Okay, so I’ve been on this quest to make the perfect New England hot dog buns. You know, the ones with the flat sides that get all buttery and toasty? Yeah, those. I finally tackled it, and let me tell you, it was a journey!
Getting Started
First, I gathered all my ingredients. I’m talking flour, yeast, sugar, salt, milk, butter – the usual suspects for bread. I’m not gonna lie, I was a little intimidated. I’ve made bread before, but these buns seemed…different.
The Mixing and Kneading
I dumped everything into my trusty stand mixer (bless that thing). It took some time for the dough to come together. It was kinda shaggy at first, but I let the mixer do its thing. After about 10 minutes of kneading, it turned into this smooth, elastic ball. That’s when I knew I was on the right track.
The First Rise
I plucked the dough out of the mixer, shaped it into a ball, and plopped it into a greased bowl. Then, I covered it with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place. I think I left it for about an hour? Maybe a little longer? It doubled in size, which is always satisfying.
Shaping the Buns
This is where the magic happens, folks. I punched down the dough (so fun!) and divided it into equal pieces. Then, I rolled each piece into a rectangle, and folded in the long edge, and roll them into logs. I placed these logs side-by-side in a special New England hot dog bun pan.
The close placement is KEY.I put these logs into the pan, making sure they are all tightly put together.
The Second Rise and Baking
I covered the pan with plastic wrap again and let the buns rise for another 30-45 minutes. They puffed up nicely. Time for the oven! I brushed the tops with melted butter (because, why not?) and baked them until they were golden brown and gorgeous. And When I pull the bread, the sides should remain soft.
The Result
Oh. My. Goodness. They were PERFECT. The sides were soft and pillowy, the tops were golden, and they smelled amazing. I immediately toasted one up with butter (obviously) and slapped a hot dog in there. It was heaven. Pure, buttery, hot dog heaven.
- If you can, using a special New England hot dog bun pan is essential.
