Homemade Bagel Dogs

What I really, truly love, food-wise, is the magic trick aspect of it all; that is, how genuinely amazing things can be coaxed from random ingredients. You combine some of this, a bit of that, you wave a wand over it, and presto - you have delicious food.

Now, I know that Amy will read that and roll her eyes, because it betrays my general ignorance about the effort and work she puts into cooking. But for someone like me, a recipe like this - homemade bagel dogs - is more than just a good meal or something to fill my stomach with; it's magical.

It's also comfort food. I had a long day at work a few days back, and on my way home, got the following text: "I made lunch. It's random but I think it will be good." Now, most men would read that and shudder; I read that and stepped on the gas. When I came home, I was welcomed with the sight of one of my favorite childhood treats cooling on a baking sheet. Where she got this idea, how she got the audacity to recreate a national after-school past-time like this, who knows. But I win, because I married this woman.

Don't let this recipe intimidate you. It's worth the effort. I have no idea how she will beat this, what other treats from my preteen years she will attempt to conjure up from scratch - Hot Pockets? Home Run Pies? Pizza rolls?!?!?

Oh, sweet fancy Moses, let it be pizza rolls. (DW)

A few days ago, I was scanning some of the recipe blogs I enjoy reading, and happened to stumble upon a recipe for these homemade bagel dogs. I instantly knew I needed to make this, and now. I haven't eaten a bagel dog in probably 12 years, but we always had bagel dogs in the freezer growing up, and I loved them. I don't usually cook with any recipe that uses yeast, because it intimidates me. But, for the love of bagel dogs, I thought I would branch out. The blog I found the recipe on is called Real Mom Kitchen. This recipe is pretty easy, but time-consuming. I suggest that you make these on a day you are just hanging out around the house, doing stuff like laundry, because you have to let them rise twice, for about an hour each time. If you try them, I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

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
12-16 quality all-beef hot dogs (make sure they are nitrate free!)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 egg yolk plus 1 tablespoon water, lightly beaten
Sesame seeds, poppy seeds and/or coarse salt for garnish

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.

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.

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.

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.


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. Serve warm or let cool on a wire rack

* I didn't add the egg white, or any salt, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds to my bagel dogs, and they still turned a nice golden brown color. I made 15 bagel dogs from this recipe. We ate a few for lunch, and I put the rest in the freezer to pull out for a quick meal. (AW)