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Pigs in a Blanket
Strong white flour, fast-action yeast, butter, and an egg yolk come together into a yeasted dough that rises before wrapping 20 cocktail sausages. Each roll gets a milk wash and a scatter of sesame seeds before going into the oven, producing a golden, seed-crusted exterior around a soft, pillowy center. The total process runs three hours — most of it proofing time — and makes 5 servings of 4 rolls each. Using a yeasted dough rather than puff pastry gives a noticeably softer texture against the sausage filling.
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Oven
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 250g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1½ teaspoons fast-action yeast
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 125ml milk, plus extra for brushing
- 25g unsalted butter
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 20 good-quality cocktail sausages
- 1 teaspoon sunflower oil
Instructions
- 1Warm the milk in a small saucepan over low heat or in the microwave until it's warm to the touch. Stir the butter into the warm milk, then pour this liquid and the egg yolk into a bowl with the flour, yeast, and sugar.
- 2Stir the ingredients together, then transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter. Knead by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook for 5 minutes until the texture is smooth and elastic.
- 3Form the dough into a smooth ball and set it in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm area for 1 hour, or until it doubles in volume.
- 4Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan or gas mark 6) and line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Place the cocktail sausages on the tray, drizzle with the sunflower oil, and toss to coat evenly.
- 5Roast the sausages for 20 to 25 minutes until they begin to brown. Remove them from the oven and let them cool on the tray. Line a separate baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 6Move the risen dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it briefly for 30 seconds to deflate it. Cut the dough into 20 equal portions and roll each piece into a rectangle about 3mm thick.
- 7Set one cooled cocktail sausage in the center of each dough rectangle and lightly brush the exposed dough edges with milk. This helps seal the dough so it doesn't unroll during baking.
- 8Wrap the dough tightly around the sausage, rolling it so the meat is fully covered and the seam sits on the bottom.
- 9Place the wrapped sausages on the parchment-lined baking sheet with a little space between each one. Cover them loosely with plastic wrap and let the rolls rest for 40 minutes until the dough puffs up and looks light.
- 10Brush the tops of the rested rolls with a little more milk. Take a sharp knife and make three shallow slashes across the top of each roll, cutting just deep enough to reach the sausage. This allows steam to escape and prevents the dough from bursting.
- 11Scatter sesame seeds over the glazed rolls and bake for 20 minutes until the dough turns golden brown. Top the finished rolls with ketchup and mustard.
Notes
- Storage: Keep leftover rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Warm them in a 175°C (350°F) oven for 5 to 7 minutes to restore the dough's soft texture.
- Serving: For extra flavor, fry thinly sliced onions in olive oil until soft and caramelized to serve alongside the baked rolls.
