In a fun twist of the Christmas classic these Pigs In Pretzels are a crazy but hugely successful combination of savoury, salty and sweet that taste awesome and provide the perfect appetiser for the festive period.
You cannot never go wrong with Pigs in Blankets; breakfast, dinner or tea they are a snack that can be enjoyed at any time. However, scaling up the classic favorite to Pretzel Pigs in a Blanket that’s soft in texture with savory, salty and slightly sweet flavors is just taking it to the next level.
The recipe is unbelievably easy too with only a few ingredients, but be warned they are addictive, but c’mon nobody actually looses weight over the festive period.
Pigs In Pretzels
Yields: 48
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1 recipe soft pretzels, prepared through step 3
- Unbleached all-purpose flour, for dusting
- 3 tablespoons sweet Bavarian mustard, or the mustard of your choice
- 48 cocktail sausages
- Coarse salt, for topping (optional)
- Poppy seeds, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Fire up the oven to 250°F (120°C).
- Spread the baking soda in an aluminum pie pan or on a small rimmed baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Bake the baking soda for 1 hour. The baking soda will lose weight as it bakes but maintain about the same volume, so you should end up with about 1/4 cup baked baking soda. Let it cool completely. Keep the baked baking soda in an airtight container at room temperature until you’re ready to make the soft pretzels. (If you see more than one batch of pretzels in your future, consider baking a whole box of baking soda in one shot, since it keeps indefinitely. Sift the baked baking soda before using.)
- Line two 2-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Turn the dough for the Soft Pretzels onto a lightly floured work surface and firmly press it down to deflate. Cut it into 4 equal portions. Work with 1 piece of dough at a time and keep the rest covered with a damp, clean kitchen towel. Gently pat the piece of dough down with your fingertips and then use a rolling pin to flatten it to an 8-inch square, gently pulling and stretching the dough with your hands to form straight edges and sharp corners. If the dough is sticky, lightly dust the rolling pin and the dough with flour. Brush any excess flour off the bottom and top of the dough. Use a pizza wheel or knife to cut the dough in half through the center, and then cut each half into 6 triangles for a total of 12 triangular strips.
- Spread a thin smear of mustard at the base (the widest part) of each triangle. Place a cocktail sausage on the mustard and roll it in the dough from the base to the tip, gently pressing the tip to seal. Place the pig in pretzel dough on a prepared baking sheet with the point tucked under and cover with a damp towel. Repeat with the remaining dough and sausages, arranging the pretzels at least 2 inches apart.
- Allow the pretzels to rise at warm room temperature until they’ve increased in size by about half, 20 to 30 minutes. (The pretzels can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 8 hours.)
- At least 20 minutes before baking, position 1 rack in the upper third and another rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 500°F (260°C).
- Select a large stainless-steel pot and add about 8 cups water. Be sure to choose a pot that’s at least a finger’s length wider than the diameter of the pigs in a blanket and tall enough so that the water comes up no more than 2 inches from the rim. (Avoid other metal surfaces, such as aluminum and copper, and nonstick surfaces, which may react with the baked baking soda.) Add the baked baking soda and bring the liquid to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once the baking soda dissolves, reduce the heat to medium and maintain a gentle simmer. Use a large skimmer to gently dip the pigs in a blanket, 1 or 2 at a time, in the baked baking soda solution. Leave them in the solution for about 20 seconds, carefully turning them once after 10 seconds. Remove the pigs in a blanket from the liquid, drain, and return them to the baking sheets, spacing them at least 1 inch apart. If the tips come detached, simply reattach them. Repeat with the remaining pigs in a blanket.
- Sprinkle the dipped pigs in a blanket with coarse salt or poppy seeds or both, as you desire. Immediately bake the pigs in a blanket until they’re deep mahogany, 8 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans from front to back and top to bottom after 5 minutes. Transfer them to a rack to cool for 5 minutes before serving. The pigs in a blanket are best enjoyed warm from the oven or within an hour of being baked. (To store the pigs in a blanket, tightly wrap them in plastic, place them in a resealable plastic freezer bag, and freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat the pretzels in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 12 to 15 minutes.)
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