Sourdough Hotdog Buns

Take your BBQ to the next level with these Sourdough Hotdog Buns! They’re soft and delicious with that lovely sourdough tang.

If you’re looking to up your hot dog game, why not try your hand at making your own sourdough hotdog buns?!

Yes, store-bought buns are convenient, but they’re usually lacking in flavor. 

Not so with these tangy, fermented buns!

They’re made with a few simple ingredients, and NO commercial yeast!

Video Tutorial:

Here’s a video tutorial in case you prefer to learn by watching. The full written tutorial is below!

Ingredients:

Here are the simple ingredients you’ll need. The precise measurements will be in the recipe card at the end of this post!

• Sourdough Starter: This recipe works best with an active starter (also know as a mature or ripe sourdough starter), NOT sourdough discard. I’ll discuss that more below!
• All-Purpose Flour: I like to use all AP flour instead of adding bread flour, but feel free to experiment with different types of flour! I have not personally tried it, but you could probably safely substitute half whole wheat flour.
• Milk: For a rich dough, use milk for the liquid!
• Butter: And to make it even richer, you’ll be adding some butter! I use salted butter, so you’ll want to increase the salt a bit if you use unsalted butter. I’m sure you could also substitute coconut, avocado, or olive oil, but the flavor will be different of course. 
• Eggs: The final way you’re going to “enrich” the dough is by using eggs. You’ll use 1 whole egg plus 1 yolk, and save the white for later.
• Salt: I use unrefined sea salt, so keep that in mind: you may want to decrease the amount slightly if you use regular table salt.
• Honey: I like to add a bit of sweetness to my hotdog buns, and honey is perfect! Of course you can substitute a sweetener of your choice if you prefer.

A word about sourdough starter…

This recipe uses an active sourdough starter, which is one that’s been fed 4-12 hours previously, has doubled in volume, is active and bubbly, and passes the float test.

You want to use your starter when it has just doubled, or a little bit after.

I keep my sourdough starter at 100% hydration, which means I feed it equal weights, not volumes, of flour and water. 

If you keep your starter at a different hydration percentage, make sure to feed it at 100% hydration for this recipe.

Here’s my sourdough starter troubleshooting article in case you have any more questions!

And if you don’t have a sourdough starter just yet, check out my How to Make a Sourdough Starter from Scratch tutorial!

Mixing the Dough:

Melt the butter over the stove in a small saucepan. After the butter is melted, pour the milk on top to warm it up.

Pour the butter/milk mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. 

Make sure the mixture cools to at least 105 degrees F (40 Celsius) before adding the rest of the ingredients.

After the mixture has cooled, pour the sourdough starter on top. 

I like to weigh the sourdough starter, because it saves a measuring cup having to be washed!

Place the remaining ingredients on top of the milk/butter/starter mixture.

Make sure to save the egg white from the extra yolk – you’ll be using it for the egg wash later!

Kneading the Dough:

Now place the stand mixer bowl onto the base and fit it with the dough hook attachment.

Knead on medium low (2 on my machine) for 10-15 minutes.

The dough will start out quite shaggy…

But when it’s fully kneaded it will be smoother and stick together more.

First Rise/Bulk Fermentation:

Place the dough in a greased container and cover.

I like to use a lidded container, but you could also just use a bowl covered with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap.

Allow to ferment for 4-12 hours.

Your kitchen temperature (and therefore the dough temperature) will greatly affect rise times!

You can either ferment the dough until it has doubled in volume, or you can perform the poke test.

To perform the poke test: gently poke your finger into the risen dough. If it slowly springs back and doesn’t quite fill in, it’s done fermenting.

But, if it springs back really quickly, and completely fills in, it’s not done proofing yet.

And if it doesn’t spring back at all, it’s most likely over proofed and you need to move to the next step as soon as possible!

How to Shape Hotdog Buns:

If you want really uniform buns, start by weighing all of your dough. Mine was around 1033 grams total. 

Now divide that weight by the number of hotdog buns you want to make. 

You can do 9 to 12 buns. Obviously if you do 9 the final buns will be larger.

For Smaller Hotdog Buns:

1. Start by dividing the dough into 9 or 12 equal pieces. You can weigh each ball of dough for the most uniform hot dog rolls. For 12 hotdog buns, that came out to about 86 grams per bun.
2. Pull the corners of one of the dough pieces towards the center to start shaping a ball.
3. Place the piece of dough seam side down and cup your hands around the piece of dough and roll it along the counter to create surface tension.
4. Allow the balls of dough to rest on the counter for 10-15 minutes.

You can skip steps 2-4 (the pre-shaping) if you like. It helps to create more uniform hotdog buns, but it’s not necessary!

5. Flatten a dough ball into a rectangle that’s about 5 inches long.
6. Grab the top long edge and pull it towards the middle.
7. Use the side of your hand to secure the edge to the middle.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 with the bottom edge.

If at any time the dough starts to stick to the counter too much, you can grease it with oil or butter.

9. Tuck the ends in and seal.
10. Grab the edges and pull them towards the middle, pinching to seal.
11. Flip the dough over and push the sides under with your hands, creating more surface tension.
12. Arrange the shaped buns close together but not touching on a greased baking sheet. I’m sure you could also line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

For Larger Hotdog Buns:

If you want larger hotdog buns, you can divide the dough into 9 pieces and place the formed buns in a greased 13×9-inch baking pan.

I did 7 next to each other along the bottom, and 2 on top.

Second Rise:

Cover the buns with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm spot until doubled.

About half an our before the buns are done rising, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (191 Celsius).

Brush the tops of the buns with the extra egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon of water.

Baking Time:

Bake the buns in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until they’re deep golden brown and reach an internal temperature of 200 degrees F (93 degrees C).

Here’s what the smaller buns look like when they’re done baking.

 

Immediately remove the buns to a wire cooling rack and cool until at least warm before slicing.

How to Slice a Homemade Hotdog Bun:

You can go the traditional route and simply slice the hotdog buns in half horizontally. 

Or you can slice the buns down the middle (vertically).

I learned this method (and also the idea to preform the buns) from watching a Claire Saffitz video.

Serving:

Of course you can serve these while they’re still warm.

But if you won’t be serving them fresh, you can always toast them up and spread with a bit of butter.

Storage:

If you’re planning on eating your homemade hotdog buns within a day or two after baking them, it’s safe to store them in an airtight container at room temperature.

You can store them for a week or so in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but they will tend to dry out.

For longer term storage, you can wrap them well and place them in the freezer. They should last for a month or two.

By the way, if you have leftover buns you can make French toast casserole with them!

 

How to Get Soft Hotdog Buns:

There are a few factors that will affect the softness of your homemade hotdog buns:

• If you add butter, milk, and eggs to the dough, this will help to keep the crumb soft.
• Also, if your dough is on the softer, wet side, the final hotdog buns will be softer and lighter.
• It’s also important to use a strong, active start at peak fermentation for the most fluffy buns. A weak starter will have a harder time properly fermenting and raising the buns.

 

Now that you know how to make these scrumptious sourdough hot dog buns, your next cookout will be even more tasty!

In the meantime, here are some more sourdough recipes perfect for summer:

More Summer Sourdough Recipes:

• Sourdough Hamburger Buns
• Shortcakes Made with Sourdough Biscuits
• Sourdough Dutch Baby
• Sourdough Tortillas 

 

 

Recipe Card: