Homemade Hot Dog Buns

12/29/10: Hot Dog Buns Straight from Our Kitchen

My family likes to include hot dogs in our weekly meal schedule because of two reasons: they are inexpensive and they only take a half an hour to cook. I like hot dogs a lot (especially Chicago-style!), so I don't mind this tradition whatsoever!

There is one thing, though, when it comes to this meal choice: the buns. If you don't buy them on sale, they cost way more than the hot dogs themselves. Is there any way to make them here at home?

Annemarie and I've tried making hamburger buns before (see my attempts here and here), but never gave the hot dog bun a try. So I searched the internet looking for some recipes, photos, videos, and inspiration and didn't really find a recipe for a soft bun. I really wanted to find a bun that would remind you of Wonder Bread or something in that field of bread texture.

My sister is the one that found the right site. J. Timothy King's blog to be exact. His post on making hot dog buns with the bread machine sparked my interest and I literally went straight to the kitchen after learning about it!

So I took out my bread machine's recipe book, found the recipe for White Bread, followed the directions for a one pound loaf, and selected "Dough" (#6). I used the dough cycle before when I made cinnamon rolls, read about it here. Find the White Bread recipe I used at the bottom of this post.

I removed the dough from the pan and divided it into six equal portions using my dough cutter. I formed each piece into a ball then rolled it into a log that was 6" in length. I placed the formed buns on a cookie sheet lined with non-stick foil and spaced them 1/2" to 1" apart. I covered them loosely with plastic wrap and placed them in a warm area (on top of a warm oven in my case), to rest for 45 minutes. After they rose I moved them to a 375F preheated oven and baked them for 10 minutes, or until they were lightly golden on top.

This is how they turned out:

I was very impressed when they came out of the oven! And they were perfect with the hot dogs. They were soft but they weren't like the Wonder Bread buns, I think they were better. :) As you can see, I made sure the buns were close to each other when baking. I thought it would result in softer buns if done this way. After examining the buns that were on the end of the lineup (the buns that would have more contact with the oven's radiating heat), I don't think it is necessary.

Buns without a bread machine? On 4-23-11 I tried making these buns without the use of the bread machine. They raised perfectly fine and I couldn't detect any difference in bun size or texture. The real key to doing any dough outside the machine is to find a warm spot in the kitchen. If it is warm and there are no drafts, you're all set.

Now for the White Bread recipe that I used to make these:

Simple and Easy Homemade Hot Dog Buns

Yield: 6 buns

Ingredients:

3/4 cup + 1 tbsp. warm water (about 110F)

1-1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. dry milk

2-1/4 cups bread flour

1-1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

Directions:

When using a bread machine. . . Add all the ingredients to your bread pan in order they are written. Select Dough Cycle. Once cycle is done, follow instructions for "Forming Buns."

Without bread machine. . . In measuring cup, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Wait until yeast begins to foam; about 5 minutes. In medium mixing bowl, add oil, salt, dry milk, and flour; stir to combine. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated. Turn out onto dusted surface and knead for five minutes; dough should be smooth. Oil a large bowl with non-stick spray. Form dough into a ball and place in oiled bowl. Invert dough so oil is on top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot in kitchen that is free of drafts.

Allow dough to rise for 40 minutes. Deflate dough and let it rise for additional 20 minutes. Once dough is finished rising, follow instructions for "Forming Buns."

Forming Buns:

Deflate dough and separate dough into six equal pieces. (I do this by cutting the dough in half and then the halves into thirds.) Take a piece of dough and form it into a log that is about 6" to 8" in length. Lay the logs on a cookie sheet lined with parchment and cover them with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Allow the buns to rise for 45 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and place cookie sheets in a 325F preheated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until buns are light brown on top.

Tips for you:

• Want buns with more chewiness? Add 1 tablespoon potato flour to each cup of flour for the recipe. It really makes a huge difference!
• Bread flour is not always inexpensive compared to all-purpose. Try using half bread flour and half all-purpose when you are making the dough. I've done this numerous times and haven't seen a real difference in flavor or texture. What I have noticed, however, is that they're easier to form; probably due to less gluten.