Growing up in Czechoslovakia these were the most common hot dog buns in the grocery stores. People would use them to make the hot dogs, sandwiches, bread pudding, stuffing and appetizers. Some of my favorites include Avocado Cream and Bacon Crostini and pupaky(Bobalky – cut up buns soaked in hot milk, sprinkled with ground poppy seeds with sugar drizzle with a little bit of butter, ooh so good). Let’s not forget my mom’s bread pudding with a meringue layer.
European style hot dogs you can get at a fair, or from a vendor on the street look a bit different then american hot dogs. Bun is not cut in half, instead one end it trimmed and bun is then placed on a heated rod or a spike if you will. It looks something like this hot dog bun toaster or this smaller version. Once the bun is toasted inside a condiment of your choice and hot dog is pushed into the bun.
2 years ago I was on skype with my mom and she told me I should try and make our childhood buns. I was really skeptical. These hot dog buns are not overly doughy and most importantly they smell a certain way. I can’t explain it. It is the aroma that I remember and I was really doubtful I’d able recreate it without a plane ride.
My mom and I, we baked them together. Over the skype. It was hilarious and so perfect. Power of technology is amazing. So, without having to fly to Europe I made the hot dog buns. For a moment I think I turned in a K-9, sniffing cooled buns in search of that familiar aroma. I found it.
You can double the recipe.
Now that I’ve made these dozens and dozens of times I usually double and even triple the recipe and I freeze the buns as soon as they cool. They are good for a month or more. Honestly they don’t last they long in my house. We are absolutely smitten by these.
Simplicity of this hot dog buns recipe, with only a few ingredients that most of us have in the pantry on any given day makes them even more appealing.
Recipe states 1 tbsp salt, yes I know, it seems like a lot! If you prefer you can use 1/tbsp salt instead.
Best Hot Dog Buns
Recipe makes about 9-10 buns.
Oven temperature 220C/425F
Hot dog bungs can be frozen.
Ingredients
- 500 grams bread flour/ about 3 cups
- 1 tbsp kosher salt use less if dessired
- 30 grams 2tbl soften butter or use lard, duck fat, I haven't tried coconut oil yet
- 300 ml 1 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 1/2 tsp dry yeast
Instructions
You will need a small spray bottle filled with room temperature water to spray the buns before and after baking.
- In a small dish whisk together warm water, honey, yeast and 1 tbl flour, let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
- Whisk salt and flour together.
- Add foamy yeast mixture, soften butter into the flour and knead until smooth dough is formed. If the dough appears too dry you can add 1tbl warm water, alternatively it it appears too wet add little more flour.
Knead for 5-10 minutes. Dump onto lightly floured work surface and knead with your hand till it comes to a ball, 2 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a damp paper towel and a plastic wrap and let rice in a warm, draft free spot, for 30 minutes.
- Dump the risen dough onto a silicone mat, and divide dough into approximately same sections. I use scale to weight them so they are about same size around 90-100 grams each. Shape each piece into a small bun.
- Roll each bun with the rolling pin, silicone mat underneath will help to keep the rolled out/stretched dough from retracting too much.
- With both of your hands starting at the end close to you, roll each rolled out piece, pushing the dough down and with your hands going outwards as to stretch the roll. Place the rolls seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Leave about 3 inches between the rolls to leave room for second proof.
- Cover rolls on a baking sheet with a damp paper towel and let rise for 45 minutes.
- Place a small shallow dish on the bottom rack of your oven, preheat oven to 425F.
- When rolls are nicely risen right before putting the baking sheet into the oven spray them generously with water, use a small spray bottle.
- Place the baking sheet into the oven, then pour about 1/4 cup of water on the shallow dish on the bottom rack, quickly close the oven door, not letting the steam escape.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes, buns should have color, they shouldn't be pale, look for a nice gold color, take the buns out and spray them water as soon as you take them out of the oven. Let cool completely.
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