Super soft 100% whole wheat hot dog buns that will hold up to whatever crazy toppings you want to throw at them! They are full of flavor thanks to the whole grain flour.
Jump to:
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Hard white wheat: We use fresh ground flour from hard white wheat. You can use high quality pre-milled flour from hard white wheat as well.
- Water
- Honey: You can also use granulated cane sugar.
- Yeast: Active dry or instant yeast, they both work great in this recipe.
- Milk: We use whole milk, any cow’s milk should work.
- Butter
- Egg
- Salt
See recipe card for quantities.
Variations
- If you want to make hamburger buns, you can use this dough and shape them into burger buns, or use our hamburger bun recipe.
- You can make this brioche dough and shape it into hot dog buns for brioche hot dog buns.
Instruction Photos
Overview of instructions with photos. See recipe card for quantities and full instructions.
Step 1: Mix the water, honey and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer, let sit for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast.
Step 2: Warm the milk to about 120° then cut the butter up and put it in the milk, stir until the butter is mostly melted and it has cooled to under 110° .
Step 3: Pour the milk and butter into the yeast mixture and add the egg, salt and about 1 ½ cups (192 g) of flour. Attach the dough hook and mix on medium/high speed until smooth.
Step 4: Add more flour until a very soft dough forms, it should just hold its shape but not be soupy.
Step 5: Knead on medium speed until the dough comes together, and is very smooth and velvety looking, it will take around 8-12 minutes, maybe even up to 15 minutes.
Step 6: Place the dough into a greased container and let rise until doubled in size.
Step 7: Punch the dough down and divide into 8 equal pieces, shape each piece into a loose ball.
Step 8: Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, press into a 4x6 inch rectangle.
Step 9: Starting at the long end, roll up into a tight log. Pinch the seam together on the bottom then pinch the ends together.
Step 10: Place in a row about ½ - ¾ inch apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Step 11: Cover and let rise until doubled, about the same time as the previous rise took. Brush the tops with beaten egg (optional, just makes the color better).
Step 12: Bake at 375° for about 15 minutes or until they are golden brown on top and the internal temperature is at 190°. Brush the top with melted butter right after they come out of the oven.
Serving Suggestions
These are great to use for any style of hot dogs. We like to split them on top so they hold together better.
Because hot dogs are most often part of a summer bbq, we’ve listed some recipes that could be great accompaniments:
Storage
Store in a sealed bag at room temperature for up to 4 days. They are still ok to eat as long as they aren’t moldy. They just start to dry out the longer they sit.
How to Freeze
After the buns have cooled you can freeze them in a freezer safe bag (remove as much air as you can without smashing them). Freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw at room temperature.
Tips From Our Kitchen
For super soft buns you have to have a super soft dough. It should be very sticky, but workable with lightly greased hands. The dough will seem impossible at first but after kneading it will come together and be workable.
Because this dough is so soft, we highly recommend using a stand mixer. Doing it by hand would be a royal pain in the as*!
Related Recipes
📖 Recipe
Whole Wheat Hot Dog Buns
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (60 g) warm water 100-110℉
- 1 tablespoon (21 g) honey or 2 tablespoons (26 grams) granulated cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) active dry yeast or instant yeast
- 1 cup (240 g) whole milk
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) butter cubed or sliced
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 ¾ - 3 ¼ cups (352-416 g) hard white wheat flour
- 1 beaten egg for brushing the tops before baking
- 1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing the tops after baking
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve 2 teaspoons (8 g) active dry yeast and 1 tablespoon (21 g) honey in ¼ cup (60 g) warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes, until bubbly.
- Heat 1 cup (240 g) whole milk to about 120°F, add 3 tablespoons (42 g) butter and stir until the butter is mostly melted and the mixture has cooled to 110°.
- Add the milk and butter, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon sea salt and 1½ cups (192 grams) of flour to the bowl with the yeast mixture. Attach the dough hook and mix on medium/high speed for about 2-3 minutes or until smooth.
- Add enough flour to form a very soft dough, you want it to just hold it’s shape without being soupy. Knead on medium speed for about 8-12 minutes or until it is silky smooth and very stretchy (the dough will still be sticky but you should be able to pick it up with lightly greased hands).
- Place the dough into a greased bowl or container. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45-60 minutes.
- Punch down the dough. Turn onto an oiled surface and divide into 8 equal pieces (use a kitchen scale to get them precise).
- Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, press it into a 4x6 inch rectangle. Starting from the long edge, roll up tightly into a log and pinch the seam together on the bottom. Tuck the sides under and place onto the baking sheet in a row about ½ inch apart.
- Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45-60 minutes. Preheat oven to 375℉ about half way through the rise time.
- Brush the tops with beaten egg (this is optional, it just gives them a nice even color)
- Bake at 375°F for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown on top and the internal temperature reaches 190°F. Brush the tops with melted butter right after they come out of the oven (this is also optional but makes them super soft).
Video
Nutrition
We calculate these nutritional facts using an estimate and they can vary drastically between ingredients used and measuring technique. So, they are not intended for medical use.
Did you make this recipe? We would love to hear from you!