Tornado Franks

Method

1. Use six short food-safe bamboo skewers that fit fully inside your frying pan. Soak them in water for 20 minutes, then dry thoroughly. Pat the precooked frankfurters dry and thread one lengthwise onto each skewer; avoid leaving a sharp point exposed at the top.
2. Starting at one end, angle a small knife and turn the frankfurter while cutting a continuous spiral down to, but not through, the skewer. Leave a solid 1 cm section at either end. Ease the spiral apart gently along the stick to make a narrow continuous gap.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together. Add the 100 ml milk and teaspoon of oil and mix into a soft, non-sticky dough. Add extra milk only by the teaspoon if dry flour remains. Knead for 1–2 minutes and cover for a 10-minute rest.
4. Divide dough into six pieces. Roll each on a lightly floured surface into a rope about 5–6 mm thick, long enough to follow a frankfurter’s spiral. Do not make a thick bread layer: it must cook in the same time as the outside browns.
5. Wind one dough rope into the gap of each frankfurter and pinch the ends to the neighbouring dough to secure. Keep the original cut spiral slightly open. If a rope breaks, pinch it together rather than doubling a large piece over one spot.
6. Heat oil to 165–170°C. Lower two skewers into the pan at a time and fry for 3–4 minutes, turning carefully. The dough should be golden all around and free of a gummy centre, and the frankfurter should reach 74°C. Test the first one before cooking the remaining batches.
7. Drain on a rack for 2 minutes and serve with ketchup and optional mustard. Remove skewers and cut frankfurters lengthwise into safe-size pieces for young children. Keep uncooked prepared skewers refrigerated and cook the same day; do not taste raw dough.