Monday, May 19, 2014

Classic Split Top Hot Dog Buns – How We Should Be Rolling

When we posted our hamburger bun video last year, I received a bunch of requests for hot dog buns. My first thought was, just take the same dough and shape it into logs instead of rounds. I mean, come on…how hard is that? Turns out, that was just the grocery store talking. I’d been so used to eating those insipid side-split rolls, it took seeing a photo of a lobster roll to remember what a real hot dog buns are supposed to be like.

Don’t get me wrong; if you hand me a hot dog at the ballgame, it’s not like I’m going to throw it back in your face (unless you have Dodger face paint on), but given the choice, this butter-crisped, split-topped bun is the way to go. Thanks to its genius design, the meat and fixings go in the top, which leave three relatively flat sides to toast in butter. How this thing never got patented is the real mystery.

Just be sure to either buy hot dogs large enough to fit your homemade buns, or adjust the size of your rolls to match your favorite wiener. I’m sorry, but people who put short hot dogs on the long buns, and then pinch off the ends of the bread, should be put in jail. Not for life, but at least 3 to 5 years.

You can also make the same number of rolls as you have hot dogs, which apparently is the kind of calculation the hot dog bun industry can’t quite master. Okay, hot dogs come 10 in a package, so let’s do the buns in packs of 8. Seriously, what’s wrong with these people? Anyway, math aside, I hope you give these old-fashioned, split top hot dog buns a try soon. Enjoy!

Please Note: As I mention, this is the exact same dough as our hamburger bun recipe. Click here to watch the official dough video


Ingredients to make 8-10 hot dog buns:
1 package (2 1/2 tsp) dry active yeast (I used Fleischmann's “RapidRise” Yeast)
1 cup warm water (105 F.)
1 large egg
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 pound all-purpose flour (*about 3 1/2 cups)
*Note: add a 1/2 cup of the flour to the yeast and water, and then the remainder before kneading

Bake at 375 degrees F. for about 20 minutes, or until golden-brown

25 comments:

masa said...

Great! Good for lobster rolls too!

mmmmmmsssdsd said...

Welcome back Chef!

blogagog said...

That's what hot dogs look like in Boston. I had forgotten about that type of bread.

Marian said...

Oh chef, these really take me back. Thanks so much

Grams Pam said...

My 'savage' mouth is pretty much "raining" as I watch the video from the time these buns come out of the oven. (Welcome back, Chef John!)

Unknown said...

Hey Chef!

Just a quick question: if I wanted to add sesame seeds to the top of the buns would I have to do anything differently? Would it be possible?

Thanks!

Unknown said...

Thanks chef. By the way, your beef stroganoff recipe makes an amazing pot pie!

Unknown said...

I am getting hungry.

Olgalii. said...

This will be PERFECT for the burger dogs!!! Can't wait to try this.

Unknown said...

OK I will stoop low. Chef John isn't it required to say "Boom-chick-a-bow-wow" at least once after you split the buns and insert the weenie? I could be mistaken.

Unknown said...

Is there any difference for fan forced ovens? Because it seems things tend to brown faster? Love your simple recipes and humour Chef John. Cheers!

Chef John said...

yes, they cook faster!

Elisha said...

Welcome back Chef!
I noticed you didn't use the amazing and revolutionary spiral hot dog technique!

Unknown said...

should I lower the temperature for my fan forced oven or leave it as it?

Lylah said...

Hi Chef! Is there a good way to store these to stretch their life out a couple of days? I have a hard time downing 6-8 dogs at once!

Unknown said...

If Moses had had these buns, they would have been IN "The Promised Land." With mustard, sweet relish, and ice-cold Rootbeer, they could have lasted forever...

Unknown said...

This recipe and the hamburger bun recipe are great. I need to make a whole bunch of each. I don't have the time to make on the day of my party, should I make the buns and then freeze or should I make the dough and freeze that?

Unknown said...

These buns, hot dog and Hamburger, refrigerate great. Just a few seconds in the microwave and they are like the day they were made. Unless you have a food saver machine that pulls all the air out, they will dry out a little after frozen. Just keep them in the fridge.

Unknown said...

hey chef john just wondering what difference will it make if i use bread flour in this rather than ap flour?

Unknown said...

I want to make meatball subs with this.

Eloisa said...

Chef, why you use all purpose flour instead of bread flour? Thanks! :)

Unknown said...

Tastes great, but the dough was too soft and didn't hold shape so the buns came out a little flat. May be it's because of my incorrect measurments conversion. How many grams/milliliters of water in the cup You refer to?

mamita said...

Chef John, you're a magician, a genious....thanks for sharing Recipes and great videos. Best regards from Venezuela.👍🏻👏🏻

Unknown said...

What’s the meaning of (105 f) ?

TeriJean said...

105 f refers to the water temperature, 105 degrees Fahrenheit.