Pretzel Dogs

1. In a saucepan heat the beer on low heat until it is warm (test with pinky).
2. Add beer into a medium bowl. Next add sugar and 2 teaspoons of salt. As long as the beer is not hot (will kill the yeast) or cold (won’t activate the yeast) and remains warm, then add the yeast to the top of the mixture and allow it get nice and foamy for you. This takes about 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, add flour and make a well in the middle of the mound of flour. Next add butter then pour in the yeast mixture. With your hands or a spatula, gently incorporate everything together until you have a smooth ball.
4. Lift the ball out of the bowl for a moment and spray the bowl with some oil baking spray. Add ball back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel. Place in a warm area for about 1 1/2 hours until it has doubled in size. (I usually have my oven on at this point and allow the bowl to sit next to the oven).
5. Once dough has doubled in size… Take a large saucepan and add 8 cups of water and allow the water to come to a boil over medium-high heat. Then add the baking soda next. Stir to combine and keep the water at a simmer. Preheat oven to 350-375 degrees F.
6. Get out a large cookie sheet (if you have a relatively thin cookie sheet, add a second one to that so that they do not scorch the bottoms of your prtezel dogs). Place a sheet of parchment paper on the top sheet and spray the paper with oil.
7. Roll out your down on a lightly oiled (not floured) work surface. Roll it into a rectangle (10×20 inch). Cut the dough into 1-inch strips (18 quantity).
8. Take your egg and 1 Tablespoon of water and mix it together in a cup or small bowl.
9. Take one strip of dough and one hot dog and roll up the hot dog from the smallest side of the dough to the largest (in a diagonal fashion). Make sure to pinch the edges to seal them.
10. When you have about 4 completed, place them in the boiling water for about 30 seconds. (They are done when they start to float). Take the dogs out of the water (use tongs) and place them directly on the prepared cookie sheet.
11. Brush your pretzels with egg wash and sprinkle with kosher salt.
12. Repeat steps 9-11 until your cookie sheet is complete and you’ve used all of the dough and hot dogs.
13. Place sheet in the heated oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes until nice and golden.
14. Serve with your favorite hot dipping sauce (I love Rico’s Nacho Cheese Sauce found at Walmart).