Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently by spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Add the remaining dry dough ingredients to the flour. Whisk to gently combine then add the butter and water.

Mix and knead the dough ingredients together until the dough is cohesive and fairly smooth. It can be done in your stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Or by hand. When finished, the dough should be slightly sticky; if it seems dry, sprinkle it with a tablespoon or two of water. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

Prepare the water bath by combining the water and baking soda in a 10" to 12" shallow saucepan or deep skillet. The water should fill the skillet at least 1 1/4" deep; adjust the amount accordingly. No need to adjust the amount of baking soda.

Determine the amount of mini hotdogs to be used. Gently deflate the dough on a lightly greased work surface, then divide it into fairly equal pieces to correlate with the number of mini dogs. To be exact, a digital food scale can be used.

Flatten each piece of dough into a rough 4" x 2 1/2" rectangle or oval. No need to be precise. Place a mini hotdog at the center of each piece of dough. Wrap the hotdog in the pretzel dough, pinching the ends and seam with your fingers. Transfer the pretzels to the prepared pans, and cover while you bring the water bath to a boil.

Drop the pretzel bites, six at a time, into the water bath. Cook for 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, return them to the baking sheet. Brush each lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with pretzel or coarse salt.

Bake the pretzel bites for 18 to 22 minutes, until they're a deep golden brown; be sure to rotate your pans halfway through the bake time to ensure even browning.

Remove the pretzel bites from the oven, and cool slightly before serving with your favorite mustard.

Best when enjoyed while still warm.