These easy cheesy stuffed bagel dogs are a fan favorite here. My husband begs me to make them all the time, and that always shows which recipe is a true winner.
Summer is nearly over. That’s a good thing and a bad thing around here.
I’ll miss spending so much time with my family and doing all sorts of fun things, but my wallet will be happier when I’m not constantly spending money to entertain them (and me). I’ve been doing my best to save money where I can so my wallet doesn’t squeak too much, and I know I’m not alone.
I can’t find a way to get a discount on Little Miss’s team gymnastics (or ouch, that $215 competition leotard we just bought!) or Mister Man’s tae kwon do fees. Or on gas to go to the waterpark or to summer camp, let alone the food at the waterpark or the summer camp fees. Instead, I need to pinch my pennies elsewhere.
Since I cook at home pretty much all the time, I always look for deals on ingredients whenever I can find them. Couponing isn’t my strong suit, but I do my best because finding good grocery coupons really makes a difference at checkout.
I found coupons recently that gave me an idea, though. The wee ones love bagel dogs and ask me to make them all the time. Me, I’m not as into hot dogs as I was as a kid. This time around, I decided to dress up our hot dogs and give them some added flavor.
I love the combination of cheddar and cream cheese – the sweet creamy tangy yumminess of the cream cheese and the sharp bold taste of cheddar pair perfectly.
A touch of hot sauce with that combo rolled up inside my bagel dog, and I was pretty sure I was onto a reinvention that would give bagel dogs a new life in my house. Yes, my buffalo chicken dip inspired me just a little.
When I told Little Miss what I had up my sleeve, she couldn’t wait to help.
Before we left for tae kwon do the other night, we spent five minutes mixing together some dough for our bagel dogs.
Yes, five minutes. This isn’t a knead and mix and wait and wait type of recipe. Yep, you’re making your own yeast dough, but it comes together quickly and is so easy that my 9 year old daughter can make it.
We let the dough rise while we took Mister Man to tae kwon do and Little Miss and I purchased the rest of our ingredients.
How to Make Bread Dough
I prefer making my own dough for these cheesy stuffed bagel dogs. I know lots of people aren’t comfortable working with yeast. That’s ok. This is a good, forgiving recipe.
Alternatively, you can choose to purchase premade dough and use it instead. I like this one because of its added oil that gives it a nice stretch, but it works with standard dough, too.
Add warm water and yeast to a bowl. If you know it’s good, proceed. If it’s older, let it proof to make sure it will rise.
That just means you let the yeast and water hang out for five minutes. If you have bubbles, you’re good to go. If there’s no action, toss it and get new yeast.
Add salt, oil, and 1 1/2 cups of flour. Stir to combine. Add more flour a half cup at a time until it comes together. You want it just barely sticky but not wet.
Once we got home, I turned on the oven and we set to work, since the dough had plenty of time to rise. And wow was there a difference!
Had we been heading out for a longer time, like to the pool for the day or to Little Miss’s three hour gymnastics practice, I would have made the dough the night before and left it in the fridge after rising for a half hour.
Cold dough is actually easier to work with since it isn’t quite as sticky. If you do that, make sure to keep it lightly covered so it doesn’t dry out.
How to Assemble Cheesy Stuffed Bagel Dogs
We quickly mixed together some of the softened cream cheese (I cheated and “defrosted” it in the microwave for about 30 seconds), cheese, and a touch of hot sauce in a small bowl for the inside of our cheesy stuffed bagel dogs.
That done, we set up our work station and started rolling. A jelly roll pan with a silpat (or parchment paper) plus our hot dogs, our dough, and our cheese mixture, and we’re all ready.
I sprinkled a little flour over the dough to make it easier to handle, and the wee ones pulled up a small handful of dough.
They used the silpat to press the dough into a rectangle roughly the size of a hot dog, adding just a tiny sprinkle of extra flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.
Add a layer of the cheese mixture and then the hot dog to the dough, making sure to leave space on each edge of the dough to seal it.
The wee ones quickly figured out that they should press the hot dog into the cheese just a little so that the cheese mixture surrounds the hot dog a little more.
Pull the dough edges up and press them together to form a seal. Leaving the ends open will work fine, as the cream cheese holds the mixture in place.
Once you seal the cheesy stuffed bagel dogs, place them a couple inches apart on a jelly roll pan. Three across, just like cookies, works perfectly.
Put the pan in your preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, until they’re just starting to turn golden. Let them cool for a couple minutes before serving, as they are incredibly hot inside coming straight from the oven.
Remember what I said about making sure you have a good seal? One of the fun parts about cooking with kids is that they don’t always listen to instructions as well as you might like.
Fortunately, the cheese mixture only comes out a little bit even with a broken seal. That leaves plenty of yummy goodness inside the cheesy stuffed bagel dogs for you to enjoy.
Yep, these were a hit. The cheese really elevated the taste of the bagel dogs, and the little bit of a kick from the hot sauce made them feel more grown up.
Apparently I’ll be making cheesy stuffed bagel dogs often. And I wasn’t the only fan – the wee ones gave them major props, too!
Have you ever had cheesy stuffed bagel dogs?
Cheesy Stuffed Bagel Dogs
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 cup warm water 105-115 degrees
- 1 teaspoon yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 cups flour
For the bagel dogs
- 6 hot dogs
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- In a bowl, add warm water, and yeast. Add salt, oil, and one cup flour, then stir with a spatula. Add remaining cup of flour and stir just until the dough comes together in a ball.1 cup warm water, 1 teaspoon yeast, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons oil
- Cover with a towel and let rise at least 30 minutes.
- Add softened cream cheese to small bowl with cheddar cheese and hot sauce and stir until combined.4 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- Sprinkle a little flour over your dough. Split the dough into six equal pieces. Shape one dough piece into a rough rectangle about the length of the hot dog.
- Spread a sixth of the cheese mixture on the rectangle, away from the edges. Add hot dog and press down gently. Pull long edges of the dough up and around the hot dog and press the edges together to form a seal.6 hot dogs
- Repeat for each hot dog, and place a couple inches apart on the jelly roll pan.
- Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, until the dough has started to just turn golden.
Notes
- If you don’t want to make your own dough, you can buy premade pizza dough at most grocery stores now that would also work well. You could make these with crescent rolls, as well. If kids don’t like spicy foods, leave the hot sauce out for them and instead use it as a dipping sauce for yourself.
- After baking, let cool several minutes before eating to avoid burning your tongue, as the inside of the bagel dog will be very hot.
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.
Hi Michelle,
I found your post on the Mom It Forward FB group blog hop. 🙂
I’m going to share this with my daughter so she can try it on my grandson. He loves hot dogs! Mine do too, so I will definitely try this one out.
Thanks for sharing!
I need to make these for my boys. A great twist on pretzel dogs
We doe something similar with crescent rolls, but this looks so much more delicious! I love the Kraft shredded cheese with a touch of Philadelphia, I bet those would kick it up even more!
Thanks, Jenna! It would work with crescent rolls (I note that somewhere!), but I’m all about making my own dough. It’s so easy and way fewer ingredients, which is always my goal. This was soooo good!