Hot Gods in a Bun (Carrot dogs)
So, on our final American day, we proudly present our version (or better said: our two versions) of a staple in American (street food) cuisine: Hot dogs. 🌭
I heard about “Carrot dogs” only recently and I was immediately “Feuer und Flamme” as we say in German. Totally enthusiastic and looking forward to try this vegan hot dog sausage creation. I tried to find out who invented it, to give credit, but there was nobody in particular to be found, apparently some people tried and succeeded, shared it somewhere around 2010 and it went viral… So whoever came up with this brilliant idea – probably even the Higher Mind sparking through a group of people at once – I highly appreciate your sharing! It’s super delicious!
What you will also find in this recipe: My first trial and super success of an own recipe of Vegan Hot Dog Buns, that are not only sweetened with agave nectar instead of sugar, but also contain only half of the usual amount of yeast and still turned out simply perfectly for our taste!
Try this recipe with your own Ketchup – you will be even more satisfied and it is much healthier too, because also that is sweetened only with agave nectar…
Before we start, here a short introduction to the History of Hot Dogs:
Hot dogs trace their origins back to German sausages, particularly the frankfurter, named after Frankfurt, Germany, where pork sausages similar to hot dogs originated in the 13th century. German immigrants brought these sausages to the United States in the 19th century, where they became popular, particularly in New York City, often served in a bun. The modern hot dog as we know it today became an American staple, particularly associated with baseball games and summer barbecues.
Now let’s get started!
Hot Gods in a Bun
Equipment
- 1 Blender
- 4 pieces baking paper and alu foil for steaming the sausages
Ingredients
For the Hot Dog Buns
- 2 tbsp plant butter
- 3/4 cup soy or almond milk
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 packet active dry yeast (5 g)
- 3 cups flour
- 1,5 tbsp agave nectar
- some more plant milk and agave for glazing
- some more flour for kneading
For the tofu sausages
- 1/2 block firm tofu
- 3,5 tbsp oat flour
- 2 tbsp unsweetened plant milk
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp mustard
- 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 1-2 tsp garam masala powder
- 1/2 tbsp dried herbs (optional)
- 1 tsp melted plant butter
- pepper and/or chili (if you want them spicy)🌶️
For the carrot sausages
- 4 small and thin carrots
- 3 tbsp (homemade) ketchup see notes
- 1 cup water
- 4-5 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika powder
- 1 tsp mustard
- 3 tbsp agave nectar
- 3-4 tbsp vinegar
For the filling
- 3/4-1 cup (homemade) ketchup see notes
- 3 tbsp mustard
- 1 handful lettuce, finely sliced optional
- 1 handful pickled cucumbers (cornichons) sliced
Instructions
Prepare the buns
- In a big bowl, mix together the warm water (handwarm, not hot!), the yeast and the salt. I have the habit to do this with my hand and help the yeast dissolve manually.
- In a saucepan, warm up half of the plant milk and the butter, until the latter has melted. Set aside to cool down for a minute. Add the rest of the milk.
- Add half of the flour to the water yeast mixture, knead slightly with your hand. Add the butter milk mixture (see that it is handwarm, otherwise it will kill the yeast…), the rest of the flour and the agave nectar.Knead well until you have a nice and soft dough. Place the dough back into the bowl, cover with cling film, wrap the bowl in a second hand plastic bag or simply cover it with a plate or lid, and let the dough rise to double of the size (1-2 hours).
- Slightly push the dough down, cut it in 8 pieces. Fold the edges under to form balls. Roll each ball to a bun shape. Place the buns with ca 1 cm distance to each other on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush them slightly with plant milk, cover them with a damp towel or wrap the dish again in a plastic bag, and let rise for another hour.
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ (fan mode) or 190℃ upper and lower heat. Mix 3 tablespoons of plant milk with 1/2 tbsp of agave nectar, brush the bunds nicely with this glaze and bake until golden brown (depending on your oven, 20-30 minutes).
Prepare the sausages
- In a blender, blend all ingredients until smooth. If using an immersion blender, you need to blend in batches. Form a ball and let the dough sit for 10 minutes, covered.
- In the meantime, mix all ingredients for the carrot sausage marinade together.Peel the carrots. In a saucepan of the size of the carrots – the smaller the more immersed in liquid the carrots can cook – cook the carrots in the sauce until fork tender (approximately 20 minutes). Check regularly if there is still enough sauce, if not, add a little bit of water.
- In the meantime, cut the tofu dough in 4. Carefully form sausages of the size of your buns. Cut 4 rectangular sheets of baking paper 5 cm longer than the length of the sausages. Roll in tightly each sausage, twist tightly the edges to form a “candy”. Wrap the sausage packets all together in alu foil. Steam the sausages for 15-20 minutes. Take them out of the paper (careful, hot!) and let them dry for a few minutes.
- Fry first the tofu sausages in a few tablespoons of oil until nicely brown all around. Tip: If you have a grilling pan, even better!
- Take the carrot sausages out of the sauce, let them drip off. Fry them in the same oil – they turn black fast, so keep an eye on them and turn them now and then!
Assemble
- Cut the buns carefully open just on one side. Fill them with a sausage each, the cucumbers, the mustard, the ketchup and the lettuce (optional).
- Enjoy!
