Pigs in Blankets

Pigs in blankets with scratch dough crescent rolls.

This is part II of some of my favorite Superbowl fare. But before I share this rabbit hole story, I am wondering why someone hasn't come up with a sexier name. I get that hot dogs in crescent rolls doesn't just roll off your tongue, but pigs in blankets doesn't scream yummy either. Since I've not been able to come up with something on my own, I did what any digitally savvy blogger would do and asked ChatGPT. Here's the chat:

Me: Good morning, do you have a more appealing name for pigs in blankets (hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls)

Chat: Good morning! How about calling them "Crescent Pup Bites" or "Puff Dog Rolls"? These names add a bit of fun and intrigue while still describing the dish clearly. Let me know if you need more ideas!

Me: I'd love a few more maybe with more of a foodie flair

Chat: Sure! Here are some foodie-inspired names that add a touch of sophistication or creativity:

1. "Gourmet Dog Croissants"

2. "Sausage Roll Delights"

3. "Puff Pastry Pups"

4. "Sizzlin' Crescent Bites"

5. "Bistro Sausage Wraps"

6. "Savory Crescent Canapés"

7. "Chic Piggies in a Puff"

8. "Artisan Sausage Rolls"

These could elevate the dish while still keeping it fun! Let me know if any of these catch your eye!

If you haven't played with ChatGPT, you should give it a try, it can be fun! Now back to the rabbithole....

Normally, I would use Pillsbury crescent rolls to make this recipe, but it being cold and snowy, and me loving to hang out in my rabbit hole on days like that, I decided to try my hand at a scratch dough.

Dry ingredients to the food processor

A couple of pulses make sure all are mixed well

Use really cold butter cut into 1/4" cubes

A couple of more pulses and it should resemble corn meal

Gradually add the warm water with the processor is on

Dough is pretty sticky

Transfer dough to a bowl cover and rest 30 to 45 minutes before dividing and refrigerating

After dough is cold from refrigerator for a couple of hours, roll it out

Roll out to 1/8" thick

Cut into triangles

You can season with mustard or anything else that is spreadable.

Roll the 'pig' into the 'blanket' starting at the wide end

once rolled, place on a baking sheet with the end down.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes

I like to serve the pigs in blankets wrapped in a cloth in a basket with catsup and mustard as dips.

I put 2 cups of white flour, a tablespoon of white sugar, a teaspoon of salt and and 2 teaspoons of yeast in my food processor and pulsed it a couple of time to get the ingredients well mixed. I cubed about 1-1/2 sticks of cold butter and added it to the processor and processed until it looked like cornmeal as if I was doing a pie dough.

Next, I drizzled about 3/4 of a cup of hot water from the tap into the processor and ran it until a soft dough had formed. it was quite soft, BTW. Next I scraped it into a bowl and covered it with plastic wrap and a towel to hold the warmth in. I let it set for about 45 minutes and when I tried to work it decided that it needed to be refrigerated for a while and to help it cool and firm quicker I divided it in half and wrapped each in plastic wrap.

After a couple of hours I took the first ball and on a well floured piece of wax paper worked it into a rectangle and cut 8 wedges. I did the same with the second ball, but rolled that into a circle and cut the wedges.

I used 1/2 of a hotdog for each crescent, and seasoned some of them with Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon of course!) before rolling.

I baked them in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes and they still weren't done enough so I let them sit in the cooling oven for another 45 minutes. All said and done, they came out great for a round one experiment!

What I would do differently next time is try adding some egg into the recipe, rolling the dough thinner and make more than 16 crescents from this size recipe.

If you're an experimenter, give it a try, otherwise Pillsbury works great.