Sunday, October 28, 2012

Who Needs Sonic with Chili Dogs like these?


Chili Dogs were on the menu Friday and WOW were they amazing!



We had left over Venison Chili from the night before and Super Parents gave us some hot dogs from a meat market in IL and it was Kismet!  But wait....I didn't have any hot dog buns.  Wouldn't it be easier to run to the store to get some buns?  Sure it would, but wouldn't they taste like card board and fall apart in your hands? Sure they would.  How could I subject such delicious chili and hot dogs to such a dismal fate?  I could not. 

These phenomenal dogs were topped with chili, onions, smoked cheddar, mustard, and this surprisingly fantastic zucchini relish from One Hundred Dollars a Month.  

I yet again proved, in my procrastination and subsequent haste to quickly make a recipe, my reading skills are sub-par.  Here is the recipe that I found: Homemade Hot Dog Buns.  You should definitely go check it out for the pictures.  I have included the actual recipe below and then my notes about the changes I made - some purposefully and some accidentally. Ha Ha

What's In It:
1 1/4 c lukewarm milk (1 1/2 c lukewarm buttermilk)
1 lrg egg, beaten
6 T softened butter (more like 4T because that's all that was in my butter dish)
3 T sugar
4 c bread flour (I had All Purpose Flour and to compensate for the extra liquid I added, I used 5 c)
3 T intant potato flakes*
1 T vital wheat gluten (I didn't use this becuase I didn't have any, though I might get some to keep on hand)
2 t kosher salt (I used morton's regular salt)
2 t instant yeast
1/2 c buttermilk for brushing buns.  

What To Do With It:
Put all ingredients except the buttermilk into a mixer  Mix on low speed with a dough hook, for 10 minutes, or until a smooth, elastic dough is formed. (I only needed to mix for about 5 minutes) 
Allow to rest in the mixer bowl, covered with a tea towel, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1-2 hours.  (I was rushed for time and I only let it rise for an hour, next time I will plan ahead, and let it rise for 2). 

Lightly grease a large baking sheet or line with a silpat or parchment paper. (I needed 2 baking sheets)
Divide dough into 3 equally sized pieces and form into logs.
Divide each log into 5 equal pieces for standard sized rolls or 4 equal pieces for larger Italian sausage or hoagie rolls.
Working with one piece at a time, pat and stretch each piece out into an oval.
Press an indentation down the length of the center of the oval.
Roll the dough up around the indentation.
Pinch the seam together lightly.
Roll the pieces gently seam side down until about 6-inches in length.
Transfer to the lined baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between the pieces, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until puffy, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Brush the puffy dough generously with buttermilk.
Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until deep golden brown.
Cool the rolls on a rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.


These were so good!!!  I think because of my recipe alterations, they turned out a little skinnier than the ones on the original sight, but that didn't stop us from downing them and using them to mop up any chili that jumped ship from the dog.  

Saturday, we used the left over hot dog buns as bread sticks with our spaghetti.  We brushed them with garlic butter and warmed them in the oven - why did dinner take so long to get here?!

They were delicious!  I'll be posting about them early this week. :)

*This was the first time in my life that I ever used instant potato flakes.  I bought them about 6 months ago for a camping trip and was too grossed out to even open the package.  I had to run out the camper to get them - and now I don't know what I'm going to do with a whole box of potato flakes...guess we'll be eating a TON of hot dog buns! Man life is HARD! :)

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