Just like tacos have taken over the U.S., so have the hot dogs in Sonora, officially knowns as Dogos. What makes them great? It's the special bread created just for them. Soft and fluffy inside, rectangle-shaped, oversized purposely to fit up to 2 beef franks inside along with a boat-load of toppings (not shown here to highlight the bread). Built like Noahs Arch, it can literally hold an unsafe amount toppings with no oceans to keep it afloat but your two hands.
Just like tacos, dogo styles vary from town-town, with the bread being the common denominator. I'll be honest, it took me 5 rounds before I got this right. So here are a couple of things to keep in mind before starting. Ambient temperature. I worked in 80-82 degrees in my kitchen. All ingredients to be at room temperature. Get ready to work your mixer hard. I have a Kitchen Aid 6.qt version and it got hot at one point. Determine the size of the franks to be used. Lastly, get your yeast ready before hand. Whether you're using fast acting or instant, make sure it's set before you add it.
Note: this recipe was provide by Molino La Fama. I took some liberty to adjust due to the difference in climate in Los Angeles.
Okay, lets get started!
Just like tacos, dogo styles vary from town-town, with the bread being the common denominator. I'll be honest, it took me 5 rounds before I got this right. So here are a couple of things to keep in mind before starting. Ambient temperature. I worked in 80-82 degrees in my kitchen. All ingredients to be at room temperature. Get ready to work your mixer hard. I have a Kitchen Aid 6.qt version and it got hot at one point. Determine the size of the franks to be used. Lastly, get your yeast ready before hand. Whether you're using fast acting or instant, make sure it's set before you add it.
Note: this recipe was provide by Molino La Fama. I took some liberty to adjust due to the difference in climate in Los Angeles.
Okay, lets get started!
Ingredients:
- 1- Kilogram harina de Molino La Fama
- 100 grams of sugar
- 8 grams of salt
- 12 grams of yeast
- 100 gram of margrin
- 30 grams of powered milk or 200 ml of warm milk
- 600 ml of warm water (if using milk, subtract liquid milk ml from this)
Toppings for your Dogo:
Bacon for wrapped
Tomatoes
Grilled onions
Diced onoins
Mayo
Nopales
Guacamole
Salsa de Aguacate
Chorizo
Various grilled chili peppers
Diced jalapeño
Pickels
Relish
Mushrooms
About 2-4 types of cheese
Beans (whole or smashed)
Salsas
And any more a particular vendor may offer
To mention a few.
Step 1: Add all dry ingredients and mix. This step happens quickly. Next, add your 2 eggs and set to a medium speed setting. Do not expect your dough to thicken at this point. With the mixer still set to a medium speed, add your activated yeast. I did my yeast using the warm liquid milk option. Slowly pour it in and allow it to mix well. If you're using water, introduce it slowly to the mix. After adding the yeast and liquids, the dough will look like "Image 4" above. Remember, if you're using liquid milk and/or water combination, the total ml's of liquid should not exceed 600ml.
Sigh, they're all in. Let's begin to mix! Depending on your mixer, you way many to stay close by. Mix for 8-12 minutes, set to medium speed . During this process you will begin to see the dough thickening. The dough will begin to peel off the walls of the bowl and eventually stick to the hook. Once it's at this step, lets check the consistency. See "Image 6". Is will be elastic, but if it is sticking to your hand like a kid eating a chocolate cake, you may want to mix it more. Note, it will always stick but you want it to a bare minimum.
Once your mixer begins to smell like a firework, just kidding. The dough should be very elastic, sticky but not adhering and the viscosity of silly putty, you're done. See "Image 7".
Sigh, they're all in. Let's begin to mix! Depending on your mixer, you way many to stay close by. Mix for 8-12 minutes, set to medium speed . During this process you will begin to see the dough thickening. The dough will begin to peel off the walls of the bowl and eventually stick to the hook. Once it's at this step, lets check the consistency. See "Image 6". Is will be elastic, but if it is sticking to your hand like a kid eating a chocolate cake, you may want to mix it more. Note, it will always stick but you want it to a bare minimum.
Once your mixer begins to smell like a firework, just kidding. The dough should be very elastic, sticky but not adhering and the viscosity of silly putty, you're done. See "Image 7".
Step 2: Let's get rolling. Grease the baking tray. Create a ball of about 150 grams. Be tough, it won't cry. Roll in back and forth until you get the length you desire. The prank size will predetermined this. Try not to tapper them. Place them close but not touching. This step is critical to achieving the shape of the bun. My tray is a half size tray. I was able to fit 5 at the angle shown. Note, the smoother you can get the surface, the better looking the bun will be once it's baked.
Step 3: Let it rise! Again, depending on how well you activated the yeast and the ambient temperature, this step will take from 45-90 minutes. Being November in L.A., I went all the way to 90 minutes.
If you look at the images above, you can see by placing them closely, it allowed them to expand towards each other side ways, thus forcing them upwards. This will give you the iconic Dogo bun shape. The opening surface is not the top part, its the side. So please make sure you get the previous step correct to achieve this.
As for creating a golden brown finish, there are three ways you can do this. You can do nothing. You can mix an egg and sugar (remember about ambient temperature), or like panaderos in Mexico do it, premix shortening and oil and rub it on the dough before it starts to rise.
If you look at the images above, you can see by placing them closely, it allowed them to expand towards each other side ways, thus forcing them upwards. This will give you the iconic Dogo bun shape. The opening surface is not the top part, its the side. So please make sure you get the previous step correct to achieve this.
As for creating a golden brown finish, there are three ways you can do this. You can do nothing. You can mix an egg and sugar (remember about ambient temperature), or like panaderos in Mexico do it, premix shortening and oil and rub it on the dough before it starts to rise.
Step 4: Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 14-18 minutes or until the desired golden brown look you desire is achived. One kilo yields about 9 medias noches using 150 gram per ball.
NOTE: THESE ARE SERVED STEAMED BEFORE SERVING FROM A REAL SONORAN VENDOR. IF YOU OWN A STEAMER, IT IS A MUST YOU DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP TO EXPERIENCE THE TRUE AUTHENTIC TASTE.
NOTE: THESE ARE SERVED STEAMED BEFORE SERVING FROM A REAL SONORAN VENDOR. IF YOU OWN A STEAMER, IT IS A MUST YOU DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP TO EXPERIENCE THE TRUE AUTHENTIC TASTE.
Step 5: Serving. The skies the limit here. You can bacon wrap the beef frank or even wrap the media noche and grill it before serving. Franks can also be combined with sliced peppers of your choice along with melted cheese before going in. The wheat bread is part of the show, just like most Sonoran plates featuring wheat.
Buen provecho!
Buen provecho!