These little smokies are wrapped in Amish pretzel dough and baked to golden perfection, making a snack/appetizer my family can’t get enough of! These “piggies in a pretzel blanket” make a great side for birthday parties, game day, holiday parties and so much more!! You may also enjoy Amish soft pretzels or garlic pretzel knots using the Amish pretzel dough as a base for these recipes. We also enjoy dipping our pretzel bites in Amish cheese spread.
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Amish piggies in a pretzel blanket
Equipment
- baking sheets (linked below)
- Mixing bowl (linked below)
- measuring cups (linked below)
- basting brush (linked below)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast heaping
- 3/4 cup warm water (room temp.)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4-2 cups bread flour
- 14 oz. package little smokies
Soda water:
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 cup warm water
Toppings:
- Pretzel salt or coarse sea salt
- 1/4 cup melted butter
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Whisk the yeast, brown sugar, salt and warm water together in a large bowl. Allow the yeast mixture to rest for 5-10 minutes until bubbly.
- Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and knead or mix well between each addition. Once the dough is no longer sticking to the bowl of your stand mixer, or to your countertop, and is soft and pliable, place it back into the bowl and cover with a tea towel. Allow the dough to rise for 30-40 minutes.
- While the dough is resting, whisk the baking soda and warm water together until the baking soda is dissolved. Once the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl and portion the dough into 35-40 pieces. Wrap the dough around each little smokie and dip the wrapped smokie into the baking soda water. Place half of the smokies on a large baking sheet, greased with additional butter, and sprinkle sea salt over the tops.
- Bake the little smokies in the preheated oven for 8-12 minutes until they are golden on the tops and bottoms. While the first batch of little smokies is baking, continue the wrapping and baking soda process with the remaining sausages, then bake the second batch until golden as well.
- Brush melted butter over the tops of the piggies in a pretzel blanket, then cool slightly and serve with cup cheese or your favorite sauces and enjoy!
Notes
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Equipment:
- Baking sheets I prefer to use Nordic ware baking sheets (not and ad) because they produce a more even bake on my baked goods.
- Mixing bowl You will need a mixing bowl if kneading the pretzel dough for these piggies in a blanket by hand.
- Measuring cups I like to use stainless steel measuring cups, because mine are easy to clean and sturdy!
- Basting brush A basting brush is needed for brushing those golden pretzel tops with butter.

Step 1: Combine the yeast, brown sugar, salt and warm water. Allow the mixture to rest for 5-10 minutes, until bubbly.
Note*
You can also use instant yeast in this recipe. If using instant yeast, you can skip the resting time as the instant yeast will activate on its own.

Step 2: Add flour-in 1/2 cup increments-kneading well after each addition. Once the dough is soft and pliable, return it to the bowl and cover with a tea towel.

Step 2 continued: Allow the dough to rest in a warm area for 30-40 minutes until doubled or nearly doubled in size.

Step 3: Portion the dough according to the amount of smokies in the package, then wrap each piece around a sausage and dip the wrapped sausage into the baking soda and warm water mixture. Place the wrapped and dipped smokies on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops of the wrapped sausages with coarse sea salt or pretzel salt.
Note*
To get a more uniform wrap on the little smokies, I like to roll each piece of dough into a thin rope and then wrap it around the cocktail sausage two or three times with only the ends exposed. You will need to work in batches and get the smokies into the oven as soon as possible, or the dough will continue rising and will start to lose its shape.

Step 4: Bake the piggies in a blanket in the preheated oven until the dough is golden on the tops and bottoms.

Step 5: Brush melted butter over the tops of the piggies in a pretzel blanket, then cool slightly and enjoy with fresh cup cheese (Amish cheese spread), or your favorite dipping sauces such as chick-fil-A sauce, horseradish sauce or barbeque sauce.

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