These Homemade Hot Dog Buns will take your barbecue to the next level! They are soft and fluffy and way better than store bought!
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Ever since I snagged my Mom’s Homemade Buns recipe, I’ve been dreaming of all the things I can turn them into!
The dough is so perfectly soft and fluffy, and so easy to work with, that I knew it would be a perfect match for our favorite hot dogs.
Lately, I’ve found store bought hot dog buns just don’t live up to my expectations.
They’re dry and flavorless, and who knows how long they’ve been sitting on the store shelf!
With this hot dog bun recipe, you’ll never have to settle again, and your family will be begging you to make these for every barbecue.
Serve them up with these Air Fryer Hot Dogs!
How to make hot dog buns:
There are a few different ways you can make these hot dog buns, depending on your level of patience. I wanted to crank out a batch of hot dog buns as quickly as I could, without sacrificing results.
So I tried using instant yeast and doing two quick rises, but I wasn’t completely satisfied with the results.
If you’re eating any buns or bread fresh out of the oven, you can sacrifice some rise time and still have an amazing product.
But if you want to enjoy them the next day, or a couple days later?
Longer rises will give you the fluffiest results that stay fluffy for a couple of days.
Here are the basics:
- Stir together some flour, yeast, sugar and salt — instant or quick yeast is required for this method. See my tips below for swapping in active dry yeast.
- Stir in the warm water and melted butter — this can easily be done with a spoon or whisk. Ensure your water is warm but not hot! We don’t want to kill the yeast.
- Gradually stir in the remaining flour until a soft dough forms. First, we’ll add in a few cups, and then we’ll add the last couple of cups in gradually, so that we are never past the point of having a nice soft dough. The most important thing when making yeast dough is not to add too much flour — we want our dough just past the point of being sticky. It will be incredibly soft and smooth.
- Let the dough rise in a quite warm place (I like to turn my oven on to preheat and leave it for 3-5 minutes before turning it off) for an hour and a half.
- Roll out your hot dog buns (I roll mine the same way I roll my regular buns, just longer and thinner — about 6″ by 1.5-2″) and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet 1″ apart — we want them to touch as they start to rise and bake so they will help lift each other up.
- Let your buns rise until doubled again — about 45-60 minutes.
- Bake until golden — if you want, you can brush the tops of your buns with an egg wash before baking (an egg, beaten with a bit of water), but I don’t bother as I find sometimes it can cause my buns to deflate somewhat. You can also brush with melted butter once they’re out of the oven.
Can I use active dry yeast in these hot dog buns?
You can definitely use active dry yeast in this recipe, but it will require a couple of swaps.
First, you’ll need to proof the yeast by dissolving it in warm water. Active dry yeast has larger granules so it needs to be completely dissolved before adding to your flour mixture.
To make this recipe using active dry yeast, you will follow this Homemade Buns recipe exactly, but reducing the sugar to ¼ cup. Once your dough has risen in the bowl and you are ready to roll your hot dog buns, you will come back to finish the recipe here.
Can I use whole wheat flour in these hot dog buns?
You can definitely use whole wheat flour for this recipe, and I do now all the time when I am making them for our family.
I prefer to first test a recipe with all purpose flour, to see how using whole wheat flour might change it, but we tend to eat mostly whole wheat breads.
You can start with 2-3 cups of whole wheat flour for a light whole wheat dinner roll, or use up to 100%.
When I make these for our family, I tend to stick with 50-75% whole wheat flour. I find adding even a bit of all purpose flour makes them fluffier than 100% whole wheat flour.
How to store homemade hot dog buns:
KEEP AT ROOM TEMPERATURE:
These buns will keep at room temperature in an airtight plastic bag for 4-5 days. I will warn you though — they’re so delicious fresh out of the oven that you might find they don’t last that long!
You will notice that after the second day they are not quite as fluffy and fresh-tasting, so I recommend making them as close to the day you want to serve them as possible, or reheating in a low oven (200-250 degrees F) just before serving.
HOW TO FREEZE BUNS AND BREAD:
We usually make a batch and freeze some of these for later, because it takes us a while to get through this many hot dog buns!
Let cool completely — I usually let mine sit for 4-6 hours on a wire rack on the counter. Place in an airtight plastic bag and freeze up to 3 months.
To thaw, place on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb any extra moisture and let sit at room temperature for an hour. You can also thaw at a low temperature in the microwave, just be careful not to make them too hot or they can dry out.
What to serve in these hot dog buns:
Obviously, plain old hot dogs come to mind, but you don’t have to stop there! Here are a few more options that we love these for:
- meatball subs, loaded with Italian meatballs and lots of cheese!
- Smoked sausages and peppers
- this insanely flavorful Italian Beef, just be sure to toast them first!
- Use them in a chili cheese dog casserole, knife and fork required!
