New England hot dog buns are the East Coast's contribution to serving some of your favorite hot dogs, Maine lobster rolls, or Connecticut lobster rolls in a delicious and unique way. They have a delicate texture and an airy, fluffy center that will make you drool with anticipation as soon as they come out of the oven.
If you’ve never seen hot dog rolls like these before, I guarantee these split-top hot dog buns will be your new favorite! This recipe will walk you step by step through how to make these delicious buns at home. With a secret ingredient to keep them soft and delicious for up to 5 days!
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Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
- I prefer to use bread flour because it gives the bread a wonderful texture and chew. If you don't have bread flour, you can use all-purpose flour, but the result may not be quite as good. If you are using all-purpose flour, you may need to add 1-2 tablespoons more because all-purpose flour doesn't absorb as much liquid as bread flour.
- Milk powder refines the dough by making it tender and creating a soft texture. The sugar in the milk powder caramelizes during baking and helps to create a nice brown (soft) crust. If you don't have powdered milk available, replace all of the water with milk and use bread flour instead of powdered milk.
- Either potato flour, starch or instant potato flakes extend the shelf life of the buns. You will be surprised how soft and fluffy these New England-style split-top buns are after 4 days. This is my secret ingredient in many white bread recipes, so that the bread stays moist, soft and fluffy for days. As an alternative to potato flour, you can also use cornstarch. By the way, my dinner rolls also contain potato flour for extra fluffiness.
- I prefer instant yeast for New England buns because you basically put all of the ingredients in a large bowl and start kneading. However, if you choose active dry yeast instead, use 2 ¼ teaspoons (9 g) of the ingredient and let it bloom in warmed milk (about 100 ° F / 38 ° C) and sugar for about 5-10 minutes and then add the other ingredients and knead.
- Although I use powdered milk for these East Coast buns, I add some extra milk to the dough to improve the overall quality of the buns and make them softer. Replace with water if desired.
Baker's Percentages
This is an enriched bread dough that means that butter, eggs, and milk are used, so it’s different from lean sourdough bread, which is just water, flour, and salt.
| Ingredient | Weight | Percentage |
| Bread Flour | 375g | 100% |
| Milk Powder | 28g | 7.47% |
| Potato Flour | 11g | 2.93% |
| Sugar | 25g | 6.67% |
| Salt | 8g | 2.13% |
| Instant Yeast | 7g | 1.87% |
| Eggs | 120g | 32% |
| Water | 120g | 32% |
| Milk | 60g | 16% |
| Butter | 71g | 18.93% |
Tip: To have the same result every time, I weigh all of my ingredients, including the eggs. The weight of an egg is usually between 55-60g. My goal is to have 120g of eggs and 180g of water and milk, so a total of 300g. If the eggs are a little less or more than 120g, I add enough water or milk to have 300g in total.
Same Day Preparation
When making England-style buns, I like letting the dough rise overnight in the refrigerator to have a better final product. However, if you want your buns sooner, you can let the dough rise at room temperature until it has doubled and then proceed with the recipe. If you stick the dough into the fridge for 1 hour before rolling, it will be easier to handle.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
In an airtight container at room temperature, they will stay soft and fresh for up to 5 days. It is also possible to freeze leftover rolls for up to 3 months. Wrap them tightly in plastic twice and place them in freezer bags or containers. To defrost, unwrap and let them sit at room temperature for a few hours or overnight.
FAQs
Can I make these without a New England Hot Dog Bun Pan?
Although a New England hot dog pan is specifically designed for making New England-style hot dog rolls, you can certainly make these split-top rolls without this particular pan. A New England bun pan measures approximately 15x6 inches (38x15cm) inside. So, it's best to use a 15-inch (38cm) wide baking sheet or pan and arrange the hot dog rolls along one long side in the same way as you would in a New England split-top bun pan.
The buns will look somewhat similar, but the one side that doesn't have a pan enclosing them isn't as straight as when using the specially designed pan.
New England Hot Dog Buns vs. Regular Hot Dog Buns
New England-style hot dog buns hail from America's east coast and are a staple of New England's cuisine. What makes them different is that they are split on top rather than along the side and have the advantage that they can be loaded up with toppings and easier prepared and served because they stand upright. The flat sides make them perfect for toasting with butter on both sides.
Although these top-loading hot dog buns are the preferred buns in Maine and the New England area, they are widely available and known in the US.
Tips for Success
- In different climates and environments, flours can absorb water differently. This means you may need to hydrate your dough more or less depending on humidity, temperature, altitude - all of which vary by climate and environment.
- If you find that you need to knead the dough a little longer to pass the windowpane test, let it rest a few minutes in between so that the dough doesn’t overheat while kneading. Otherwise, the yeast could cripple.
- The overnight rise in the refrigerator enhances flavor and texture, and the dough is easier to shape after it has chilled.
- When shaping the dough, put a little oil on your hands and work surface instead of flour. This ensures that you don't work more flour into the dough for super delicious light and fluffy split-top hot dog rolls.
Photo tutorial (step-by-step)
In a large bowl, add the flour, milk powder, potato flour, sugar, salt, yeast, eggs, water, and milk, and knead on low speed until it comes together. Let rest.
Knead on low speed and gradually add the butter until it is completely incorporated.
Once all of the butter is incorporated, increase the speed to high and knead until the dough is smooth, releases from the sides of the bowl, and passes the windowpane test.
How to do the windowpane test?
To do the windowpane test, let the dough rest for about 1 minute after mixing. Then take a small portion of the dough between your fingers and slowly stretch it until the center is very thin and light can shine through without tearing. This means that you have kneaded and developed the dough sufficiently. If it doesn't pass the windowpane test and it tears, knead for 1-2 minutes longer.
