These easy homemade hot dog buns will be a new favorite addition to your cookout. This recipe makes 10, so you'll never be stuck with 2 extra buns ever again!
3 to 3 and ½cups(360-420g) all-purpose or(381-445g) bread flourbe sure to measure properly
egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
Pour the warm water into a large bowl, or into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Pour the sugar and yeast into the water and whisk with a fork to combine. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes to activate.
When the yeast is active, whisk in the milk, butter, egg, and salt and mix to combine.
Gradually add the flour, about ½ cup at a time, to the mixture until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should feel stable like PlayDoh but may be a tiny bit sticky. This is ok.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, then knead the dough until you have a smooth, elastic dough. You might want to use a bench scraper to help you knead the dough, since it will be a little loose and maybe slightly sticky.
Knead until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Because this dough is so slack, you may find that a bowl scraper or bench knife can be helpful in scooping up the dough and folding it over on itself.
Put the dough into an oiled bowl, turning and flipping to coat. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm environment until about double in size, approximately 1 hour.
Punch the dough down, then turn out onto your work surface. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces (I like to weigh my dough on a kitchen scale, divide by how many portions I need, then tear off chunks and push them together). Shape each piece into a ball and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes to relax the gluten. Meanwhile, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Flatten each ball into a rectangle approximately 5" in length and 3-4" in width (I like to use my graduated bench scraper again for this). Starting with the longer side, roll each rectangle up into a cylinder, then tuck the ends under and pinch to seal. For hamburger buns, flatten the balls into discs about 3.5-4" in diameter. Place shaped buns on prepared baking sheet. You can keep them separate or allow them to touch, creating "pull apart" style buns.
Cover baking sheet with a kitchen towel and allow buns to rise a second time, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (204ºC). When oven is ready, lightly brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash. If you want to add seeds or seasoning, add them now, then bake the buns for 20-25 minutes.
When the buns are finished, remove them from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack to prevent them from getting soggy. Slice and use as soon as they're cool, or store them at room temperature up to 4 days. Buns freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator or at room temperature.
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.