For our 4th of July dinner, I served hot dogs and a Caesar salad. I know, not a traditional combination, but hey, this is what sounded good to me and because I was doing the cooking….. Well, I’m sure you can see how this works!
Anyway, with Hebrew National all-beef hot dogs happily residing in our refrigerator, I decided that because these were especially good wieners, they deserved special treatment. And to me that meant that they should be served in a really great bun. (And coincidentally, we deserved good buns too.) And since I happen to know how to bake bread, I decided to play around and see what I could come up with. So, this recipe is kind of a mishmash of several recipes I reviewed. And as luck would have it, the buns were amazingly tasty. But a bit more about hot dog buns before I go any further.
I recently read an article about New England style buns. This unique bun predates, by several years, other hot dog buns found almost everywhere else in the United States.
Before the “invention” of the New England bun, commercial bakers would simply slice rolls all the way through. But New England style buns are different. Not only do they have a very tender crumb, but because they are baked close together, they have very soft sides. Then they are cut on top about halfway down through the bun allowing frankfurters, chicken salad, lobster filling, etc. to fit easily in the slit without the filling oozing out the sides. (Which of course makes consuming one of these babies a lot less messy!)
But to make “proper” New Englund style buns, they must be baked in a special pan. Which BTW, I do not ever plan to purchase. (I already have too many baking pans that have only been used once. And I feel guilty enough without adding possibly 1 more pan to the list!)
Anyway, I tried to duplicate the official New Englund style pan by using a 6×6-inch square pan and an 11×6-inch rectangular pan. And it worked, but I will not go to the trouble next time. Because, to my thinking, what makes these buns special is the flavor and texture, not the shape or the requirement to use a special pan. (If you are interested, you can see what the pan looks like for yourself by searching for one on Amazon. Only $31.95 each!)
Regardless of special pan or not, you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be making these buns again. Because they are delicious, tender, easy to make, and a lot smaller than the kind of hot dog buns you can buy in a grocery store.
Like the Mikado sings in Gilbert and Sullivan’s famous operetta The Mikado – “let the punishment fit the crime”. To my thinking, it’s of equal importance to “let the bun fit the hot dog”! So, I hope you will give this recipe a try when next you choose to serve gourmet hot dogs.
Now I know there are some who would argue that a gourmet hotdog qualifies as an oxymoron. All I can say is – poor deluded person. Because done right, hot dogs are magnificent! And I’d argue with anyone that a really great frankfurter, in an outstanding bun, decorated with fabulous condiments, deserves nothing less than 5 stars!
Even if you disagree, I still wish you all the peace and love you can handle.
½ c. warm whole milk
½ c. warm water
2 tsp. instant yeast
1 T. granulated sugar
1½ tsp. kosher salt
1 egg
¼ c. powdered milk
2½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
4 T. (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temp., plus more to grease the baking pans
extra virgin olive oil, to grease the mixing bowl
whole milk
In the bowl of your stand mixer, using your dough hook, combine the warm milk, warm water, instant yeast, and granulated sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Then add the salt and egg. Mix until combined.
Add the powdered milk and the flour. Knead the dough for several minutes. Add more flour if the dough is too wet. The dough should come away from the sides of the mixing bowl but stick slightly to the bottom of the bowl.
Add the butter, a little at a time, and knead for a further 4-5 minutes until the dough is shiny and smooth.
Pour a little olive oil in the bowl, and using your hands and a stiff rubber spatula, form the dough into a nicely greased ball.
Overnight method:
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
On the day you bake the buns, turn the chilled dough out onto a lightly floured surface and lightly dust the surface of the dough with flour as well.
Same day:
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour in a warm place, or until the dough has doubled in size. Then gently punch the dough down to remove some of the air bubbles. Turn onto a floured surface and add a bit of flour to the dough ball as well.
To shape and bake the buns:
Butter a large baking sheet and set aside.
Cut the dough into 10 equal sized pieces. (Or as close as you can get!)
Roll each portion into a flattened piece of dough about 5 inches long. Then roll up the long side up tightly to form a tube shape. Place the formed buns ¾-inch apart, sealed side down, on the prepared pan.
Cover the buns with plastic wrap that has been lightly coated with cooking spray and let the dough rise for about 45 minutes in a warm place.
Just before baking, gently brush the buns with milk before placing them in a pre-heated 350-degree oven.
Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a light golden brown on top and the internal temperature reaches at least 190-degrees.
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Best eaten the same day.
Just before serving, slit along the top and add lots of yummy condiments and a great frankfurter or any other filling that rocks your socks.
And yes, of course you can cut the bun in half lengthwise for a traditional, non-New Englund presentation. But why?