Learn to make homemade Hot Dog Buns with my quick and easy recipe! Light, fluffy, and tender, these hot dog buns will become your new go-to for hot dogs!
Looking for more easy baking recipes? Try my Homemade Hamburger Buns next!
About This Recipe
After you try this hot dog bun recipe, you'll never buy grocery store buns again. They're incredibly soft and fluffy, and couldn't be easier to make. I know baking bread can be intimidating, but as long as you follow my step-by-step instructions, your buns will turn out perfectly every time.
The key here is to allow the buns to rise long enough so that the inside is soft and fluffy. Once the buns go in the oven, they don't rise that much more, so you want most of the rising to happen beforehand. I have a couple of simple tricks to help speed things up.
First, I recommend preheating your oven for about 30 seconds, then turning it off. This creates a warm (but not too hot) space for the buns to rise. Keep the door closed and turn the oven light on- this keeps the temperature perfect for proofing.
Second, I recommend warming up your milk in the microwave to jumpstart the yeast's activity. But be careful about heating it too much. Yeast starts to die off around 140ยฐF. I recommend heating to about 110ยฐF to be on the safe side. A good rule of thumb is that it should feel warm, but not hot.
For kneading the dough, a stand mixer makes everything very easy. But if you don't have one, 7-10 minutes of kneading by hand should be enough.
Key Ingredients
Flour: All-purpose flour is all you need to make soft and fluffy hot dog buns. As always, please make sure to spoon and level this into your measuring cup to prevent overmeasuring. Scooping directly from the bag will compact the flour.
Milk: As I mentioned earlier, starting the recipe with warm milk will jumpstart the yeast's activity. I estimate this saves at least an hour of time compared to starting with cold milk.
Vegetable oil: Oil gives the buns a rich and buttery texture while keeping them soft for days. Of course, you could use melted butter instead, but I find melting and measuring butter to be a minor inconvenience when oil works just fine.
Sugar: A little bit of sweetness makes these buns delicious.
Egg: Gives richness and tenderness to the crumb.
Instant yeast: I prefer instant yeast because it doesn't need to be activated beforehand. If you only have active yeast, make sure to let it sit in the milk and sugar for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients.
Salt: A tiny bit of salt elevates all the flavors, without it, the buns would taste bland.
Instructions
STEP 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the milk, oil, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt.
STEP 2: Add the flour and knead with the dough hook for 5 minutes until smooth and the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too dry, add a bit more milk.
STEP 3: Shape the dough into a 10-inch log, then cut into 8 equal pieces using a sharp knife or dough scraper.
STEP 4: Roll each piece into a log and place a few inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
STEP 5: Cover and place the buns in the warm oven with the light on. Let the dough rise for 30-45 minutes. The buns should be noticeably puffy. If not, let them rise for another 30 minutes.
STEP 6: Remove the buns from the oven, then preheat the oven to 375ยฐF. Brush with egg wash and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown and fully cooked.
๐ Recipe
Quick and Easy Hot Dog Buns
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm milk (about 110ยฐF)
- ยผ cup vegetable oil
- ยผ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 ยฝ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and levelled)
For the egg wash
- 1 large egg (mixed with 1 tablespoon of water)
Instructions
- Before starting this recipe, preheat your oven for 30 seconds, then turn it off. This will create a warm space for the buns to rise.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the warm milk, oil, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt.
- Add the flour and knead with the dough hook for 5 minutes until smooth and the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too dry, add a bit more milk.
- Shape the dough into a 10-inch log. Cut into 8 equal pieces using a sharp knife or dough scraper.
- Roll each piece into a log and place a few inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and place the buns in the warm oven with the light on. Let the dough rise for 30-45 minutes. The buns should be noticeably puffy. If not, let them rise for another 30 minutes.
- Remove the buns from the oven, then preheat the oven to 375ยฐF.
- Brush with egg wash and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown and fully cooked.
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