Cows in a Blanket

Two days ago was a beautiful and sunny Saturday; the warmest we’ve had all winter long!  The temperature was at a balmy eighty degrees and there wasn’t a cloud to be seen.  The next day was a completely different story: the temperature had dropped to the mid-twenties and the sun was hidden by a very dark and grey sky.  On top of that: it snowed and iced!  Since the temperature didn’t rise enough over the next several hours to melt that snow and ice, the local ISD’s decided to not open today, which meant that They-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were home from work.

Now, in this establishment, when They-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named are home we cook almost every meal and bake a tasty treat.  So for lunch, I made “cows in a blanket”.  They are cooked, beef hot dogs, rolled in what is normally used as a dinner roll, and baked.

This dish is very simple and yet so tasty!  The bread recipe I used was created by Melissa K. Norris. You can find her online here:  http://melissaknorris.com. The beauty of her recipe (besides it being so easy to put together and delicious) is that it takes no time to rise, meaning that this menu item doesn’t require previous planning and takes only an hour from start to finish!

To begin, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Warm 1 1/4 cups of water to 95 degrees F.  While that is heating, combine 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons of active dry yeast in a medium-sized glass, plastic, or wooden bowl.  Add the water to the yeast mixture and stir slightly.  Set aside.

 In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine three cups of flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder.  Mrs. Norris’ recipe does not call for onion or garlic powder; rather, it asks for 1 teaspoon of an Italian herb mixture, but I chose to use just onion and garlic powder for this dish.  Stir to combine.

  Now add your flour mixture to your yeast mixture and stir.  It will start to look like this:

 

 Now it’s time to add two tablespoons of olive oil.

After you stir in the olive oil, your dough should look something like this:

 Now it’s time to clear some counter space and sprinkle some flour on it.  Place your dough out on the flour and knead it for three minutes, or until the dough “springs back” a little when you gently poke it with your finger.

 You will want to start boiling your hot dogs now.  Just place them in a pot, cover them with water, then turn the burner on high.

Once the hot dogs come to a boil, turn the burner down to low and set a timer for five minutes.  When the timer beeps, turn off the burner and let the hot dogs sit.  While the hot dogs are cooking, you will want to cut your dough.  I use a tool like the one shown below,  I don’t know the name of the cutter, but it is really useful when separating, portioning, and cutting dough though.

I cut the dough in half, then those halves in half, and so on until I get sixteen pieces.  After portioning your dough, roll each piece into a ball with your hands.  Roll lightly and don’t mash the dough in.

 

Next take a floured rolling pin and roll them into ovals.

After you’ve rolled out all the dough balls, grab a baking sheet.   Roll the hot dog in the dough and place on a baking sheet.

Put them into the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes or until the tops are golden.

Serve and enjoy!