These sourdough hot dog buns are light, fluffy, and packed full of flavor. They are super easy to make and will take your next family barbecue up a notch.
Summer has arrived in Missouri. We’ve had multiple very hot days already, but thankfully, it feels like the typical Missouri June weather is coming back.
These types of days call for a hot dog roast over a fire or BBQ. Since this is the first summer ever with a back porch, fire pit, and grill, we are totally living it up. We’ve had so much fun building family memories out there already.
How do you elevate regular ol’ hot dogs? Make some sourdough hot dog buns to serve them in! Delicious, tangy, and healthier than the store-bought bun, they are also pretty darn easy.
I understand that hot dogs are not necessarily a “health food”, but people aren’t usually choosing hot dogs to eat healthier.
They can, however, make a fun and delicious meal on occasion. We love choosing grass-fed hot dogs for a healthier option.
Most of the steps for the sourdough hot dog rolls are done the night before, so the day of, you just roll the dough, allow to rise one more time, and bake.
For a long time, when a long-fermented recipe called for eggs, I would wait until after the bulk fermentation to add the eggs, which can be tricky.
More recently, I’ve just been adding the egg when I’m mixing the dough, and it has been totally fine. But this will totally depend on your comfort zone. I’ve done this ten times now, and we’ve been fine.
Tips For Making Sourdough Hot Dog Buns
- This recipe can be fermented overnight for the most health benefits, or can be made into a quicker version for when you don’t have as much time.
- Make sure your sourdough starter is nice and bubbly. A active starter is what is going to give this bread its rise.
- If you buns are not rising the dough could be over-proofed, under proofed, or the temperature was too cold during rising. Also, if your starter is not super active it can take longer for the dough to rise.
- If you are new to sourdough, make sure to see how to make your own sourdough starter and how to care for it.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
What is the best bread for hot dogs?
Sourdough bread is, in my opinion, the best bread for hot dogs. This is because it adds so much flavor and is fermented, making the bread more nutritious.
Ingredients
- Sourdough starter – active and bubbly
- Warm water
- Unbleached all-purpose flour
- Coconut oil or butter – or any neutral tasting oil
- Honey
- Salt
- Eggs
Tools
Grain mill to grind fresh grain (optional)
Measuring cups
Parchment paper
How To Make Sourdough Hotdog Buns
The Day Before
Feed sourdough starter 4-12 hours before starting the dough. You want the starter to be really active and bubbly before it starts to come down.
In a stand mixer, add warm water, unbleached all-purpose flour, melted butter or another neutral tasting oil, sourdough starter, honey, salt and egg.
Knead with a dough hook for 5-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap for 8-10 hours.
Optional: For a longer fermentation, transfer the dough to the refrigerator and chill overnight, covered.
The Next Day
Divide the dough into ten equal pieces. I like to use a bench scraper.
Shape the hotdog buns by rolling the dough out with a rolling pin to form a 6 inch by 4 inch rectangle and then roll them up.
Cover the buns with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and allow to rise until doubled.
Create an egg wash by beating an egg yolk with water, then brush the tops of the buns with the mixture.
Bake the buns for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees until golden brown.
For A “Quicker” Version
- In a stand mixer with a dough hook, add sourdough starter, warm water, all purpose flour, melted butter or coconut oil, honey, egg, and salt. Knead for 5-10 minutes.
- Shape buns and let rise until doubled, approximately 1-2 hours.
- Create egg wash and brush on top of the shaped buns.
- Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven until lightly browned on top, approximately 25-30 minutes.
- Let cool completely before slicing and serving.
Find More Sourdough Recipes:
- Easy Sourdough Challah Recipe
- Sourdough Strawberry Cream Cheese Cobbler
- Sourdough Grilled Cheese
- Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- Easy Homemade Sourdough Pasta Recipe
- Sourdough Zucchini Bread
Sourdough Hot Dog Buns
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter, active and bubbly (113g)
- 3/4 cup warm water, 177g
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, 420g
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or butter, 60g
- 3 tablespoons honey, 63g
- 1 teaspoon salt, 6g
- 1 large egg
Egg wash (optional)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Feed sourdough starter 4-12 hours before starting the dough so it is nice and bubbly for baking.
- In a stand mixer, add warm water, unbleached all-purpose flour, melted butter or another neutral tasting oil, sourdough starter, honey, salt and egg.
- Knead with a dough hook for 5-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap for 8-10 hours.
- Divide the dough into ten equal pieces.
- Shape the hotdog buns by rolling the dough out with a rolling pin to form a 6 inch by 4 inch rectangle and then roll them up.
- Cover the buns with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and allow to rise until doubled.
- Create an egg wash by beating an egg yolk with water, then brush the tops of the buns with the mixture.
- Bake the buns for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees until golden brown.
Notes
- Optional: For a longer fermentation, transfer the dough to the refrigerator and chill overnight, covered after the first bulk fermentation.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Could I use this same recipe to make a sandwich loaf of bread?
Yes.
This is going into my “make again” and my “share with friends” book.
I did veganize this by replacing the egg with 2 tbsp of aquafaba (bean water, chickpea).
I followed the recipe but it was runny with just 3 cups of flour. It did not end up like a dough ball at all in my mixer. So I added more flour, and it took almost 4 cups to get it to become dough. So they did not turn out good.
I’m sorry you had troubles with this recipe!
I have found that with high hydration doughs you have to go beyond the mixer and knead (stretch and folds) to develop the gluten to get dough strength.
I did my bulk ferment in the fridge. I think I misread your instructions not realizing I was supposed to bulk ferment at room temp first before putting in the fridge for a longer ferment. If I do the shaping and 2nd rise for a longer time, will that work or did I ruin these 🙁
We really love these buns! They are soft like traditional hot dog buns, but hold up better and of course taste amazing. I have made these twice already and they are definitely going to be a regular bake. I haven’t done the final egg wash yet and have been happy with a soft golden brown finish. I also have been adding the eggs before the bulk ferment.
So glad you enjoy them!
I make these often to have on hand in the freezer for quick meals! Soooo much better (taste & nutrition) than store bought, as well as affordable! They’re prettier with the egg wash but taste just as good without, in my opinion! Thanks Lisa for all of your recipes! Farmhouse on Boone is forever open in my tabs!
Is it common for the dough to be super sticky? Or did I not let it ferment properly?
They shouldn’t be that sticky. You should be able to work with them like dough. It may have over fermented.
What’s the best way to store these? How long do they stay fresh? Thank you! Looking forward to making these!!
Help – my dough (double batch) didn’t rise overnight is there anything I can do to save it?
It didn’t rise at all? I would try to put it somewhere warm to see if you can get it to rise.
When you knead the dough for 10 min in the mixer, do you want it to not stick to the bowl?
Yes, it should pull away from the sides and start to climb up the dough hook.
I just took these out of the oven and my GOODNESS they’re beautiful!! I did the long ferment, shaping cold was kind of wonky but they rose beautifully. HUGE buns! I’ll probably go with cutting into 12 next time but I will be making them again! Thanks so much for sharing your skills and knowledge with us. I was so scared to start sourdough and you lighten that load every time a recipe I try is successful! My burger buns will be out soon, maaaaybe one day I’ll try an artisan loaf – but right now, sandwich bread is what we use and it’s SO easy! My son will he stoked to finally get a bun with his hot dog!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I’m also doing the long ferment method. Just pulled the dough out of the fridge and it’s quite hard. Do you recommend letting the dough return to room temp before shaping and or wrestling it while it’s still cold?
Yes, I would let it come back to room temperature.