Mini Pretzel Bread Pigs in a Blanket with Red Currant Dip
Mini pigs in a blanket with salty pretzel bread and a sweet dip with red currant jelly, mustard, and honey are perfect party finger food. With just a little more effort than using canned crescent dough, these pretzel dogs are so much more impressive for finger food for a party or football food.
Making lil smokies pigs in blankets is such a dug-in habit of mine, especially as football food, and I have always make them pretty much the same way:
- Cut pillsbury crescent dough.
- Roll mini hot dogs in the dough pieces and bake.
- Serve with honey mustard and barbecue sauce.
For Years. And everyone always loves them. But, to be truthful, they’re not that imaginative.
SO, I finally decided to do my pigs differently and make up a recipe that is kinda-sorta-just as easy, but BETTER and TASTIER and makes me happier because people love them even more.
My Love Language is Words of Affirmation. I’m here for the praise.
And so here we are. These pretzel dogs are everything I hoped they would be, and I got the exact reactions back from those (my family) I tested on that I was hoping for.
What are the steps to make the pretzel bread?
- Purchase pizza dough.
HA!! Pretzel bread is no different from any other bread except for the step where we give it a quick simmer in hot water with baking soda. Like, 20 seconds in this case.
That’s it. Other than that pretzel bread is actual bread.
So, all I did for this recipe was buy fresh pizza dough in the bakery of my grocery store and it worked perfectly. It was so easy, as easy as using crescent dough… Almost, anyway. In the same ballpark of recipe easiness yes.
If you can’t find fresh pizza dough, you can make pretzel bread dough using my recipe, and I can vouch that my recipe works for buns and rolls and for wherever you want pretzel bread to take you.
But for THIS recipe (and I’m specifically addressing You, Mr. Internet Question Asker-er), purchased pizza dough can be used to make pretzel dough wrapped mini wieners. But I cannot comment on if it can be used to pretzel-bread-anything-else.
The rest of this recipe is totally normal but the way, run-of-the-mill making mini pigs in a blanket sort of stuff.
Except also we make a sauce. And it is worth it.
What are the ingredients for the sweet Red Currant Sauce?
- Dijon
- whole grain mustard
- honey
- red currant jelly
That’s it. And nothing fancy either – we just put the ingredients in a bowl and combine.
Steps to make Mini Pretzel Bread Pigs in a Blanket
- Wrap the lil smokies in pizza dough.
- Put each mini wrapped hot dog in simmering water with baking soda for 20-30 seconds.
- Brush with egg wash, sprinkle on sea salt, and bake.
- Serve with red currant jelly dip.
This dip really is so good. It would beat raspberry preserves for a Monte Cristo any day.
TIPS for making mini pigs in a blanket with pretzel bread
So where I would cut crescent dough in more square-ish shape to wrap around the little hog dog, with this dough we need to cut a bit longer thinner strip, then wrap around (and around). This helps the dough hold during the simmer in baking soda water.
We also need to pinch the end of the dough well so it holds. If it lets go during the simmer in baking soda water, it’s alright, just fix it back once its out of the water and cool enough to handle.
It is important to have the water and baking soda at a proper boil before adding the pretzel pigs. Then the heat will keep the dough around the cocktail weinies. If the water is not up to temp, the dough will just kind of wilt off.
Once the 20-30 second simmer is up, transfer the pigs to a cutting board or other surface to let the water drain, then move to the bake sheet. It only takes seconds for them to drain, but you don’t want that excess liquid on the bake sheet.
FAQs
What can I substitute for purchased pizza dough? Make your own! It’s not hard, here’s my recipe.
Can these be made in advance? Yes! Not by long, maybe an hour or two, but they sure aren’t as time sensitive as using pillsbury crescent dough, which does not reheat well at all.
So, if made in advance, give them 10 minutes or so in a low oven or a quick nuke in the microwave, then serve immediately (especially if microwaving because we know what microwaves does to bread).
What can I substitute for the red currant jelly? Nothing. Or maybe red pepper jelly or seedless raspberry jam, but I have done neither.
The red currant dip is its own thing. So if you can’t find red currant jelly, other quick fix dip suggestions are honey mustard (make your own, it is better by far!) or barbecue sauce.
That’s if folks! Mini pretzel bread wrapped pigs in a blanket are so worth the extra 5 minutes of work. This is my new go-to. Make it yours too!
Mini Pretzel Pigs in a Blanket with Red Currant Dip
Ingredients
For the Pretzel Dogs
- store-bought pizza dough See Notes
- 1 12 oz pkg mini cocktail hot dogs
- ½ cup baking soda
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 Tbsp water
- course sea salt
For the Sweet Currant Dipping Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp whole grain mustard
- 1 Tbsp honey
- ½ cup red currant jelly
Instructions
For the Red Currant Dip
- In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the dip using a whisk or fork. Cover until ready to serve.
For the Pretzel Pigs in a Blanket
- Heat oven to 400F.
- Bring 1/2 cup baking soda in 6 cups water to a boil. Reduce heat to a rolling simmer.
- Roll the pizza dough out flat. Use a sharp knife or pastry cutter to cut the pizza dough into ½-inch by 2 to 3-inch strips. Wrap each around a cocktail wiener pinching well to seal the end on so it doesn't unroll while cooking.
- Working in batches, add the pretzel dogs to the baking soda bath for 20-30 seconds. Transfer to a surface to drain (such as a cutting board), then put on a bake sheet.
- Use a fork to combine the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the egg wash over each pretzel dog. Sprinkle each with sea salt.
- Bake pretzel pigs at 400F for 10-12 minutes until nice and golden brown. Serve with Red Currant Dip.
