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Fluffy Corn Dogs

Source of Recipe

From "Cravings: Hungry for More" by Chrissy Teigen


Recipe Introduction

"Corn dogs: where you basically get a piece of cake wrapped around one of the world's most perfect foods, stuck on a stick, and puffed up in oil. Yesss. Why don't people make them at home? Do you *want* to have to wait for your once-a-year state fair before your next corn dog? Make a corn dog at home. And it's SOOOO much better at home: piping hot and perfectly crispy. Sh*t, that's a good book title. Be on the lookout for Cravings 3: Piping Hot and Perfectly Crispy."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
â—¦ 1 cup cornmeal
â—¦ ¾ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dredging the hot dogs
â—¦ ¼ cup sugar
â—¦ 4 teaspoons baking powder
â—¦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
â—¦ 1 ¼ cups buttermilk, plus more if needed
â—¦ 1 egg, lightly beaten
â—¦ 8 hot dogs
â—¦ 8 (8-inch-long) thick wooden skewers or wooden chopsticks
â—¦ Hot Chinese mustard (or mustard of your choice)


Recipe

Pour 5 inches of oil into a large pot and heat over medium heat to 360° F. (Use a deep-fry thermometer or test the oil by throwing in a little piece of bread or some bread crumbs; if they sizzle immediately but aren't burning, you're ready.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cayenne. Add the buttermilk and egg and stir with a spoon until a thick batter forms (it will be much thicker than pancake batter). Scrape the batter with a spatula into a tall drinking glass (you can also put it in a wide, shallowish bowl). Chill for 15 minutes (this helps the batter adhere to the dog and not slip off when it hits the oil).

Put some flour on a plate. Pat the hot dogs dry with paper towels, and run a skewer through each lengthwise, making sure to leave enough for a handle. Roll the hot dogs in the flour and shake off the excess. One at a time, dip the hot dogs into the glass of batter to coat completely, including the bottom where the hot dog meets the stick. (If using a bowl, spin the hot dogs in the batter to coat all over.) Shake off some of the excess, twirling the hot dog at the same time to keep the batter uniform. As you work, if the batter gets too thick, add a splash of buttermilk (but don't add too much or the batter won't cling to the dogs!).

Three or four at a time, gently drop the coated dogs into the oil, making sure not to move them so the batter sets around the dogs. Fry until nice and deep golden and crisp, turning once during cooking, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with mustard.

Makes 8