
Have a great week my friend
Neat !! Looks so professional and pretty.. the rolls and the step by step pics make it seem do-able 🙂 Thanks for sharing !
These look terrific! A nice update on the classic Pigs in a Blanket! And mustard goes so well with both hot dogs and pretzels, so obviously I’d be slathering it on. Brilliant recipe – thanks.
I never thought I’d be drooling over a hot dog but you’ve done it! These are beautiful, too!!! Wow.
These whole wheat pretzel dogs look delish & amazing! Thanks for sharing your #SS recipe & thanks for the blog-visit!
Wow, this looks absolutely phenomenal! And I love that you have whole wheat in this too!
These are awesome! I make the white flour counterpart here quite often – we can’t get enough. I’ll have to give it a go w/ whole wheat flour the next time. Yum!
Fantastic recipe! I wonder what other filling can be used that wouldn´t disintegrate during boiling. Love your washing machine association!
I’ve never made homemade pretzels before, so I really liked hearing your technique. Also love that you’re incorporating more and more whole wheat!
These are GORGEOUS…and much healthier than the pretzel dogs at the mall food court! I think I will have to face my trepidation about cooking with dough and make these!!
These look tasty and fun to eat. I love the technique.
These are beautiful! I love that they’re healthier than their fried counterparts. Happy #SundaySupper!
I ADORE these dogs. And I’m pinning because my kiddo will love these!
These look so good! Love your “pretzel technique” of boiling then baking.
What a cool idea!
I would take these over a corn dog any day! I can imagine they would be incredible dipped in mustard. Yum.
These look amazing and my favorite part is those cute little hands in that pick! Love your inspiration and I am so glad you are such a big part of #SundaySupper!