Looking for an inexpensive twist on a classic, simple meal? May I present Pretzel Dogs! We're talking basics here – it's too cold to attempt anything elaborate. Invest a little time (and I would double this recipe if you have kids), and you've got a tasty, available treat. This dough is very straight forward – the author uses a bread machine, but it's easy enough even if you don't have that. I'm blessed with a stand mixer (my KitchenAid and I have been BFFs for almost 30 years!), but this can be done by hand. It is a dense dough, so a little elbow grease is required – even though I let the KitchenAid do most of the work, I always finish by hand kneading. I left it covered with a towel in a semi-warm place for about an hour and a half. I couldn't quite roll it out to the dimensions requested, so I cut the strips and rolled each individually. Wrap each strip in a spiral pattern around each hot dog, and pinch the dough together well. The next step is to boil these in a baking soda solution – that is what makes them pretzels! The chemical reaction is what allows the outside to get crisp while keeping the inside soft. A similar technique is used in making bagels, btw. Notice the difference between the two in the front and the others? That's after only about 30 seconds in the bath! And this is why you need to make sure you've carefully “pinched” your dough – it is so easy for the “twists” to unwind. Feel free to reposition the coils as needed, and when you have a tray full, brush with an eggwash and sprinkle with coarse salt. And BAKE! If you plan on freezing these, I agree with the author – DON'T salt them. Salt in the freezer would make them soggy – just pull from the freezer, moisten with a spritz of water, sprinkle with salt and bake until warmed through. Honest, you bake them about the same amount of time you did the first round, a whole 15 minutes – but it's WORTH IT!!! I love my soft pretzels with mustard, and trust me, it works! And if you're one of those that likes cheese, let me just say that you're in for a treat!