Sourdough Hot Dog Buns…Because Summer Isn’t Over Yet!
Make soft, fluffy sourdough hot dog buns from scratch with active starter, honey, butter and eggs. Perfect for hot dogs fresh off the grill!
Hello beautiful friends.
I know what you’re thinking.
“Christine,” you’re saying to yourself, “summer is SO over. The kids are back in school, Halloween decorations are out at Sam’s Club, and every coffee shop on planet Earth is in full pumpkin-pusher mode.”
All of this is absolutely true.
Here’s the thing, though.
It is still August.
The temperatures are still hovering somewhere around 90 degrees, the Autumnal Equinox is still a month away, and I am simply not ready to surrender summer yet.
And neither is my grill.
I’m Not Done With Summer Yet
My grill is a freaking lifesaver this time of year. Because when it’s 90 degrees outside and the Colorado sun is doing its very best impression of the surface of Mercury, turning on the oven at 5 p.m. feels like voluntarily choosing one of the levels of hell.
Interesting side note: Dante’s rings of hell weren’t actually all hot. The worst ones were freezing cold!
Who knew?
Apparently my high school English teachers probably did, but that’s information that chose not to remain in my brain while useful things like every lyric to every song from 1987 settled in permanently.
Anyway.
The grill.
We’re still using it. We’re still eating outside when the mosquitoes allow it. And we’re still making summer food around here because pumpkin spice will get its turn soon enough.
But for this particular recipe?
I turned on the oven.
At 6 a.m.
No lie.
And these sourdough hot dog buns were absolutely worth it.
Are Homemade Hot Dog Buns Really Worth Making?
We’ve talked before about my hubby’s feelings regarding my habit of making things that are ridiculously easy to drive to the grocery store and buy.
There are certain foods that make him look at me like, “You know they sell those, right?”
Yes, honey. I know.
But I have flour and a sourdough starter and apparently this is who I am now.
This time, though?
He was completely on board.
Because let’s face it: grocery store hot dog buns are kind of sad.
They’re usually a little too dry, a little too squishy in that weird packaged-bread way, and somehow the bun-to-hot-dog ratio never feels quite right. Now, you know this ARFID family of mine doesn’t put anything on a hot dog. But you do you.
Unless it’s ketchup. Chicago rules mean that’s never ok, but…
We’re not getting into that argument today.
My First Attempt at Homemade Sourdough Hot Dog Buns
Full disclosure: I’d never made hot dog buns before.
Not once.
But I got myself a fancy-schmancy USA Pan hot dog bun pan, which naturally meant I needed to immediately make hot dog buns. You can’t just let a specialty baking pan sit there feeling unwanted.
That would be rude.
And you guys.
I will NEVER buy grocery store hot dog buns again.
Okay. Fine.
Unless I’m crazy tired.
Or the oven is broken.
Or it’s 4:45 in the afternoon and somebody announces that we’re having hot dogs for dinner when I haven’t even thought about feeding my sourdough starter.
There is no everyone, and apparently there is also no never.
But when I have the time? Homemade it is.
These sourdough hot dog buns are so soft. They’re slightly rich from the milk, butter, honey, and eggs, with just enough structure to actually hold your hot dog and all the good stuff you pile on top of it.
And unlike those sad little grocery store buns, these taste like something all by themselves.
Bread shouldn’t just be the transportation system for dinner. Bread deserves to be part of dinner.
Do I Need a Hot Dog Bun Pan?
Nope.
I used my fancy hot dog bun pan because I had it and I was excited to play with my new kitchen toy. But please don’t let the lack of a specialty pan keep you from making these.
You can shape the dough into individual buns and bake them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, too.
Will they all look exactly alike?
Probably not.
Who cares?
We’re putting hot dogs in them, my friend. This is not the technical challenge on The Great British Bake Off.
We’re going for soft, delicious and sturdy enough to contain dinner.
Perfectly imperfect works just fine.
A Little Sourdough Note Before You Begin
This recipe uses active sourdough starter, not discard. You want your starter bubbly, happy, and ready to get to work.
And because we’re making bread, this is one of those times when I’m going to lovingly nudge you toward the kitchen scale.
I know. Measuring cups feel easier.
But the way you scoop a cup of flour and the way I scoop a cup of flour can be surprisingly different. With bread dough, those little differences add up quickly. Measuring by weight takes away the guesswork and gives you a much better idea of what your dough is supposed to feel like.
Plus, fewer measuring cups to wash.
See? I’m always looking out for us.
So feed that starter, dust off the grill, and hang onto summer with me for just a little bit longer.
We’ve got plenty of time for pumpkins.
Right now?
We’re making hot dogs.
Sourdough Hot Dog Buns
Ingredients
Method
- Mix the wet team. Combine the warm milk and active sourdough starter in the bowl of your stand mixer. You CAN do this by hand, but the mixer makes life so much easier. Use a dough whisk to stir everything together until the starter is incorporated and the mixture is bubbly.
- Add the honey and eggs. Add the honey, 2 whole eggs, and egg yolk. Give everything another good whisk until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Add the bread flour and salt to the bowl and attach the dough hook to your mixer. Begin kneading on low speed.
- Add the butter. With the mixer running, add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time, allowing each addition to get all cozy with the dough as it kneads.
- Knead until the gluten is developed. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth, elastic, and passes the windowpane test. In my mixer, this takes about 10 minutes. Boom! Beautifully developed gluten.
- Begin the first rise. Turn the dough out into a lightly greased bowl—I use canola oil spray—and cover it with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature until it has increased in size by about 50–75%.
- My kitchen has been stupid hot with the air conditioning broken, so this took about 4 hours. If your house is cooler, yours may take longer. Watch the dough rather than the clock.
- Refrigerate overnight. Once the dough has risen, place the covered bowl in the refrigerator overnight. I think the flavor is best when the dough gets this nice, slow rest.
- Prepare your pan. When you’re ready to make your buns, spray a hot dog bun pan with canola oil and set it aside. If you’re not using a specialty pan, you can shape the buns and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet instead.
- Divide the dough. Divide the chilled dough into 10 equal pieces, about 115 grams each.
- Shape the buns. Flatten each piece of dough into a small rectangle. Roll it up tightly into a little log about the length of the section in your hot dog bun pan—or approximately 4 inches long. Repeat with all 10 pieces.
- Let the buns rise again. Cover the shaped buns and let them rise for another 2 1/2–3 hours, or until they’ve doubled in size and look wonderfully puffy.
- Preheat the oven. About 30 minutes before you plan to bake, preheat your oven to 400°F. Place a sheet pan on the bottom rack of the oven while it preheats.
- Make the egg wash. Whisk together 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of milk. Just before baking, gently brush the tops of your beautiful, puffy buns with the egg wash.
- Bake. Place the buns on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes, until they’re beautifully golden brown.
- Cool. Pull them out of the oven and take a moment to celebrate the fact that homemade hot dog buns are totally a thing—and you just made them. Let the buns rest in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove them and transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Final note: Summer isn’t over just yet, my friends. Let’s savor it.
