This fun and festive appetizer wraps mini hot dogs in homemade challah dough, then forms a dreidel shape to celebrate Hanukkah. Can be made into any shape to celebrate other holidays too!
72mini hot dogsapprox 2-3 packs; each brand has a varying amount
¼cupdijon mustardoptional
1large egg mixed with 1 tablespoon waterfor egg wash
Instructions
Make the dough
To a large bowl of warm water, add the yeast and sugar. Mix with a spoon to combine and allow to sit for 10 minutes or until foamy.
To the yeast mixture, add the flour, salt, oil, and eggs, mixing with a spoon until a dough begins to form.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, adding a few sprinkles of extra flour as needed so the dough isn’t sticky. The dough will become a cohesive ball that is the slightest bit tacky and is mostly smooth.
Place the kneaded dough into a large light-oiled bowl and cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
Prep while the dough rises
Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Optionally, to help create a dreidel shape, take two large pieces of aluminum foil and fold each several times until they form two long rectangles. Take each piece of foil and place it onto the parchment and neatly shape it into the outline of a dreidel. This will be the dreidel “pan” for your hot dogs. See photo diagram for some guidance as to how to shape the dreidel “pan.”
Optional: cut the very bottoms off each mini hot dog so it has a flat surface to stand on when in the pan later. Set aside.
Roll the dough and assemble
Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Place 5 of the portions back into the bowl and cover with the towel to prevent drying, and take the remaining piece of dough, and shape into a rough rectangle with your hands.
Roll the rectangular piece of dough into about a 12 x 3 inch (30 x 8 cm) rectangle on a floured surface. Cut into a 12 mini-rectangle grid. Spread ⅛ teaspoon of mustard (optional) onto each piece of dough. Place a mini hot dog onto a piece of mustard-lined dough, making sure the top of the hot dog is peaking out over the dough by ¼ -½ inch (0.6 cm x 1.25 cm) and the bottom of the dough should align with the bottom of the hot dog. Roll the piece of dough around the hot dog, and pinch to secure the seam. Place the hot dog into the prepared dreidel “pan”. Repeat with more hot dogs.
Repeat previous step with each of the remaining portions of dough until you have 72 mini wrapped hot dogs situated in a dreidel shape.
Loosely cover the hot dog dreidel pan with a towel, and allow to rise for 15 minutes while the oven preheats to 350°F.
Brush the hot dog dreidel dough with egg wash.
Bake the hot dog dreidel for 30-40 minutes, or until the edge and center wrapped hot dog dough is a beautiful golden brown color, and no longer looks pale and raw.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving & breaking apart to eat.
Notes
Save time by using store bought crescent roll dough. Unroll the dough, lightly patch up perforations with your fingers, and then cut rectangles to size to fit around mini hot dogs.
Warm water for the dough: Microwaving tap water for 25 seconds should make it perfectly warm without being too hot. Water should be about 105° to 115°F when measured with a food thermometer. The warm water stimulates the yeast growth, whereas hot water kills the yeast process.
How to store: Be sure the hot dogs have completely cooled. Cover the cooled pan tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to freeze: Wrap the pan in plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, place the entire wrapped pan in the fridge overnight.
How to reheat: Uncover hot dogs completely, and reheat in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 10-15 minutes.
Make ahead: Prepare the dough a day in advance. Make dough up to the rise step. Let the dough rise, then put it in the refrigerator overnight. Remove the dough from the refrigerator so it can rise again for about 30 minutes before rolling it out. This whole hot dog appetizer can also be prepared ahead. Arrange the hot dog dreidel on a baking sheet, then cover with foil, and place in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to bake the next day, remove the foil, allow to re-rise for 30 minutes and proceed with brushing with the egg wash and baking.