Bagel Dogs

I have shared a recipe before for homemade pigs in a blanket.  However, this one takes the pig in a blanket to a new level by surrounding your hot dog with bagel dough.  I have been wanting to try to make homemade bagels for a while, but when I saw the picture for this recipe on  Tastespotting I knew it was time. The recipe came from a site called Food.People.Want. who adapted the dough recipe from The Complete International Sandwich Book by Sonia Uvezian.

Now these bagel dogs aren’t hard to make, they just take time.  I must admit I was a little worried about dropping the wrapped dogs in the boiling water, but it works like a charm.  It is also recommended by Food.People.Want. that if you go to all the work of making these from scratch that you should use a good quality hot dog like  Nathan’s or Kasper’s with natural casings.  You could make these with whatever beef franks you like, but I took the recommendation and went for Nathan’s.

Now, I have had Nathan’s dogs before, but never heard of Kasper’s.  I also know my local store carries Nathan’s.  Nathan’s are pricey but tasty.  I lucked out though.  When I went to my local Smith’s because they had them on sale for buy one get one free.  I guess every one knew this was a good deal too because all the regular beef franks were gone when I got there.  So, I got a package of the regular beef franks with cheese (who doesn’t love a little cheese) and some bun length dogs.

I actually preferred to make the bagel dogs with bun length dogs.  They we more esthetically pleasing.  The regular franks made the dogs look squatty and puffy.  The bun length dogs made perfect looking bagel dogs.  However, as fars as taste goes I loved the cheese filled dogs.  Then for garnish I did plain, poppy seed, and coarse salt.  If you are a dipper and want to dip your dog in mustard or ketchup I recommend the poppy seed or plain.  If you prefer your bagel dog “au natural” then go for the coarse salt.  It makes it taste like a pretzel dog.  I actually liked them both ways.

These dogs are really filling too.  The recipe makes 12 and we had 6 leftover dogs.  They were still great the next day.  Just store them in your fridge and then reheat in the microwave for 25-30 seconds.  Yum!

Bagel Dogs

• 2 cups water (110° F)
• 2 packages, active dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 teaspoons table salt
• 5 1/2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour (approximately I used 5 1/4)
• 12 quality all-beef hot dogs
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 egg yolk plus 1 tablespoon water, lightly beaten
• Sesame seeds, poppy seeds and/or coarse salt for garnish

1. Pour the water into the bowl of an electric stand mixer and sprinkle with the yeast.  Let the mixture stand about five minutes or until foamy, then stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar and the salt. Using the paddle attachment and with the mixer on medium speed, gradually add flour, beating until well-blended and smooth, until you have a stiff dough. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook and knead thoroughly until smooth and elastic in texture. Form the dough into a lump and place it into a lightly greased bowl. Turn the dough over to grease the top. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.
2. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and knead briefly to eliminate any air bubbles and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 12×9 inch rectangle or until it’s about a 1/4-inch thick, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin or the board. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut 12 1-inch pieces of dough.
3. Dry the hot dogs thoroughly. Starting at one end of a hot dog, wrap the dough around overlapping slightly as you make your way to the other end. Place seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining hot dogs and strips of dough. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let stand in a warm place for about 30 to 45 minutes.
4. Preheat the over to 400°. Fill a deep, heavy pot with water and add the baking soda. Bring to a gentle boil. Working 2 to 3 bagels at a time, carefully drop the bagel dogs into the boiling water, turning frequently with a slotted spoon or spatula, for about a minute. Lift out of the water and gently dry each bagel well on a kitchen towel and arrange about 2-inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet, seam side down. Repeat with remaining bagel dogs.
5. Brush the bagels with the egg glaze and sprinkle on your garnish of choice. Bake for about 35 minutes or until nicely browned and crusty, turning the pan about halfway through (I didn’t turn my pan and I had to bake 3 dogs on another pan.  they all wouldn’t fit on one sheet). Serve warm or let cool on a wire rack.

Makes 12 Bagel Dogs

Print Friendly