DIY: Homemade Hot Dog Buns

in Bread, DIY

Homemade Hot Dog Buns

I’ve been sitting on this recipe for a couple of months. It seemed a little silly to post about homemade hot dog buns around Thanksgiving… even though I made them around Thanksgiving. We swam, grilled hot dogs, and had frosty mug beer for dinner. Gotta love “fall” in Texas. March seems like fair game, though.

Homemade Hot Dog Buns

By no means do I have time or the desire to make everything from scratch all the time but I do it when I can. It’s really interesting (and sometimes really scary) to compare the ingredient list from your recipe to the ingredient list on the package from the store.

Mostly it’s out of desperation (who wants to go out and get hamburger buns in the pouring rain with a baby). Sometimes it’s because the DIY way is cheaper (roasted red bell peppers in-season are much more economical than the jarred variety). Other times, it’s “just because.” And the latter is why I made hot dog buns. And have a food blog 🙂

Of course, I was somewhat motivated by a pack of hot dogs that I found while digging around in the bottom of the freezer. The pack of 7 hot dogs. For a recipe for 9 hot dog buns. Why does it always work out like that?

Homemade Hot Dog Buns

Soft homemade hot dog buns are the perfect addition to any cook-out or barbecue.

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 1/4 tsp (1 pkg) yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 cup warm milk
  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 - 4 cups flour
  • 1 egg
  • sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let sit for 10 minutes.
  2. Add the milk, oil, salt and 3 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Beat with the dough hook until combined.
  3. Add flour, 1 large spoonful at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead 5-7 minutes, until you have a smooth, elastic dough.
  4. Put the dough into an oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled, about one hour.
  5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Use your kitchen scale and divide into 9 equal pieces.
  6. Shape each piece into a ball. Roll the balls into cylinders, 4 1/2-inches in length and flatten slightly.
  7. Place each bun on a line baking sheet with the sides just barely touching.
  8. Cover with a light towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
  9. Preheat oven to 400.
  10. Just before baking, lightly brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water) and sprinkle with sesame seeds (if using).
  11. Bake for ~20 minutes or until golden brown.
  12. Transfer the buns from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Yields: 9 buns

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Estimated time: 3 hours

27 comments… add one
  • Oh my goodness, I LOVE this post and cannot wait to make these!! Thank you!

  • I cannot wait to try these. They look delicious, just in time for baseball season to begin.

  • YAY SHAWNDA! YAAAAAAAYY! I have wanted to make my own hot dog buns but never got around to trying it or even looking for a recipe. And I’ve been craving hot dogs a lot, so this is even more perfect. Oh boy, I’m excited!!!!

  • Your comment on buns to dogs ratio reminds me of that scene in Father of the Bride when he gets caught removing buns from the packages. I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but hopefully I don’t sounds too crazy. 🙂

    Could this recipe be used for hamburger buns?

    • @Ali, Haha, yes! I’ve seen it! And the original recipe was a hot dog & hamburger bun recipe so you could absolutely use it for burgers.

  • What a great idea! I would’ve never thought to make homemade hot dog buns. This recipe is perfect for this warm weather!

  • Ok, obviously it can be done, but I never even THOUGHT about making hot dog buns before! These look SO much better than store-bought ones!

  • Homemade hot dog buns – why not, right? They look awesome, and I’m totally trying these in the next few weeks!

  • This is such a fun and healthy idea! They look so delish. Good for you trying something outside of your comfort zone! I’ll have to try these for myself some day.

  • Laurel

    My husband would be so happy if I made these! And my kids! I’d love for you to submit this to the M&T Spotlight at http://www.makeandtakes.com/spotlight

  • lol! I was just going to post almost exactly what Annie said above. So, ditto Annie! 🙂

  • These buns look great — and I bet they beat any store-bought packages any day. What a fun twist on a traditional BBQ.

  • How did they taste? Worth the extra effort?

  • Ha – I did this once too but with mixed (err, bad) results. They were leaden, but I probably didn’t have an exact recipe. As it was also formed out of desperation at least I have this recipe to bookmark for future extreme cases. So thanks!

  • Thanks for the recipe – just blogged about the delicious dinner we made with it! 🙂

  • This is an AWESOME recipe – I just made them this morning, they turned out perfect. I have never made a recipe for hot dog/hamburger buns that was this nice and light, crusty on the outside and super soft on the inside. I’m going to use this for all my buns! I used bread flour and instant yeast (slightly less, 2tsp) and I just can’t rave enough. High five.

  • CowgalJazzy

    I don’t have a mixer with a dough hook. how would I make these by hand? ty! Jazzy

    • CowgalJazzy

      Never mind I figured it , I’m new at making everything from scratch I don’t buy anything that’s in a bag or box nomore. I’m just a beginner bread dummy right now lol!

  • Sammi

    Can you use this recipe to make hamburger buns?

  • Emily

    Any idea on making ahead and freezing?

    • Bake, cool, and package in a gallon freezer bag – separate with a sheet of wax paper if you have room in the bag to stack them.

  • Elizabeth

    Making these as we speak. Can’t wait to roll them and bake them.

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