I don’t know about you, but our son is quite the picky eater. He’s still just a young toddler, but the range of foods he’ll eat you can probably count on one hand. And for some reason, one of those foods is Hot Dog Buns!

We figured this out about a year ago when we were desperate for him to eat SOMETHING that day, and I grabbed a leftover brioche hot dog bun from Aldi off the counter and handed it to him. The heavens parted and the angels sang, and the kid chowed down! Ever since then, hot dog buns have become a staple in his diet. But I’m not about to keep buying brioche for my toddler, and regular hot dog buns are dry and crumbly sometimes, so I went on the hunt for a good make at home Hot Dog Bun recipe. This recipe is it, and I make all his PB&J and Turkey and Mayo sandwiches on them.

Gather It!

  • 2.5 cups Flour (plus 1/3 extra)
  • 2 tsp Active Dry Yeast or 1 packet Instant Yeast
  • 2 T Sugar
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 2 T Vegetable Oil
  • 2 Eggs (1 for recipe, 1 for egg wash)

Let’s Make It!

I was given this teak cutting board for my birthday and used my Easy Wood Utensil Butter on it and it’s just so beautiful!

Fun Fact: I got this 2lb bag of yeast from Costco during the great yeast shortage of 2020, and I have yet to run out!

Note: I use Active Dry Yeast, so I combine my yeast with warm milk before adding to the rest of the recipe. If you’re using Instant Yeast, you can just add it in with your dry ingredients

  • Warm 1 cup of milk in the microwave for about 45 seconds. You don’t want it scalding, but warm
  • Combine Active Dry Yeast with milk and let sit and bloom/activate for about 5 minutes
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and Instant Yeast (if you’re using it)
  • Pour milk and Active Dry Yeast into the flour mixture
  • Add oil and 1 egg and stir together
  • If using a stand mixer, beat on high for 2 minutes
  • Switch to low and slowly pour in 1/3 C of flour until the dough starts to pull away from the bowl
  • Remove dough from the bowl and place on a floured work surface
  • Knead dough 50 turns and form into a ball
  • Cover and let dough rest for 10 minutes. While you’re waiting, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  • Cut dough into 8 equal-ish pieces. I use the ‘half the dough, then half those pieces, then half those pieces’ method (that’s the professional name for it)

Now this is where it gets a little tricky….

  • Push each piece into a rectangle, then roll from the long end and tuck the ends under.

Note: I’ve made these Easy, Homemade Hot Dog Buns several times, and I’m still working on my technique! So don’t worry if they’re not totally perfect, they’ll rise once and then rise during baking, so they’ll get puffier and less weird looking.

Try some different methods like pushing or stretching

Then roll it up like play-dough

Tuck the ends under and pinch the dough together

From here you can form your Hot Dog Buns a little to make them more even, but the rise time will help with that

  • Put your Hot Dog Buns on the cookie sheet
  • Cover with a clean towel and let them rise somewhere warm for 30 minutes or until they’ve doubled in size.

Tip: My house runs kinda cold, so I usually turn the oven on 200 for a little while and set my dough back by the vent

  • Make the egg wash and brush your Hot Dog Buns (see that one-handed egg crack?)
  • Bake for 12 minutes or til golden brown

These Easy, Homemade Hot Dog Buns are so soft and fluffy and have such great flavor! Plus you know exactly what’s in them, so you know exactly what’s going into your picky toddler.

You can use them for hog dogs or smoked sausage at the family BBQ, or as a hoagie bun for the kiddo’s sandwiches like me!

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