Homemade Hot Dog Buns

Am I the only one who’s always thought that store bought hot dog buns were…well…wimpy? They’re too soft, rarely large enough for hot dogs and toppings, and frankly have no real flavor.

It’s taken me years, but finally I’ve perfected my perfect homemade hot dog buns. They’re sturdy enough to make into chili dogs if you want, but also really delicious just on their own. The outside is chewy and golden and the inside perfectly soft. 

They’re also ridiculously freezer friendly, so you can keep them on hand for those ‘I really don’t want to cook’ kind of nights.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Like most bread recipes, homemade hot dog buns don’t take a lot of ingredients. Here’s exactly what I use to get that perfect texture, and my suggestions for swapping in other things if you must.

• Bread Flour – I absolutely, 100% recommend buying good quality bread flour (Arrowhead mills, Bob’s Red Mill, King Arthur) if you’re serious about making bread. It contains a higher protein content which gives you that essential ‘chew’ you want out of bread. That being said, all-purpose will work fine, but add a little less water, and expect a softer bun.
  
• Warm Water – I always start with warm water. It helps the yeast proof faster and everything moves along a bit faster. Of course, the longer the rise…the better the flavor! So feel free to use room temperature water instead if you’re prepared to wait more. But DO NOT go hotter than 110° (use an instant read thermometer) because that will kill the yeast and your bread will not rise.
  
• Honey – I like a little sweetener in the dough. It helps activate and feed the yeast, and flavor the hot dog buns. You can use honey, maple syrup, or granulated sugar.
  
• Salt – Don’t skip the salt! The buns will taste bland if you leave it out. I prefer a coarse kosher salt for most of my recipes.
  
• Yeast – I always use active dry yeast because I bake a lot and I can buy it in bulk for cheaper. Even though (spoiler alert) you don’t actually have to activate it (it will rise without the proofing and bubbling step), I usually do to get things moving along faster. You can use instant yeast in equal amounts, but this takes more than 1 packet. One packet is 2 ¼ teaspoons, and I prefer 1 tablespoons worth. If you use less, just know the rise time will be longer.
  
• Fat – Here’s the real secret ingredient, fat. It is entirely essential for texture and flavor and in my personal opinion, the absolute best one I’ve ever used for these homemade hot dog buns is rendered bacon fat. I know it sounds strange, but it lends a savory, amazing flavor, great texture, and overall pleasant workability to the dough. You can of course use softened (NOT melted) unsalted butter, lard, shortening, or olive oil.

Pro Tip – Bacon Fat vs. Lard

Making the Dough

The secret to this recipe is knead it, knead it, and knead it some more. I prefer to make this bread by hand, because I can feel the difference in the dough as I work with it. A mixer can also work (for a single batch).

Combine the proofed yeast/honey/water mixture into the flour, salt, and fat (it’s okay if it’s in chunks), and stir until the flour is mostly absorbed. Then dump it onto a clean surface and start to push and pull it.

Shaping Hot Dog Buns

• Separate the dough into 12 pieces that each weigh 112 grams. Use a kitchen scale to weigh them so they’ll be the same size and bake evenly. (It’s okay if they’re 113 or 111).
  
  We like to make large hot dog buns because my husband often opts for hot links or other heartier sausage. This creates a great bun for that size. If you often purchase smaller dogs (like oscar meyer) then you can reduce that down to 96 grams and make 14.
  
• Take a piece of dough and gently flatten it into a circle with your fingers. Try not to knead or overwork it, because the dough will shrink back if you do. If that happens, just let it rest for a few minutes and work on another one while the gluten relaxes
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• Use a small rolling pin or bottle to roll the circle into a wide oval.
  
• Starting at the bottom of the oval, roll it up like a croissant, using firm pressure from your hands to roll the dough up and out, so they’re thinner on the ends than the middle.
  
• Gently pinch the seams together and set them seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat about 3 inches apart from each other. If they’re too close, they’ll rise into each other and you’ll just have a few attached edges. It’s not the end of the world, I promise.
  
• Cover them with a damp (not wet) kitchen towel and let rise another 1-1.5 hours, or until doubled in size.

Baking Homemade Hot Dog Buns

In the last 30 minutes of rise time, preheat your oven and place a large, oven proof pan on the bottom rack. Heat up some water in a kettle, or at least be ready to microwave some before baking.

When the homemade hot dog buns are risen, brush the tops with milk. This creates a brown, beautiful top. You can also use an egg wash, but I’m usually too lazy and I hate tossing out all the extra.

Place the buns in the upper half of the oven. Carefully pull out the bottom rack with the preheated pan and pour in warm to hot water, then quickly close the oven. This creates steam and it’s essential to the texture of the outside of the bun. Don’t use cold water – it can shatter or damage your pan.

When they’re baked, remove them to a cooling rack and let them completely cool down before you store them. At room temperature you can keep them in an airtight container for up to 4 days before they go stale.