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Homemade hot dog buns are made with a quick rising yeast dough and a little bit of easy shaping. Add on a pretty egg white glaze and a scattering of seeds, and you’ll have something that makes hot dogs actually special.

It’s been a long time since I’ve bought hamburger buns, but it’s only recently that I’ve started making hot dog buns from scratch. We eat a lot more burgers, and when I make hot dog like things, it’s sausage and usually with vegetables.

My oldest son though has embraced the grilling life, and he has a genuine love for a good brat, well-grilled. Good meat needs good bread, so here we are with me giving you a no-fail, easy recipe for homemade hot dog buns that are truly worthy of a good sausage. Whether you love to grill up hot dogs or Polish sausages, or good bratwurst, these buns have enough structure to handle them all. Still, they’re light and airy without being tasteless cottony squish fests like packaged buns.

I know I have a coil of incredible German sausage in my freezer from a local butcher that’s dying for these. Go get a package of your favorite hot dogs, and let me convince you that you can make this delightful hot dog buns recipe.

Homemade Hot Dog Buns

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Why you’ll want to make hot dog rolls

No creepy ingredients: there’s no funky dough conditioners or additives you need a chemistry degree to understand here. I think we’re all healthier for limiting our exposure to preservatives in our food.
Actual texture you want to eat: I despise how packaged hot dog buns collapse when you bite into them. These buns are soft on the inside but structurally sound enough that they won’t cave in on you. Because of this, you can load them up with condiments and they won’t dissolve into a soggy mess.
Better flavor: These taste like proper BREAD and not chemicals.
They’re fun to make: Shaping dough will never get old for me, and these are no exception. Patting these guys out and rolling them up into tight little logs is enjoyable. In this digital world, it’s good to have something physical that you can make with your own two hands. Bring some beauty into your day by making buns!

homemade hot dog buns on plate with one hot dog with ketchup and mustard with text overlay

Ingredients for hot dog buns

Bread flour: makes for a lighter bun. You can use all-purpose as well.
Water
Yeast: just enough to make them rise, not enough that that’s all you taste.
Honey: adds a little sweetness, makes the yeast happy.
Olive oil: adds flavor and enriches the dough, making it soft.

Egg: adds protein and structure and fat to further enrich the dough.
Salt: Flavor
Egg white: as a glaze. ALWAYS glaze your buns to make them pretty.
Seeds of choice: sesame, poppy seeds, or Everything Bagel seasoning

How to make hot dog buns

The process for making the buns is the same as for my homemade hamburger buns, though the dough is a little different and the shaping is different.

Make the dough: mix all the ingredients together and mix in a stand mixer or by hand until you get a dough that forms a smooth glossy ball. It will be a little sticky, but that will rise out of the dough.
Let it rise: give the dough about an hour until it is well risen and puffy.
Shaping!: This is my favorite part. Weigh the dough on a gram scale and divide by 8 (about 68 grams). Pat out the dough into rectangles about 5 inches wide. From there, roll the dough onto itself along the 5″ edge. Pinch the bottom edges together to make a good seal. Place the hot dog buns on a parchment lined tray fairly close together and flatten them slightly.
Second rise: let the buns rise a second time. When they are puffy and close together, they’re ready to bake.
Bake: Brush the buns with egg white, then sprinkle with your favorite seeds. I’m using Everything Bagel seasoning, but poppy seeds or sesame seeds are both excellent choices. When the buns are golden brown and set, they’re done.
Cool: let the buns cool before you slice them. I’ll be real, I’m lucky if this is 10 minutes in my house, though 20 is better. Because these buns are small, you won’t destroy the texture if you cut them slightly warm unlike a loaf of bread.

Secrets to making the best homemade hot dog buns

Keep em close: Place the buns close together as they rise. I like them in a 2×4 pattern on my sheet tray. This will help the edges rise together, making for soft edges we know and love on hot dog buns.
Roll em tight: I prefer to roll my dough portions into little logs. This helps them bake into nice sturdy buns. Pat the dough into a rectangle and roll it into a tight roll. You can just rough roll them with your hands. If I’m short on time, I’ll do this, though the buns will spread more and may fall apart more easily. I ALWAYS roll them tight if I’m making brat buns as they need that extra support.
Glaze: If you put seeds on your buns, you will need the egg white glaze to stick them on. Beyond that, and I know I’ve said this a million times, and I’ll say it again because I want my voice in your head every time you make bread: not glazing your buns makes sad bread, and we don’t make sad bread!

FAQ about making hot dog buns

Is this a brioche hot dog buns recipe? Nope. Just like with my hamburger buns recipe, I believe that brioche is a bread that takes too much time for regular weeknight dinners. As such, this hot dog buns recipe is based on a simple white bread dough that is enriched just a little with olive oil and an egg.
Can I use this recipe as a brat buns recipe? Absolutely. These buns have enough heft to stand up to the extra weight of Polish and other meaty sausage like bratwurst, yet they’re soft enough that you’ll want to eat them. I hate bread that cuts up your mouth!
Do I need a hot dog pan to make these?: I guess this depends on you. I know New Englanders love the top slice hot dog buns. If you want to make that style of bun, nestle your dough logs close together vertically on the pan. This will help them rise higher and not outwards. You can use a pan to achieve this like this excellent one from USA pan, but it’s not necessary. Other pans with perforated holes I’ve seen I wouldn’t recommend because I don’t want a crusty hot dog bun. Use a sheet pan!

Homemade Hot Dog Buns

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Author: Elizabeth Farr
Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Yield: 8 buns

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Description

Light, soft buns that will hold up to a good sausage and all the condiments you could throw at it.

Ingredients

Scale

2/3 cup warm water (156 mL)
1 and 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 Tablespoon honey (21 g)
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil (23 mL)
1 large egg
2 and 1/4 cups bread flour (293 g)

Finishing the buns

1 large egg white
2 Tablespoons seeds of choice: poppy seeds, sesame seeds or everything bagel seasoning

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Instructions

Mix all the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Use a wooden spoon or your mixer’s dough hook to rough mix all the ingredients to make a shaggy dough.
Mix with a dough hook in a stand mixer on low speed for about 5-7 minutes until the dough forms a ball around the hook.
Form the dough into a ball, then place the dough in a clean bowl sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap until it’s doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Divide the proofed dough into 8 pieces on a lightly floured work surface. If you want to be super precise, divide the balls into 68 g pieces with the help of a gram scale.
Pat each piece into a little rectangle that is about 5″ wide.
Roll up the dough onto itself along the 5″ edge. Pinch the bottom seam well to seal the dough together.
Set the buns close together on a parchment lined baking sheet in a 2×4 pattern, then flatten them slightly.
Cover the buns to rest for about 30 minutes. They’re ready to bake when the buns look puffy and edges are noticeably close together.
Towards the end of the resting time, preheat the oven to 350F (180 F).
Beat up the egg white, then glaze the buns with the egg white using a pastry brush. Scatter on your seeds of choice all over the glazed buns.
Bake the buns for about 20 minutes when they should be golden brown and the dough springs back when you touch it.
Let the buns cool at least 20 minutes before slicing them.
Buns are best eaten the day they are made, though you can freeze them in an airtight plastic bag for up to 2 months.