SMALL HOT DOG BUNS RECIPES

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
• Place yeast into bowl of a large stand mixer; whisk 1/2 cup flour and water into yeast until mixture is smooth. Let stand until mixture is foamy, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Whisk egg, 3 tablespoons melted butter, sugar, and salt into yeast mixture; add remaining flour and stir.
• Fit a dough hook onto stand mixer and knead the dough on low speed until soft and sticky, 5 to 6 minutes. Scrape sides if needed. Poke and prod the dough with a silicone spatula; if large amounts of dough stick to the spatula, add a little more flour.
• Transfer dough onto a floured work surface; dough will be sticky and elastic but not stick to your fingers. Form the dough lightly into a smooth, round shape, gently tucking loose ends underneath.
• Wipe out stand mixer bowl, drizzle olive oil into the bowl, and turn dough over in the bowl several times to coat surface thinly with oil. Cover bowl with aluminum foil. Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Transfer dough to a floured work surface and form into a 5x10-inch rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. Cut dough into 8 equal lengths. Turn each slice cut-side up and form into a hot dog bun shape about 5 inches long. Transfer dough, cut-sides up, to the prepared baking sheet about set them about 1/4-inch apart.
• Cut a slit about 1/8-inch deep down the center of each bun. Brush 2 tablespoons melted butter over the top and sides of each bun. Let rise until almost doubled in size and the buns have risen into each other, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake buns in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Brush tops with remaining melted butter.

Steps:

• Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Assemble all the ingredients. Use exact measurements. Do not substitute ingredients and follow the recipe exactly and you will have buns like hotdog buns in my photo!
• Rinse a large mixing bowl with hot water to warm it up. Add warm water, oil, sugar and the yeast. Set the timer for 15 minutes.
• While you are waiting for the yeast to work, measure your flour and add the one teaspoon of salt to the flour and mix well. Beat the egg.
• After the 15 minutes is up and the yeast has had a chance to work, add egg and the bread flour a little at a time to the yeast mixture with a whisk until it starts to get thick, and then trade your whisk for a wooden spoon and finish adding the rest of the flour or as much as needed to make a dough you can roll. It will be a nice tender dough.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Roll to about 3/4 inch thick and cut out with a 4 inch glass or a clean can. Transfer the cut out dough to the parchment paper. If you want hotdog buns, turn the sides down and under to overlap and lay on the parchment paper. If you want hamburger buns, use the entire circle and place it on the parchment paper.
• Brush tops of buns with the melted butter. Dont' skip this step because it makes them like store bought buns!
• Let buns rise in the oven with the light on for about ten minutes. Then pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees and bake buns 10 minutes. (for inexperienced bakers: you DO remove the buns from the oven before you preheat the oven!) Enjoy!
• Cook's Tip: These buns freeze really well for later use.