Homemade Hot Dog Buns

You might think I’m nuts to have done it, but yes, I made hot dog buns. Why would I make hot dog buns? Haven’t you ever done something just to say you did it? Unlike my scuba-diving experience from the Pit, I thoroughly enjoyed my latest dabbling in the I-Just-Wanna-Say-I-Did-It Club.


What off the wall thing have you done to get into the IJWSIDI Club?

Even though pinching pennies wasn’t my motivation, the buns were way cheaper than your average rubbery, flavorless store-bought kind. I didn’t break down the pricing, but it was probably under 50 cents for the nine buns. I mean, how much can 1 egg, a cup of milk, some oil, and 3 cups of flour cost? Right.

How did they turn out? Delish! Next time, I’ll add a bit more salt, but they were definitely a redo. WILL I redo them? Maybe. If I have some extra time one day, I might make a double batch and freeze them. We don’t eat hotdogs very much around here. The ones we can afford are filled with preservatives, nitrates, and who-knows-what artificial ingredients.

Hormel, bless their little hearts, just came out with preservative/nitrate/artificial junk-free hotdogs, lunch meat, and bacon. Hormel is my new friend. They might become my new BFF if they’d lower their outrageous prices. No one should have to pay close to five bucks for healthy hotdogs.
But last week I stumbled upon a Hormel sale at Kroger, so I did a little stocking up.

Side note: About half an hour after I finished eating my supposedly %100 all-natural dinner of hot dog, watermelon, and broccoli salad, I got sick to my stomach. I was completely baffled until I read the ingredients in the dill relish I used—calcium chloride, alum, polysorbate 80, and yellow 5. UUUGH!! It’s poison. Poison, I say! Whether it makes you feel ill or not, you can rest assured its poison to you, too.

Enough of my rant.

All that to say, no more relish for me. Maybe that will be my next DIY project—homemade dill relish.
Here’s the hotdog buns recipe, which yes, can be used for hamburger, too. It’s simple and cheap and makes you feel like June Cleaver.

HOMEMADE HOT DOG BUNS


Ingredients:
1 Tbsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp (1 pkg) yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
1 Tbsp vegetable oil (or try butter!)
1 tsp salt
1.5 cups unbleached white flour
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 egg
sesame seeds

Instructions:
In the bowl of your stand mixer, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let sit for 10 minutes.
Add the milk, oil, salt and 3 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Beat with the dough hook until combined.
Add flour, 1 large spoonful at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead 5-7 minutes, until you have a smooth, elastic dough. I didn’t need any additional flour.
Put the dough into an oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled, about one hour.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Using your kitchen scale, weigh the whole lump then divide into nine equal pieces.
Shape each piece into a ball. Roll the balls into cylinders, 4 1/2-inches in length and flatten slightly.
Place each bun on a line baking sheet with the sides just barely touching.
Cover with a light towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400.
Just before baking, lightly brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Transfer the buns from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride.