Forget The Boring Hot Dog Bun – Use This Fan-Favorite Italian Bread Instead

There are a lot of interesting ways to eat a hot dog. You can toss one in a Krispy Kreme donut or use a tortilla for a frankfurter taco. Most often, though, they're served on a bun — but why not skip the trip to the grocery store entirely and cook your sausages directly into a delicious Italian bread? Much like you can turn focaccia into pizza with the right toppings, you can transform it into a premade, ready-to-eat hot dog in a "bun." 

Just bake the links directly into focaccia for amazing texture and flavor that you just can't get with the usual packaged, soft, and tasteless stuff. It ensures the bread has a firm grip on your glizzy, while the thick, spongy crumb soaks up the moisture from any condiments you add on top, so it won't turn into a leaky, fall-apart mess. Plus, the soft-in-the-middle, crispy-on-top carb paired with the firm, snappy hot dog creates a satisfyingly chewy bite every time.

Once the focaccia is cooked, cut the links out of the pan, leaving about an inch of extra bread on all sides. You can also customize the dish to suit your own tastes and create an entirely new kind of meal.

You can start with pretty much any standard focaccia recipe. Just be mindful of your toppings — too many heavy ingredients can weigh down the dough, preventing it from rising properly. Overloading it can also lead to soggy wet spots or parts that burn too quickly. A topping of Italian herbs works beautifully to complement the dish, and finely minced shallots or garlic will caramelize nicely on top while still allowing the bread to rise. You can even fold pickle relish into the dough for classic hot dog flavor baked right in.

As for the hot dogs, pretty much any highly-ranked brand will do. Once your dough is ready for the oven, spiral-cut the links so they don't curl as they cook by slicing about halfway through each one while turning it. You can even sprinkle a little shredded cheese over them. They'll come out of the oven browned and caramelized on top, with the rendered fat cooking into the bread for even more savoriness. 

Once they're cut into bun shapes, top your franks however you normally would, whether that means a simple squeeze of mustard or going full Chicago-style with sports peppers and celery salt. Focaccia hot dogs are a clever trick for incredible baked-in flavor, and they can easily feed a whole crew.