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While pigs in a blanket might seem like an easy comfort food with just two ingredients, no one mentions the frustration of wrapping sticky dough around slippery hot dogs for what feels like forever. Forget all that: there's a simpler way to prepare pigs in a blanket, with the crescent dough playing a larger role as a blanket than ever before.
How to effortlessly make pigs in a blanket with crescent dough
Here’s how you do it: Lay your dough flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cut it into two strips along the perforation. Pinch the diagonal perforations together to seal them. If you’ve got the kind that comes as one sheet—well done, since I rarely find that in stores—but if not, simply slice it down the middle to create two long rectangles.
Arrange your mini sausages along the bottom edge. In the photo above, you can see nine dogs, but I managed to fit 10 or 11 per strip with just half an inch of space between them. Now, make your choice: wrap the sausages entirely in the dough, placing them inside the dough line, or leave the end of each mini dog exposed.
Each method has its advantages: Fully wrapped dogs bake to a tender, juicy finish as they trap in the sausage's flavor, while the peek-a-boo style results in a slightly drier texture, offering a chewier bite thanks to direct oven heat exposure.
Begin by pulling the far side of the dough up and over the hot dogs. (You might need to stretch the dough a bit to cover them completely.) If the dough tears along the perforations, simply pinch and press it back together—it’s quite forgiving. Use a chopstick, your little finger, or the end of a knife to press firmly between each sausage to seal the dough layers together. Cut through the sealed areas. For pull-apart dogs, like the ones I made in the photos, leave the folded end uncut (this would be the spine if the pastry were a book). For individual pigs in blankets, cut all the way through. Seal any open edges as needed.
You can space the pigs in blankets a little apart to form a chain of pull-apart dogs, perfect for fitting onto a rectangular charcuterie board. Another option is to twist them into a snail shape, or arrange them in a zig-zag pattern. I chose to create a traditional wreath shape, which left room in the middle for a bowl of dip. Whichever arrangement you pick, ensure the dogs are spaced about ¼-inch apart, with enough room to expand as they bake, allowing for that ideal weak connection perfect for pull-apart bread. Optionally, sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning, garlic powder, or za’atar before baking according to the pastry’s package instructions.
Even if you don’t want your pigs in blankets to pull apart, this method is significantly quicker than individually wrapping each one. By simplifying the process into three steps (aligning the dogs, pressing the dough, and cutting it), you'll complete the task in a fraction of the usual time. This technique is especially helpful when making large batches of dozens of pigs in blankets. You’ll spend less time wrapping and more time enjoying your snack.
