Pigs in a Brioche Blanket

Claire did all of us bakers justice when she made a special note about the brioche-related recipes that only need half of the foundation recipe. When I realized I’d only need half the Brioche Dough for the Brioche Twists recipe, I suddenly knew what we’d be having for dinner that night – Pigs in a Brioche Blanket.

One thing I never expected to use as an ingredient when I started baking out of Dessert Person was hot dogs. Along with spicy brown mustard for the sauce, that’s all I really needed to buy for this recipe (If you’d like to know how to make the Brioche Dough, I explained what I did for it in the Brioche Twists with Coriander Sugar recipe).

Like I did for the Brioche Twists, I once again divided half the dough into eight pieces, and weighed them out to be around 2.5 ounces. This time, I rolled these bad boys out to about 22 inches (I’m not sure any of them actually ended up that long, but I tried). I then returned the long strand of dough to the fridge, and repeated it seven more times.

I took all the dough strands out of the fridge while I prepared the hot dogs (side note, never skimp on the quality of your dogs). I placed the hot dogs on a paper towel, dried them off, and cut small slits all over them so they’d have room to breathe when baking. Then I placed a quarter cup of flour in a loaf pan and lightly floured all the hot dogs (Claire didn’t say to do this, but it was very efficient).

Then the fun part started; I took a strand of dough and looped it around a dog, somewhat tightly, somewhat expansive enough to cover 85% of it. Once all the hot dogs were wrapped, they really looked like pigs in a blanket! I covered the wrapped dogs in plastic and let them proof for 25 minutes.

While the dough was proofing, I made the sauce, which simply consisted of mixing the ingredients in a small bowl (It was the first time I ever eyeballed something I was making from Dessert Person!). The mustard honey sauce was freaking delicious.

I uncovered the wrapped dogs, brushed them with egg wash and then sprinkled on sesame seeds. They baked for around 25 minutes into golden pillowy pieces of goodness.

You could cut the Pigs in a Brioche Blanket in smaller pieces for appetizers, but we ate them for dinner. I’m salivating just thinking about how good they were—honestly, I would maybe prefer one of these over a grilled hot dog for our next summer get-together. A deliciously roasted hot dog with a flaky, fluffy breading, dipped in a sauce that’s the perfect balance of sharp and tangy; it was fantastic. If anyone is opening a restaurant, they need this on their menu as an appetizer or late-night item. This is probably a favorite of mine from Dessert Person, and I can’t wait to make it this summer!

Claire has not yet shared this one on her YouTube channel, but I’ll post it if she does!