This is the easiest sourdough hot dog bun recipe that you’re likely to find on the internet. The dough is a piece-of-cake to mix together, the buns are simple to shape without any special pans or tools, and the sourdough hot dog buns taste better and are better-quality than anything you’ll find at the grocery store.
Why This Recipe Works
The dough for these buns is enriched, meaning that it contains some fat and sugar, which will make the hot dog buns softer and fluffier than regular bread. However, this recipe only calls for small amounts of butter, milk, and sugar, so the dough won’t be overly sticky, messy, or difficult to handle. What you end up with are soft and fluffy sourdough hot dog buns that are also very easy to make by hand!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Bread Flour: I used King Arthur bread flour for this recipe. You can use any plain white bread flour that contains around 11-13% protein.
- Water: Plain, unchlorinated tap water is best. Use filtered water or bottled spring water if your city’s tap water contains harsh ingredients or has a bad taste.
- Whole Milk: Milk brings a touch of softness to the dough.
- Sourdough Starter: You’ll need a 100% hydration sourdough starter for this recipe. You can feed your starter directly and don’t need to create a separate “levain.”
- Salt: I used Kosher salt for this recipe, but sea salt or plain table salt will also work well.
- Melted Butter: Butter will bring softness and richness to this dough.
- White Sugar: You’ll use a small amount of sugar in this dough. The sugar will add a small amount of sweetness to the dough without being overpowering. It will also hold on to moisture, keeping the dough softer for longer.
- Egg: You’ll want one small egg to create an egg wash for the top of the buns. This ingredients is option, but recommended.
Note: See recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and quantities.
Substitutions and Additions
- Use Plant-Based Milk instead of Whole Milk: For a vegan alternative to milk, you can replace the whole milk that this recipe calls for with a plant-based milk like soy milk. Ideally, choose a milk alternative with minimal ingredients, like this soy milk on Amazon.
- Use Olive Oil instead of Butter: For a vegan alternative to butter, use a light tasting olive oil or extra virgin olive oil. Since this recipe only calls for two tablespoons of melted butter, replacing the butter with oil won’t cause any major noticeable difference in the final sourdough hot dog buns.
- Use Honey instead of White Sugar: If you would prefer not to use refined sugar, you can replace the white sugar in this recipe with honey or another liquid sweetener. The amount of sugar is so small that you likely won’t notice the difference anyway.
Ingredient Amounts
Starter Feeding
- Sourdough Starter, leftover – 25 grams
- Water – 50 grams
- Bread Flour – 50 grams
Main Dough
- Bread Flour – 450 grams
- Water – 200 grams
- Whole Milk – 50 grams
- Sourdough Starter, active – 100 grams
- Butter, melted – 2 Tbsp (25 grams)
- White Sugar – 10 grams
- Salt – 10 grams
- Egg, beaten (optional) – 1 small egg for an egg wash
Suggested Timeline
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 10:00 PM (Day 1) | Feeding the Sourdough Starter |
| 6:00 AM (Day 2) | Mixing the Dough |
| 6:15 AM | Kneading the Dough |
| 6:30 AM | The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation) |
| 12:00 PM | Shaping the Sourdough Hot Dog Buns |
| 12:30 PM | The Second Rise (Final Proof) |
| 3:00 PM | Baking |
| 3:45 | Serving |
How to Make Easy Sourdough Hot Dog Buns
Step-by-Step Instructions
Feeding the Sourdough Starter
Take 25 grams of leftover sourdough starter out of the fridge. Feed your starter 50 grams of water and 50 grams of bread flour. Mix the flour, water, and starter around in the jar until it has a pancake batter-like consistency. Mark the top of the starter with a rubber band and cover the top of the jar loosely with a lid. Let the starter rise at room temperature overnight, for around 6-8 hours, or until it doubles in size.
Mixing the Dough
In the morning, place a mixing bowl on a digital scale and weigh in the water, milk, white sugar, salt, sourdough starter, and melted butter. Stir the liquid ingredients together until well combined. Then, add the bread flour. Mix the ingredients together with a spoon until a rough dough is formed.
