Neil here! I remember eating corn dogs like crazy in my high school days of 2 a-day soccer practices coupled with hours in front of computer games every night. They were so good. Greasy meat, wrapped in bread, fried on a stick. It’s the perfect meal right? As Anthony Bourdain once said, “They need to put more meat on sticks.” And I agree!
However as I get older and live a more sedentary lifestyle (aside from the gym and camping/hiking), I can’t exactly afford to go buy a 12-pack of frozen corn dogs to enjoy with a night of PS3 or computer gaming. Nor do I relish the thought of packaged frozen food anymore. But as we proved last night, you CAN make corn dogs that are healthy (read: healthier) and still taste great!
With the use of whole wheat flour, turkey franks, and baking instead of frying, these corn dogs are a perfect alternative if you’re looking to avoid all the grease and frying mess. Vegetarian? Easy! Just grab your favorite soy dog substitute!
So lets get started. This recipe is a modified version of one from Rachael Ray, that we adjusted slightly with the substitution of whole-wheat flour.
Ingredients:
1 cup reduced-fat milk
1 package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 cups all-purpose (whole wheat) flour, plus more for dusting and kneading
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika
1 pkg reduced-fat hot dogs
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds (optional)
Directions:
1. Warm milk to 110 degrees in a small sauce pan and add yeast, stirring gently. Allow it to sit for two minutes to soften. While this is going, Add olive oil, brown sugar, cornmeal into a bowl or mixer. Add the milk to this mix.
2. Stir in the flour, salt, baking soda, and cayenne pepper and mix into a sticky dough. You may need to add more flour if the mix is too sticky. We found that the recipe was a little off and needed a bit more flour.
3. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and kneed it out for a couple minutes. Shape it into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled container and cover it with a towel (We always put ours in the microwave with a towel over it so it stays at a good temperature). Let dough sit for 1 hour. While this is rising, prep your hot dogs by inserting sticks or skewers about 1-2 inches deep and set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
5. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out thin. We rolled ours to about 1/4 inch or less. The more dough you will have around your dogs, the thicker they will obviously be, so its up to you!
6. Cut the dough into 1-inch strips that are about 10-12 inches long. Begin rolling the dough around the dogs, holding the dogs at an angle so that you are not overlapping the dough more than 1/4-inch. Pinch together ends or any open areas to seal.
7. Place on greased/sprayed baking sheet and brush with beaten egg. Add sesame seeds if desired.
8. Bake in oven for 15 minutes and then enjoy with your favorite dipping sauces!
The directions may seem a little bit long, but don’t let that fool you. These were as easy as making and waiting on dough and quickly wrapping the dogs and placing them in the oven. While they don’t have the super-crunch of a fried corn dog, the texture is so incredibly similar it’s uncanny. The dough net us nine corn dogs, so it’s easily a two-night meal, great for families, or a great dish for a party. We definitely plan on making at our next gaming party!
So much fun! I actually have never eaten a corn dog, but this recipe has tempted me ;).
Ditto! I’ve never had one myself, but this makes me want to try it at home.
This looks delicious. Thanks for all of the amazing – and health conscious – recipes. Your blog has become a favorite ever since I stumbled across your blueberry flax pancakes. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Jon! We appreciate the feedback. Ladies, I’m not all that much of a corn dog person myself, but I LOVE these. No grease, and you can easily use alternative meats or non-meats. I continue to be amazed at all the things you can reinvent to make exciting and more health-conscious. The sky is really the limit!
I can’t wait to try these with my favorite tofu pups!
I am a HUGE corn dog fan, and this recipe is great! I’ve always been intimidated, and usually just buy frozen, but I have to try this. Now if I can find some hot dogs without nitrates…
Oscar Mayer Makes “Selects” that are nitrate free. They use celery juice as the preservative instead. They even have a low-fat turkey version – very yummy!
Thanks for the recommend!
I just found this recipe and I was wondering if anyone has done these ahead of time. Any special things to do or plan on? I have a luncheon game party to go to and its about an hour a way and I’m limited on time that morning. Any suggestions?
I guess it depends how much ahead of time you’d need them. We’ve prepped the ingredients and taken them camping before with some (albeit messier) success. If you have an oven where you’re going I’d prep the batter ahead of time and you should be fine.
You could also prepare it by making the batter into pancakes(follow jiffy corn muffin pancake directions) that you only cook on one side until the center firms up a little, then roll onto the dogs and bake until golden brown if you hate rolling out dough!