Pretzel dogs

3/4 C warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water 
2 t sugar 
1 t kosher salt 
1 1/2 t active dry yeast 
2 1/4 C flour 
1 T butter, melted 
Vegetable oil, for pan 
10 C water 
2/3 C baking soda 
1 large egg yolk with 1 T water 
Pretzel salt 
8 hot dogs

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let set for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.
Add the flour and butter and mix on low speed using the dough hook until well combined. Increase to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place in a clean, oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and brush with the vegetable oil.
Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in a large, deep pan.
In the meantime, separate the dough into 8 equal pieces. Use your hands to roll and stretch the pieces of dough into ropes, about 12 inches long.Wrap one piece of dough around each hot dog, leaving just a bit of the dog peeking out at the ends. Press the ends of the dough together to hold in place.
Place the pretzels, one at a time, into the boiling water for 30 seconds.
Remove them from the water using a slotted spoon. Return to the prepared cookie sheet, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt.
Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

RECIPE NOTES

If you're freezing the pretzels, do not brush the tops with the egg wash or add the pretzel salt. Bake them until just lightly browned and cool completely. Place them into the freezer on the cookie sheet for 1 hour to harden. Remove from the cookie sheet and place in a freezer safe bag and freeze until ready to use. To prepare, brush the frozen pretzels with egg wash and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until warmed through and golden brown.