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Give your favorite party app a BIG upgrade. Classic pics in a blanket are now larger than life in these cheesy bagel dogs. A simple pretzel wrapping stuffed with cheese and a whole hot dog is the new way to enjoy this party food!

Zach’s favorite appetizer at a party is probably pigs in a blanket. Leave him alone with a tray of those little guys and they won’t last long. So with the Super Bowl coming up I thought, how can I make this for gameday, but make them larger so other people stand a chance at getting their hands on one? Why not use a whole hot dog?! And why not wrap it in a pretzel crust instead of the classic crescent dough? And thus the cheesy bagel dogs were born.

Cheesy Wrapped Dogs

Making these cheesy bagel dogs is actually just as simple as their mini counterparts. Begin with 1 can of pizza dough. I used and 11oz think crust, just because it is easier to roll out. On a floured surface, roll the dough to about 24 in long and 8 in wide. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 8 even strips, about 1 inch wide each.

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Take your hot dogs one by one. Wrap each one is a slice of cheddar cheese. You could use american, but I find cheddar doesn’t leak out of the dough as bad since its water content is lower. Then take a strip of dough and line it up with one end of the hot dog. Spin the hot dog at a slight angle so the dough spirals around the length of the hot dog. Repeat 7 more times, making sure to press in the ends so the dough does not unravel.

Pretzel Dough

Now that we have these wrapped dogs, you may be wondering how to make regular pizza dough into a pretzel. The secret is baking soda! When making pretzels, with pizza dough or from scratch, the key is a baking soda bath. Baking soda is an alkaline that essentially helps the outside of the dough geletanize. That is why pretzels have a signature shiny deep brown color, rather than a pale brown we see in other baked doughs. A baking soda bath also helps the dough to puff up, so the dough is soft and fluffy on the outside despite the chewy exterior.

So how do we make this baking soda bath? Bring 5 cups of water and 1/3 cup of baking soda to a boil. Take your wrapped dogs, 2-3 at a time so they do not stick together, and drop them in the boiling water for about 30 seconds. Lift them out of the water and dab them on a paper towel to remove excess water.

From there, place the dogs on a baking sheet and brush with an egg wash (one egg scrambled with 1 tbsp of water). Sprinkle the tops of the dogs with everything but the bagel seasoning, a combo of poppy seeds, granulated onion and garlic, sesame seeds, and salt.

Bake the dogs for 12-14 minutes in a 450 degree oven, or until they are a deep golden brown and shiny. Serve immediately with ketchup, mustard, or some delicious beer cheese. And just like that, a party staple has grown up!

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