Alright, so I got this idea in my head the other day. You know those soft, flat-sided hot dog buns? The New England style ones? Yeah, the kind you need for a proper lobster roll or even just a good grilled hot dog. Couldn’t find decent ones anywhere nearby, so I figured, why not just make ’em myself?
Getting Started
First thing, I had to dig out a recipe. Found a few online, picked one that looked pretty straightforward. No fancy stuff. Then I grabbed the ingredients. It wasn’t anything too crazy:
- Flour, just regular all-purpose
- Some milk, warmed it up a bit
- Yeast, of course
- A bit of sugar
- Salt
- Butter, softened
- An egg, I think? Yeah, one egg.
Got everything out on the counter. Measured it all out. I always make a mess doing this, flour everywhere. But hey, that’s part of the fun, right?
Making the Dough
So, I dumped the warm milk in a bowl, added the yeast and sugar. Let that sit for like five minutes until it got foamy. That means the yeast is awake and ready to go. Then I mixed in the melted butter, the egg, and the salt. Whisked it up good.
Next, started adding the flour, bit by bit. Mixed it with a spoon first, then when it got too thick, I just dumped it out onto the counter and used my hands. Kneading dough… it’s work, man. Pushing, folding, turning. Did that for maybe 8, 10 minutes? Felt longer. My arms were definitely feeling it. You gotta keep going until it feels smooth and kinda stretchy. You know the feel.
Put the dough ball in a greased bowl, flipped it over so the top was greased too. Covered it with a towel and stuck it somewhere warm to rise. The waiting part. Had to let it double in size, took about an hour, maybe a little more.
Shaping and Baking
Okay, dough doubled. Looked good. Punched it down – satisfying feeling, that. Then I divided it up. Tried to make equal-ish pieces. Rolled each piece into a sort of rough rectangle shape. This is the important part for these buns: you gotta place them right next to each other in a baking pan. Packed ’em in tight. Like little soldiers all lined up. This way, when they bake, the sides don’t get crusty, they stay soft and white. That’s the whole point.
Covered the pan with the towel again, let them rise again. Another 30-45 minutes? They puffed up nicely, pressing against each other.
Finally, into the oven they went. Baked them until they were just golden brown on top. The whole kitchen smelled amazing, like proper bread. Pulled the pan out, let them cool for a minute, then carefully separated the rolls. You could see those nice flat, soft sides where they touched. Perfect.
The Best Part
Now, the real magic. Once they were cool enough to handle, I took a couple. Sliced ’em down the top, not all the way through. Buttered those flat sides generously. Slapped them onto a hot griddle, butter-side down. Oh yeah. Got ’em nice and toasty brown. Crispy on the outside, still soft inside.
Loaded one up with a grilled hot dog, classic style. Man, so much better than the store-bought ones. Totally worth the effort. Made a few extra, thinking maybe lobster salad tomorrow if I feel ambitious. But yeah, homemade New England rolls – success!