Hot Dog Buns
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 6-7 cups all purpose flour (you can sub in whole wheat) divided
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant or quick yeast
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups warm water (noticeably warm but not hot)
- 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
Instructions
- In a large bowl (the bowl of a stand mixer if you're using one), stir together 1 cup of flour, sugar, yeast and salt.
- Add water and butter and stir until combined.
- Add two more cups of flour and stir until combined.
- Place bowl in stand mixer, and gradually add remaining 3-4 cups flour, 1/2-1 cup at a time. As your dough gets closer to finishing, reduce the amount of flour you add at once so that you don't add too much. You can make this dough by hand as well — just stir in flour gradually until you can no longer use a spoon, then knead it in by hand, just until a soft and smooth dough forms. We want to stop adding flour when our dough is just past the sticky point.
- Cover and place dough in a warm spot for 1.5 hours or until doubled (I like to turn my oven on to preheat for a few minutes, then turn it off before placing my dough inside). Punch dough down.
- Uncover dough and divide into 4 even sections. Divide each section into 5 equal sections so you have 20 pieces. Keep remaining pieces covered to prevent drying out while you roll each bun. (For smaller hot dog buns, divide each section into 6 pieces, for a total of 24 buns)
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball, pinching the seams in the back and rolling until smooth. Place ball on the counter and roll back and forth with both hands to make a cylinder that is roughly 5-6" by 1-1.5". For hot dog buns that are not as thick, press down to flatten slightly. Line up on baking sheets about 1-1.5" apart.
- Once your hot dog buns are all rolled, let rise for 45-60 minutes until doubled again.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, until light golden brown. Optional: brush wth melted butter upon removing from the oven.
- Let cool to room temperature before slicing and serving.
Nutrition Information
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Ashlee says
This is now our go-to hamburger and hot dog bun recipe! I’ve made them many times now. I typically freeze half to pull out for our next easy burger night. My whole family loves them and they turn out great every time!
Jessica says
Delicious! Mine didn’t look nearly as good as pictured, they didn’t brown at all! I saw a comment that someone halved the recipe and I’ll be trying that next time.
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad you enjoyed them. With my oven, they had no problem browning. Maybe try to place them under a broiler for a few seconds.
Marie E. says
Would this recipe work in a bread machine, I would take it out before shaping and baking? Thank you 😊
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Marie! I haven’t experimented with it in a bread machine before. If you decide to give it a try, let me know how it goes!
Rebecca J Buckley says
I’m making these for today for the 7th time I think? At LEAST THAT! I’ve made them as slider rolls for pulled pork, I’ve made them as sub rolls for sandwiches, today I’m doing the classic hot dog bun but I’m halving the recipe because I always end up with so many leftovers.
I actually freeze the leftover buns in a ziplock bag and use them to make garlic bread for other meals.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Rebecca! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Susan Moreno says
Is the amount of Salt absolutely necessary for the recipe or can you use less? I used 1 tsp only because I used salted butter.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Susan, I haven’t tested it but you could likely use less. Enjoy!
Lindsey says
Can I put the dough in the fridge after it’s been kneaded and then do the rises the next day?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Lindsey, I haven’t tested it this way, but it would likely work. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Judith A. G. says
If you do, the first
Ride will have happened in the fridge, so put it in something that allows it to double +. Ride should be rise. I couldn’t correct it.
You will find the second rise will not start until the dough reaches room temperature, so allow that extra time.
billibooo says
HOLY MOLY <3 these are the BEST buns….I am trying to find more ways to use them in all my meals! Hamburger buns, hotdog buns, garlic bread, a snack while the hubby is not looking….lol He is very greedy with my baked goods and this recipe is now adding to that fire!!! Thank you Ashley <3
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Joanne Wheatcroft says
I dont normally comment but I made these for dinner tonight and they were the best hot dog buns I’ve ever eaten I halved the recipe to just make 10 and they came out perfect
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Joanne! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Cheryl says
Love this recipe! I have tried many other hot dog bun recipes and found most were quite heavy. Yours is wonderful. My go-to recipe for hot dog buns. I use a hot dog pan and make the New England variety.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Cheryl! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this review!
Steph says
Did you find you could make different style buns with this dough?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Steph! I made homemade hamburger buns, but the recipe is slightly different. here you go: https://www.thereciperebel.com/homemade-hamburger-buns/
Hannah says
Im curious if these buns taste sweet from the amount of sugar it calls for. I usually don’t like the taste of sweetener in my rolls. Is it possible to omit the sugar or to reduce it to 2 Tbsp? I just wanted to make sure this wouldn’t interfere with the efficacy of the yeast. Thanks!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Hannah, I’ve actually only tested this recipe with 1/4 cup sugar, so it would be hard for to say if reducing it will produce the same result here. These are not sweet buns. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Lily says
THANK YOU SO MUCH… This helped me with my school projec. The bun was really fluffy and It tastes really amazing.
April P says
Great Recipe!
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you April!