Pretzel Buns With Grilled Dogs And Spicy Cheese Sauce Recipes

PRETZEL BUNS

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar over 1/2 cup of warm water in a small bowl. The water should be no more than 100 degrees F (40 degrees C). Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam.
• Add milk, shortening, eggs, oil, 3 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Blend with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Mix in remaining 3 cups of flour by hand, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. The dough will be sticky.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, then place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place (80 to 95 degrees F (27 to 35 degrees C)) until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Uncover the dough and punch it down.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Pull off baseball size portions of dough and roll into "snakes" about 6 inches long. Roll each "snake" into a spiral to give the tops some texture. Set each formed bun aside.
• Mix the baking soda and 4 cups hot water in a bowl. The baking soda does not need to dissolve completely. Dip each bun in the baking soda solution before placing on a baking sheet. Brush each bun with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in the preheated oven until brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack or brown paper bag.

PRETZEL DOGS

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
• Roll each dinner roll into a long rope approximately 1 1/2 to 2 times the length of a hot dog. Coil each rope around a hot dog, pinching the ends to seal them so they cannot come loose.
• Add the baking soda to the boiling water, then, working in batches, drop the pretzel dogs into the water for 30 seconds and remove to a rack.
• When all the dogs have been boiled, place them on the greased baking sheet. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with pretzel salt.
• Bake until the bread ropes are cooked and have turned golden brown, about 12 minutes. Serve with spicy mustard and pickles.

PRETZEL HOT DOG BUNS

Steps:

• 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 the water mixture and wait for at least 10 to 15 minutes until the yeast 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 add in the melted butter and garlic mixture. Mix on medium speed until the dough has come 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. 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 them rest in a warm place for 12 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 dough 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 diagonal slits on top of the bread, not too deep.
• Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, rotating between the top and bottom racks of the oven halfway through the cooking.

GRILLED CHEESE BUNS

Steps:

• Spread just enough butter to cover both sides of each slice of bread.
• In a large nonstick pan set over medium heat, add the bread slices and cook until they're an even golden brown on the first side, about 2 minutes. Flip 2 of the slices over and top each with 2 slices of the cheese. Place the other 2 slices of bread on top, toasted-side down, forming 2 sandwiches. Continue to cook the sandwiches until the bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the remaining side for an additional 2 minutes.