A tradition at our house is fun food on the weekends. Usually this means homemade pizza on Friday nights but sometimes we like to change it up and have gourmet hot dogs or make these Pigs in Blankets. They are simple to make, really just an edible craft project, and always a hit with kids.
My simple Daily Bread dough is great for this recipe. It’s so easy to make and is always soft and tender. An egg wash and a sprinkle of sesame seeds makes it extra special.
Pigs in Blankets
Start with your dough and the hot dogs. I lay the hot dogs out on paper towels so they can dry a bit. It’s easier to get the dough to stick if they are dry. As you can see I make a lot of these. This time I used two packages of hot dogs and a double batch of the Daily Bread dough. If you are making 8 Pigs in Blankets then just make a single batch of dough.
You want to use the dough after the final proofing so plan ahead and make your dough a couple of hours before you want to make the Pigs in Blankets. You could also make the dough the evening before and leave it in the refrigerator until an hour before you are ready to assemble.
Shaping Pigs in Blankets
Using a knife or bench scraper cut your dough into 16 portions, or 8 if you aren’t needing to feed a horde like I do. I just eyeball the dough portions but some people like to weigh them on a digital scale to be exact. Since I’m not running a bakery I just go by feel. You can always cut a bit off of a big one and add it to a small one if you need to.
After you have your portions of dough, you want to roll each one out into a snake. Kids love to help with this part although I’ve noticed they only want to help for a few minutes. Take each dough snake and wrap it around a hot dog like a mummy. I try to wrap the whole hot dog and pinch the top and bottom to seal it.
Time to Rise!
As you finish each Pig in Blanket, set them on a parchment lined baking sheet to rise. I cover them with a kitchen towel and leave them on the counter for 45 minutes to an hour.
Below you can see the Pigs in Blankets just finished and then risen and ready for the egg wash. The dough should be puffy and airy just like a fully risen loaf of yeast bread.
Egg Wash and Ready to Bake!
In a small bowl beat an egg until it’s frothy and brush gently it on the Pigs in Blankets. I use a silicone pastry brush for this but a regular pastry brush would work. You can even put it on by hand but I don’t love touching raw egg so I use a brush. Besides it’s fancy that way! An egg wash gives bread a shiny golden crust and elevates the look of them.
If you like, you can sprinkle on some sesame seeds. I could only find black sesame seeds in my cupboard so I used those. They look especially fancy!
Of course you can leave out egg wash and sesame seed sprinkle if you want. I do if I’m in a hurry but usually I do this extra bit. Sometimes it’s those extra little steps in baking that make your recipes special.
Bake and Serve
When they are all risen, egg washed, and seed sprinkled, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until they are golden brown. It’s best to let them cool for 10 minutes or so if possible so they don’t sear your mouth. These things are hot! More than likely people are going to want to eat them immediately though. I serve them with mustard and ketchup like you would corn dogs but I’m a mustard only girl. My kids insist on ketchup so I just avert my eyes.
I hope your family likes these as much as mine does. They are easy and fun, especially if you can get everyone involved in shaping them.
