4 New And Improved Ways To Make Pigs In A Blanket

Hors d'oeuvres, appetizers, starters – no matter what you call them, they're oftentimes the highlight of the dinner and can totally make or break a party. One classic finger food that pops up everywhere is pigs in a blanket. They're popular for a reason – the taste, the texture, the snuggly warm feeling you get when you take a bite – but serving the same old snacks at every event can get repetitive. We've come up with 4 exciting modifications on this old party favorite so that you can serve your favorite finger food and still impress your guests with your culinary creativity!

Homemade Pizza Dough:

You'll Need:

  • 12½ cups flour
  • ¾ cup semolina flour
  • 1 packet dry yeast
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 4 cups lukewarm water

Here's How:

It's best to prepare the homemade pizza dough a day in advance so that it can develop more flavor and rise in the refrigerator overnight. To make the dough, put all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until a smooth dough starts to form. Remove from the food processor and transfer to a clean work surface. In order to give the dough enough elasticity, knead it by hand for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate overnight.

1. Pigs In A Blanket Pull-Apart Bread

You'll Need:

  • 10 oz homemade pizza dough, rolled out into a 6 x 8-inch square
  • ⅓ cup BBQ sauce
  • 28 pieces of cheese
  • 28 cocktail sausages
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • chopped parsley to garnish

Here's How:

1.1 Preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll out the dough into a 6 x 8-inch rectangle and cut into into smaller 1 x 1½-inch sections. Brush BBQ sauce over each section.

1.2 Place a rectangular piece of cheese on top of each section of dough.

1.3 Put 1 cocktail sausage on a rectangular section and roll it up. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

1.4 Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and place the pigs in a blanket upright in the pan.

1.5 Sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top of the pigs in a blanket. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake at 400°F for 15 minutes. Remove the bread loaf from the oven and garnish with fresh parsley.

2. Pigs In A Blanket Pizza

You'll Need:

  • 16 oz homemade pizza dough, rolled out into a circle
  • 36 cocktail sausages
  • 3 tbsp pizza sauce
  • 1½ cups shredded mozzarella
  • pepperoni slices

Here's How:

2.1 Preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll out the pizza dough into a circle 13 inches in diameter and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make small incisions around the exterior at 1-inch intervals.

2.2 Wrap 1 cocktail sausage in each section of dough around the exterior, then turn the sausage 90° so that its position switches from horizontal to vertical.

2.3 Spread pizza sauce in the center, sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top, and add some slices of pepperoni. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.

3. Big Pigs In A Woven Blanket

You'll Need:

  • 10 oz homemade pizza dough, rolled out into a 6 x 8-inch rectangle
  • 8 hot dogs
  • ¾ stick butter, melted
  • 2 tsp flaky sea salt

Here's How:

3.1 Preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll out the pizza dough into a 7 x 8-inch rectangle and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut the dough lengthwise into 7 strips, each about 1 inch thick.

3.2 Fold every other strip of dough to the left so that 3 strips are facing left and 4 strips are facing right.

3.3 Put a hot dog on the dough strips facing right, then fold each strip over so that they end up facing the opposite direction. Continue to weave the hot dogs into the dough using this same technique.

3.4 Brush melted butter over the dough and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Transfer the baking tray to the oven and bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.

4. Honey Mustard Hasselback Hot Dogs

You'll Need:

  • 14 oz homemade pizza dough
  • 2 tbsp whole grain mustard
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 5 hot dogs
  • 1 whisked egg for the egg wash
  • black & white sesame seeds

Extra:

  • 10 toothpicks
  • 2 wooden skewers

Here's How:

4.1 Preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll the pizza dough into 5 rectangular sections about 2 x 6 inches each.

4.2 Combine the honey and whole grain mustard and spread it over the lower section of the rectangular piece of dough.

4.3 Place 1 hot dog on top of the honey mustard and roll it up, making sure the ends of the dough meet.

4.4 Insert 10 evenly-spaced toothpicks into the roll.

4.5 Put 2 wooden skewers near the bottom of the roll, supporting it somewhat. Cut the roll between each toothpick and press down until the knife hits the wooden skewers.

4.5 Remove the wooden skewers, then partially pull the roll apart by folding the individual sections down, alternating between left and right.

4.6 Brush the egg wash over the dough and sprinkle black and white sesame seeds on top. Transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Repeat this process with the remaining ingredients. Transfer the baking tray to the oven and bake at 400°F for 12 minutes.

Even the best pigs get tired of rolling around in the same old mud, so if you feel like switching things up, give these inventive pigs in a blanket a try! They're perfect for any party, or even for snuggle on a cozy night in. You'll love the blanket of savory flavor they cover your taste buds with!

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