Kneading the Dough
Flip the dough out onto an un-floured part of your kitchen counter. Knead the dough by hand for about eight minutes, or until the dough is smooth and holds together will. Form the dough into a ball.
The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)
Move the dough into a large glass bowl with a lid (or any other mixing bowl). Grease the bowl first with a small amount of butter or olive oil first so that the dough doesn’t stick. Cover the bowl with the lid or a sheet of plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for 4-8 hours, or until it roughly doubles in size.
Shaping the Easy Sourdough Hot Dog Buns
After the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl and place it onto the kitchen counter. Gently press the air out of the dough and flatten the dough into a large square with your fingertips.
Divide the large square of dough into eight equally-sized rectangles using a bench scraper or a knife. Each individual piece of dough should roughly weigh 105 grams (but you can just eyeball this and make sure that the pieces of dough look to be roughly the same size).
To shape each piece of dough into a roll, take a rectangle of dough and flip it over so that the stickier side is facing up. Starting with one of the long ends of dough, roll the dough into itself to form a log. Then, pinch the seam closed to seal the dough. Roll the dough back and forth to smooth out the seam and to make the dough longer. Aim for the rolls to be roughly six inches in length, since this is the size of the average hot dog. Repeat this shaping process with each roll (watch my video for a detailed shaping tutorial).
The Second Rise (Final Proof)
Take out a 9×13″ metal cake pan and line it with a sheet of parchment paper. Arrange each of the pieces of dough on top of the parchment paper in two columns of four doughs each. The doughs should be evenly separated so that they are not touching at this point. Cover up the pan with a damp towel or a sheet of plastic wrap and let the sourdough hot dog buns rise at room temperature for 2-4 hours, or until roughly doubled in size.
Baking the Easy Sourdough Hot Dog Buns
30 minutes before the hot dog buns are done rising, preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C) with the center rack of the oven inserted. Also, place a metal cake pan in the bottom rack of the oven which you will use as a steam tray. Begin boiling 1 cup of boiling water in an electric kettle so that it will be hot when you’re ready to bake.
Once the doughs finish proofing, they should be puffy and doubled in size. As a finishing touch, brush the tops of the doughs with an egg wash (one egg, beaten) using a pastry brush. The egg wash will help the sourdough hot dog buns come out of the oven shinier and more golden brown.
Slide the pan of buns into the center rack of the hot oven, then pour one cup of boiling water from into the metal cake pan. This hot water will release steam that will help the hot dog buns rise during the first half of the baking time.
Bake the sourdough hot dog buns for 15 minutes at 400°F (204°C) with steam. Then, carefully remove the steam tray and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes until the hot dog buns are golden brown. (30 minutes of total bake time for lighter buns and 35 minutes of total bake time for darker buns). Remove the hot dog buns and slide them out of the pan. Allow them to cool on a cooling rack for at least 20-30 minutes, ideally until they have fully cooled down.
Serving
Once cooled, slice the hot dog buns lengthwise, 80% of the way through, with a bread knife to open them up. Then load a bun with a grilled hot dog/bratwurst and the condiments of your choice. Enjoy!
These sourdough hot dog buns actually taste delicious on their own – bread-y, complex, and mildly tangy without being sour. They are flavorful – much more so than the airy, light, and tasteless buns that you might pick up at the grocery store. Because these have a high-quality sourdough bread dough as the base, the buns actually have delicious bread flavor that is often not present in store-bought buns.
Sourdough Hot Dog Buns
This is the easiest sourdough hot dog bun recipe that you’re likely to find on the internet. The dough is a piece-of-cake to mix together, the buns are simple to shape without any special pans or tools, and the sourdough hot dog buns taste better and are better-quality than anything you’ll find at the grocery store.
Ingredients
Sourdough Starter Feeding
- Sourdough Starter, leftover - 25 grams
- Water - 50 grams
- Bread Flour - 50 grams
Main Dough
- Bread Flour - 450 grams
- Water - 200 grams
- Whole Milk - 50 grams
- Sourdough Starter, active - 100 grams
- Butter, melted - 25 grams (2 Tbsp)
- White Sugar - 10 grams
- Salt - 10 grams