Pigs in a Blanket

As voracious foodies and passionate food bloggers, we have been feeling that we need to develop one key skill - baking. We have baked enough cakes (the basic home-made ones) but never had the courage nor the motivation to bake other relatively complicated desserts or savoury stuff like puffs, rolls or croissants. Most of our desserts so far have been Indian no-bake recipes. But then, we finally did it ! What prompted it was a simple conversation in the chilly Delhi winters:

N - "It's getting really cold in our place, I think we need a heater this season"

M - "Well yeah, we could do that or just take one more blanket"

N - "And that's what you need, right? So you can keep yourself submerged under the blankets and not move your lazy bum on the weekends! One doesn't even feel like bathing in this weather sometimes. What pigs we become under these blankets! Hey, isn't that a dish?"

M - "Oh yeah, its some dish called pig in a blanket or something, I've seen or read it somewhere, we gotta try it. It's like savoury roll and looks delicious" "

N - "Well sounds funny but if it looks delicious, we must try"

And so began the research for the recipe. In theory it seemed a little challenging but doable. And we must say - we certainly were first time lucky. The rolls came out just perfectly soft and airy with a slightly crisp outer layer. Just the right amount of sweetness in the bread and the aromas of sausages  - intoxicating!

Ingredients (6 - 8 rolls)

6 - 8 sausages (the original recipe calls for pork sausages but you can use any. We used chilli cheese sausages and it went great)
2 cups all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp milk powder
3/4 cup warm milk 
1 ½ tbsp sugar 
1 ¼ tsp active dry yeast 
1 egg white
25 gms butter 
1 egg white 

1 tbsp water
1 tsp White sesame seeds for sprinkling

Method

To prepare the dough

1. Mix flour, salt and milk powder

2. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, warm milk and yeast and let it rest for 5 - 8 mins

3. Mix yeast mixture with flour mixture and add egg white

4. Heat the butter and add to the dough in 3 parts while continuing to mix and start making the dough

5. Take out the dough on a lightly floured surface / a large flour pan and keep kneading with the heel of your hands for 10-12 minutes. (This step is the key to success)

6. Transfer the dough to slightly oiled bowl and cover it with a moist cloth. Let it rise for at least 2 - 4 hours in a warm place.

7. Divide dough into similar sized balls and roll the same. 

8. Roll the sausages as shown below:

9. Line them on the baking tray and cover it with kitchen towel and let it rest for 1 hour

10. Mix egg white with water and whisk it. Apply it on rolls and sprinkle sesame seeds

11. Pre heat the oven at 200 degrees for 5 mins and then bake rolls at 200 degrees for 10 mins (both elements - Toast mode)

12. Rotate the baking tray and bake for another 10 mins at 200 degrees (adjust time and temperature as per your oven setting)

Enjoy hot as an evening snack or even for breakfast!