Wiener Wraps

Wiener Wraps beg the question when is a hot dog a hot dog and when it is a wiener? I grew up attending wiener roasts in my grandparents’ backyard, a tradition which continues today in my mom’s backyard. Likewise, one of our favorite childhood meals was Wiener Wraps, always made with Pillsbury dough from the grocery store. Yet we also have macaroni and cheese and hot dogs. Not once have I ever had macaroni and cheese and wieners. Whether you call them wieners or hot dogs in whatever context, making good Wiener Wraps from homemade dough has been the project of a few years. I think we now have finally nailed it! We used My Favorite White Bread Recipe, cut in half, as the dough. I am going to reproduce the recipe here because cutting it in half requires some fairly significant mathematical gymnastics.

In my instructions I call for sesame seeds and flaky salt. My husband has a fairly extensive salt collection so in the photo above, I used Black Lava Sea Salt from Hawaii and regular white sesame seeds. Use whatever you have on hand: kosher salt, black sesame seeds, poppyseeds would all be nice additions.

We make rolls fairly often so we have designated a shallow, rectangular cardboard box with the flaps cut off to protect formed rolls while they are rising. It fits nicely over the baking sheet. If you don’t have such a thing, or can’t create such a thing, just use a tea towel.

For the hot dogs I use Nathan’s beef hot dogs and for the cheese I use Tillamook cheddar slices. Use whatever hot dogs and cheese you like and are available to you.

Ingredients

2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
1/4 C + 1/8 C warm water (to combine with yeast)
1/4 tsp granulated sugar (to combine with yeast)

1 1/3 C warm water (for secondary combination)
1/8 C granulated sugar (for secondary combination)
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour (for secondary combination)
1 1/2 Tbs unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp table salt

2 C all-purpose flour for final mixture

olive oil (for the bowl)
8 hot dogs
4 (1 oz) slices of cheddar cheese
1 egg + 1 Tbs water (for egg wash)
sesame seeds (optional)
flaky salt (optional)

Directions

In a liquid measuring cup, combine the yeast and the first measurement of warm water and granulated sugar and let sit for 6 minutes, or until the yeast has bloomed. Once bloomed, transfer to the bowl of a Kitchen Aid and add the second measurements of water, sugar, and flour, with the butter and salt. Using a dough hook, run on low or medium-low until combined, and then add the final measurement of flour, one spoonful at a time. Turn out onto a clean countertop and knead until the dough is smooth and soft, about 10 minutes.

Grease a large bowl with olive oil and place the dough inside, turning the dough over so it is completely coated. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Turn the dough out onto a floured countertop or pastry cloth. Gently press into a rectangle with your fingertips, and then use a rolling pin to achieve a large rectangle that is about 13″ by 15.” Place the hot dogs on the rectangle, spread out and equidistant from one another. Use a pizza cutter to cut around the hot dogs. The goal is to have the same amount of dough to surround each hot dog. Cut the cheese slices into fourths and place two of the fourths on top of each hot dog, lengthwise. To form the wraps, fold the ends in, and pull the side of the dough nearest to you up and over the hot dog, taking care to keep the cheese pressed to the hot dog to keep it inside the dough. Pinch the seam closed with your fingers. Place on a metal baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a cardboard box or a tea towel and let rise for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Beat the egg with a fork and add 1 Tbs of water. Use a pastry brush to brush the resulting egg wash all over the wraps. Be gentle, you don’t want to lose the airiness you have created. If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds and flaky salt. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the dough is lightly browned.