Have you ever tried a homemade hotdog bun? Well, let me tell you, this is where it’s at. Once you bake homemade, you never go back.

Like I’ve told you guys before, sourdough bread was my gateway. Once I got into it, I decided to just go for it and master every kind of bread I could get my hands on. So naturally, hamburger and hotdog buns were next on the list.

I’m sharing this one because as I’m writing this, Fourth of July is right around the corner, and every single year that week, you’ll find me making classic hot dogs. There’s just something about hot dogs in the summertime. And okay, little insider secret,  hot dogs are genuinely one of my favorite foods. There’s nothing like grabbing one hot off the grill. Now add a homemade bun into the mix and you’ve officially gone from “good” to extra. And around here, extra means good.

What You’ll Need

Makes 16 hotdog buns (cut the recipe in half if you don’t need that many!)

• 2 cups warm water
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 3 teaspoons rapid rise yeast
• 7 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons milk
• 3 eggs total (2 for the dough, 1 for egg wash)

Let’s Make Some Buns

This isn’t an all-day recipe, but plan for about two hours start to finish since the dough needs time to rise,  twice.

Bloom your yeast

In a bowl, combine your warm water, sugar, and rapid rise yeast. Sugar loves yeast, so this is what gets it nice and bubbly. Set a 10-minute timer and let it bloom. If it doesn’t get foamy and active in that time, toss it and start over with fresh yeast, it just won’t work otherwise.

Mix your dry ingredients

While the yeast is blooming, grab a big bowl and whisk together your flour and salt.

Warm your butter and milk. In a small saucepan (or the microwave), melt your butter and milk together until warm.

Bring it all together

Once your yeast has bloomed, add the yeast mixture, the butter and milk mixture, and your 2 eggs into the flour and salt.

Mix by hand or in your stand mixer until combined. The dough will be a little sticky, that’s normal, don’t stress about it.

First rise

Let the dough sit on the counter for about an hour, until it’s doubled in size. This dough rises beautifully.

Shape your buns

Punch the dough down and divide it into 16 pieces. I’m a little extra and use a kitchen scale to weigh mine out so they’re all even, but eyeballing it works just fine too.

Roll each piece into a rectangle, then roll it up like you would a cinnamon roll, and place it into your hotdog pan. (I use and love [my hotdog pan — linked here] for that classic New England pull-apart style. No pan? No problem, just place them close together on a baking sheet and they’ll pull apart the same way.)

Second rise

Let the shaped buns rise on the counter for another hour, until fully risen.

Egg wash and bake

Crack one more egg, whisk it up, and brush it over the tops of your buns. Bake until golden brown. I have a gas range and mine tends to run hot, so plan for 15–20 minutes at 425°F, keeping an eye on that golden color.

Cool

Pull the buns out of the pan right away so the bottoms don’t get soggy from sitting in the metal.

That’s it,  you’re ready to serve! Pull them apart individually, or keep them connected if you’re taking them somewhere. Either way, they’re a hit. Cut down the middle, load up your favorite toppings, and enjoy.

Tips & Tricks from your bestie- 

• Flour your surface before rolling the dough into a rectangles, it makes rolling it up so much easier.
• Don’t stress about perfection here. Roll it out, roll it up, just like a cinnamon roll. Rustic is fine.
• Want hoagie buns instead? Divide the dough into 10–12 pieces instead of 16 for bigger buns.
• This same dough makes fantastic hamburger buns too, just shape into rounds instead of rectangles.

Serving It Up

Pull them apart, slice down the middle, and pile on all your favorite hot dog toppings. Homemade bun, backyard grill, Fourth of July, that’s a summer win right there.

Hope you enjoy! 

…and that’s all we did today. 

-Cyndi 

Item’s Used:

• USA Hot Dog Loaf Pan
• Glass Mixing Bowls
• KitchenAid Mixer
• Bowl Scrapers

Homemade Hot Dog Buns

5 from 2 votes

(The Post That’s About to Ruin Store-Bought Buns For You)

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

What You’ll Need

• Makes 16 hotdog buns cut the recipe in half if you don’t need that many!
• 2 cups warm water
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 3 teaspoons rapid rise yeast
• 7 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons milk
• 3 eggs total 2 for the dough, 1 for egg wash

Method

 

Mix your dry ingredients.

1. While the yeast is blooming, grab a big bowl and whisk together your flour and salt.
2. Warm your butter and milk. In a small saucepan (or the microwave), melt your butter and milk together until warm.

Bring it all together.

1. Once your yeast has bloomed, add the yeast mixture, the butter and milk mixture, and your 2 eggs into the flour and salt. Mix by hand or in your stand mixer until combined. The dough will be a little sticky, that’s normal, don’t stress about it.

First rise.

1. Let the dough sit on the counter for about an hour, until it’s doubled in size. This dough rises beautifully.

Shape your buns.

1. Punch the dough down and divide it into 16 pieces. I’m a little extra and use a kitchen scale to weigh mine out so they’re all even, but eyeballing it works just fine too. Roll each piece into a rectangle, then roll it up like you would a cinnamon roll, and place it into your hotdog pan.

Second rise.

1. Let the shaped buns rise on the counter for another hour, until fully risen.

Egg wash and bake.

1. Crack one more egg, whisk it up, and brush it over the tops of your buns. Bake until golden brown. I have a gas range and mine tends to run hot, so plan for 15–20 minutes at 425°F, keeping an eye on that golden color.

Cool.

1. Pull the buns out of the pan right away so the bottoms don’t get soggy from sitting in the metal.

That’s it, you’re ready to serve! Pull them apart individually, or keep them connected if you’re taking them somewhere. Either way, they’re a hit. Cut down the middle, load up your favorite toppings, and enjoy.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!