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.

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?

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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