Bratwurst Sausage Wrapped in a Pretzel Bun

Bratwurst sausages are first grilled and then wrapped in a homemade pretzel dough. Boiled and then baked to get that perfect pretzel texture. It takes a couple of steps but it’s so worth it when you bite into a juicy bratwurst and get the best pretzel dough in each bite. It’s a grown up version of pigs-in-a-blanket.

Must Try Pretzel Bun Bratwurst

OMG pretzel wrapped brats may be the best thing I’ve made all summer.  Soft pretzel dough surrounding fresh German bratwurst. As if bratwurst sausage is not great all by itself, bratwurst on a pellet grill will have the best flavor.

Of course you could stop there, but if you’re grilling bratwurst, you just have to have soft pretzels. And what better way to incorporate the two then to wrap the sausages in a yeast dough, boil them like you would pretzel dough and then bake to perfection.

I have to give a disclaimer, this recipe does take a little time, but let me tell you they are phenomenal.  If you’re feeling reminiscent of childhood pigs-in-a-blanket, think of this as the gourmet version.

While raised in the South, I was actually born in Germany when my dad was in the service and my grandparents immigrated from Germany, so German bratwurst have always been a favorite in our house. Mom would generally boil them or steam them in a covered skillet with a little water. My preferred method is to cook bratwurst on the grill, a pellet grill is even better as you get more smoky flavor.

For this recipe, it doesn’t matter how you cook the sausages. If I’m in a hurry, I will microwave them first to partially cook them and then just throw them on the grill for a couple of minutes to finish cooking them.

You don’t even have to use bratwurst, you can use Italian sausage or smoked sausage or even make a pretzel bun hot dog.

Try serving these with my favorite ranch potato salad or a tangy cucumber salad. Make it a southern meal by adding some banana pudding for dessert.

Trust Me, You’ll Love Bratwurst Pretzel Rolls

• They’re wrapped in homemade pretzel dough
• The smoky sausage goes perfectly with salty pretzel dough
• It’s 10x better than a hot dog bun

Downside

The only drawback to these is the time involved when making any yeast dough.  If making these for guests do everything up to boiling them and put the wrapped sausages in the refrigerator.  This will stop the dough from continuing to rise. Then your friends can help, boiling dough is fun and a good way to get everyone involved.

Ingredients to Gather

• Bratwurst – Choose your favorite, you can also use Italian sausage or hot dogs. If using hot dogs which are smaller than most bratwurst, you will have enough dough to make 10-12.
• Bread Flour – I find that bread flour does work a little better, but you can definitely use all-purpose flour.
• Yeast – fast acting or regular will both work in this recipe.
• Baking soda – you’ll need ½ cup. This is put in the water that you boil them in and gives the dough that pretzel texture.
• Pantry staples – milk, butter, brown sugar, salt.

A Couple of Steps to Follow

Step 1: Make the dough

Add yeast to warm milk, water, melted butter and brown sugar and let it get frothy. Then flour and let it rise for 30 minutes

Step 2: Knead and Rise

Use a dough hook and knead for 10 minutes and let rise for an hour until doubled, then roll into 8 strips.

Step 3: Cook the Sausages

Grill the sausages until the internal temperature is 160º. Let cool.

Step 4: Wrap & Boil

Bring water to a boil and add ½ cup of baking soda. Wrap the sausages in dough and add to the boiling water for 30 seconds, remove to a wire rack and sprinkle with salt.

Step 5: Bake

Bake for about 10 minutes until the dough is a little crisp on top and deep golden brown.

Watch them carefully in the oven, you don’t want to get them too brown, but they need to cook long enough for the dough to cook all the way through. Since the sausage is already cooked before they go in the oven, you don’t have to worry about whether your sausage is done or not.  If they’re getting too brown, you can cover them with aluminum foil.  

These are great served with a side of spicy or whole grain mustard.

A Few Recipe Notes

• When boiling the brats, if the dough comes unrolled, just remove it from the water and re-wrap the sausage, no big deal.
• If the strips of dough don’t want to roll, let the dough rest for 3 minutes and try again.
• To keep the dough in place, wrap the tail ends under the wrapped dough.
• Plan enough time for the yeast to rise and the sausages to cool slightly. It’s hard to wrap hot sausages.
• Don’t forget to add the salt to the top of the pretzel dough while they are still damp, it stays on better that way.

If you ended up with more bratwurst or sausages then you need, here are some recipes that you could try:

If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #butterandbaggage and tagging me @butterandbaggage.

Bratwurst Sausage Wrapped in a Pretzel Bun

Author: Barbara Curry

Bratwurst sausages are first grilled and then wrapped in a homemade pretzel dough. Boiled and then baked to get that perfect pretzel texture. It takes a couple of steps but it's so worth it when you bite into a juicy bratwurst and get the best pretzel dough in each bite. It's a grown up version of pigs-in-a-blanket.

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PREP: 2 hours hours

COOK: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients

 

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DOUGH

• ▢ ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water
• ▢ ½ cup warm milk
• ▢ 3 tablespoons butter melted
• ▢ 2 ½ teaspoons yeast 1 packet
• ▢ 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 3 cups bread flour
• ▢ vegetable oil
• ▢ 6-8 bratwurst
• ▢ ½ cup baking soda
• ▢ salt

Instructions

 

• Microwave the milk and water for about 30 seconds until warm but not hot and add to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add melted butter, yeast and brown sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes until it becomes foamy. Add salt.
• On low speed, add 2 cups of the flour and mix for 1 minute. Add more flour as needed until the dough is no longer sticky. Transfer to an oil rubbed bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 30 minutes.
• Return dough to mixing bowl and knead on medium-low speed for 10 minutes until dough is shiny and pulls away from the bowl. Return to the oiled bowl, cover with plastic and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled.
• Cook sausages on a grill over medium heat, 400º until internal temperature is 160º. Remove to a plate and let cool.
• Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a 12 inch rope. Wrap around the brats, tucking the tails into the wrapped dough.
• Preheat oven to 400º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and slowly add baking soda.
• Using a slotted spoon slowly lower the pretzel wrapped brat into the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a cooling rack.
• Sprinkle with salt and bake until they are a dark golden brown about 10 minutes.

Barbara’s Tips + Notes

• Let the brats cool slightly before trying to wrap with the dough.
• To keep the dough in place, tuck the ends into the wrapped portion. If it comes loose while boiling, just remove and re-wrap.
• Sprinkle the flaky salt on the dough as soon as it has been removed from the boiling water so that it will stay in place. 
• You do not have to grill the sausages, you can microwave or boil them. 
• If using hot dogs, you will have enough dough to wrap 10-12 hot dogs. 

Nutrition

Calories: 486kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 4915mg | Potassium: 313mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 333IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg

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