This recipe for baking corn bread with hot dogs and Iranian saffron makes a savoury tray bake with five hot dogs enclosed in a golden corn-and-wheat-flour crumb.
Cheddar, yogurt and saffron give the bread its colour and flavour. The hot dogs are laid in parallel between two layers of batter, so every finished strip has a neat centre.
Corn bread with hot dogs ingredients
- Corn flour: 2 cups
- Wheat flour: 2 cups
- Baking powder: 2 teaspoons
- Baking soda: 1/2 teaspoon
- Salt: as needed
- Ground black pepper: as needed
- Eggs: 4
- Yogurt: 1 1/2 cups
- Brewed saffron: 1 to 2 teaspoons
- Cheddar cheese: 1/2 cup, grated
- Butter: 120 grams, melted and slightly cooled
- Hot dogs: 5
Prepare the oven and baking tin
Heat the oven to 200°C (390°F) and place a rack in the middle. Line a 20-centimetre square baking tin with greaseproof paper, leaving enough paper at two sides to lift the bread later. Lightly grease the paper and exposed sides of the tin.
Melt the 120 grams of butter and leave it to cool slightly. Brew the saffron and grate the cheddar before mixing the batter, because the leavening begins to work as soon as the wet and dry ingredients meet.
Mix the dry and wet ingredients
Put the 2 cups of corn flour, 2 cups of wheat flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, salt and black pepper in a large bowl. Whisk them together so the raising agents are evenly distributed, then stir in the 1/2 cup of grated cheddar.
In a separate bowl, blend the 1 to 2 teaspoons of brewed saffron into the 1 1/2 cups of yogurt until the colour is even. Beat in the 4 eggs, followed by the melted butter.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold just until no dry pockets remain. The batter should be cohesive, but prolonged mixing can make the finished corn bread heavier.
Layer the batter and hot dogs
Spread slightly less than half of the batter over the prepared tin and smooth it into an even layer. Arrange the 5 hot dogs parallel to one another, leaving a little space between each one and keeping them away from the sides.
Spoon the remaining batter over the hot dogs. Work gently so they stay in position, then smooth the top and make sure every hot dog is covered.
Bake for about 20 minutes
Place the tin on the middle rack and bake at 200°C for about 20 minutes. The top should be golden, the centre should spring back lightly, and a skewer pushed into the bread between the hot dogs should not come out with wet batter.
Ovens and tin materials vary. If the surface has coloured but the centre still looks wet, cover the top loosely and continue for a few minutes, checking often. The original 20-minute time remains the first check rather than a reason to remove underbaked batter.
Cool and cut the corn bread
Let the bread cool in the tin until it is firm enough to handle. Lift it out by the paper and move it to a board.
Because the 5 hot dogs were placed in parallel, make 4 long cuts between them to create 5 strips, each with one hot dog through its centre. Cut every strip into 2 or 3 smaller pieces for serving. Waiting before slicing keeps the warm crumb from tearing.
Details that help the recipe work
- Use the full 2 cups each of corn flour and wheat flour; they play different roles in the crumb.
- Cool the melted butter slightly so it does not heat the eggs on contact.
- Mix saffron with the yogurt first for an even golden colour.
- Keep the 5 hot dogs parallel and evenly spaced so the portions cut cleanly.
- Fold the batter only until combined.
- Check at 20 minutes, then use the centre of the bread—not colour alone—to judge whether it needs longer.
Corn bread with hot dogs and Iranian saffron is easiest to serve warm rather than piping hot. The short cooling time sets the cheddar-rich crumb, while the saffron remains noticeable alongside the savoury filling.