It's a very soft, smooth, and satiny dough that is slightly tacky to the touch.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container and let rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes until it has grown by about 10%.
Then put it in the refrigerator and let rest overnight, about 8-12 hours. It will at least double in this time.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature. Then remove the dough from the container and place it on a very lightly oiled work surface. Roughly shape the dough into a square and divide it into 10 equal pieces.
Apply a little oil to your fingers, take one piece of dough, roll it into a ball, and deflate it while you roll it up.
Note: This works best by holding the dough with both hands. In the next 4 photos, you can see me rolling, stretching, and folding the dough with one hand while the dough is on the work surface. Check out the video to see how I do this with both hands.
Then stretch up the dough on the side farthest away from you and fold over the center.
Then rotate the dough by about 45°, and repeat the stretches and folds 6-8 times. You will notice that the dough builds up tension and becomes firmer with every fold. The goal is to have a round ball with all the seams on one side.
Then place the dough ball seam side down, gently cup it with one hand, and form a C-shape with your hand. Move the dough with your hand in a circular motion and gently press it against the work surface to build tension, stretch the surface of the dough, and close the seams at the bottom.
If the dough is a bit sticky, oil your hands very lightly. Avoid using flour on the work surface to allow the dough to anchor to the surface as it moves. Do this gently without tearing the surface of the dough, and don't overwork the dough.
Once the seams at the bottom are closed,
gently roll the dough ball back and forth 1-2 times to create an oval-shaped ball of dough. Repeat with all pieces of dough and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
Then, starting with the first piece of dough, roll each oval ball into a 5-inch (13cm) long strand by rolling the dough back and forth with the palm of your hand while applying some pressure to the work surface.
Arrange the dough pieces in the prepared pan and let them rest at room temperature for 40-45 minutes until they have doubled.
Brush the buns with egg wash and bake. Remove from the oven, brush with melted butter, and cover with a clean and dry kitchen towel.
Then uncover and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Look how soft they are!
This is what the bottom side looks like.
After cooling, cut into 10 individual hot dog rolls and split them on top by cutting vertically into the center of the bun. Don’t cut all the way through.
Then toast them with butter on both sides just before serving.
More delicious bread recipes to try
If you love baking your own bread then check out the following awesome recipes.
Recipe
New England Hot Dog Buns
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour, spooned and leveled
- ¼ cup milk powder
- 1 tablespoon potato flour or starch*
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ teaspoon instant yeast
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup full-fat milk
- 5 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
Instructions
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with a hook attachment, add the flour, milk powder, potato flour, sugar, salt, yeast, eggs, water, and milk, and knead on low speed until it comes together about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through. Let rest for 20-30 minutes.
- Knead on low speed and gradually add the butter until it is completely incorporated. Once all of the butter is incorporated, increase the speed to high and knead for about 4-6 minutes until the dough is smooth, releases from the sides of the bowl, and passes the windowpane test. It's a very soft, smooth, and satiny dough that is slightly tacky to the touch.
- Lightly spray a straight-sided container with oil and transfer the dough to the container; lightly oil the top of the dough as well. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes until it has grown by about 10%. Then put it in the refrigerator and let rest overnight, about 8-12 hours. It will at least double in this time.
- Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, lightly spray the hot dog bun pan with oil and set it aside.
- Remove the dough from the container with a dough scraper and place it on a very lightly oiled work surface. Roughly shape the dough into a square and divide it into 10 equal pieces.
- Apply a little oil to your fingers, take one piece of dough, roll it into a ball, and deflate it while you roll it up. Then stretch up the dough on the side farthest away from you and fold over the center. Then rotate the dough by about 45°, stretch the dough farthest away from you and fold it over the previous fold and over the center. Repeat this 6-8 times. You will notice that the dough builds up tension and becomes firmer with every fold. The goal is to have a round ball with all the seams on one side.
- Then place the dough ball seam side down, gently cup it with one hand, and form a C-shape with your hand. Move the dough with your hand in a circular motion and gently press it against the work surface to build tension, stretch the surface of the dough, and close the seams at the bottom. If the dough is a bit sticky, oil your hands very lightly. Avoid using flour on the work surface to allow the dough to anchor to the surface as it moves. Do this gently without tearing the surface of the dough, and don't overwork the dough. Once the seams at the bottom are closed, gently roll the dough ball back and forth 1-2 times to create an oval-shaped ball of dough. Repeat with all pieces of dough and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Then, starting with the first piece of dough, roll each oval ball into a 5-inch (13cm) long strand by rolling the dough back and forth with the palm of your hand while applying some pressure to the work surface.
- Arrange the dough pieces in the prepared pan and let them rest at room temperature for about 45-60 minutes until they have doubled.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C) for 15-20 minutes.
- Brush the buns with egg wash and bake for 18-20 minutes until they are deep golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, brush with melted butter, and cover with a clean and dry kitchen towel for 20 minutes. Then uncover and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. After cooling, cut into 10 individual hot dog rolls and split them on top by cutting vertically into the center of the bun. Don’t cut all the way through. Then toast them with butter on both sides just before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
Video
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Andrea Zavareei
This was great! I dont' have bread flour so just added a tablespoon or two of gluten flour. I have a New England Hotdog Pan, but for some reason the instuctions said to put a pan over the top and weigh it down. I tried it this way, and it's the fluffiest hot dog buns I ever made! I usually do a slow rise on the second rise, but this chilled first rise works great!
Thank you!
Jim Elliott
I was inspired by someone telling me about the hot dogs at the Montreal Bell Center. I dove into your recipe. They came out perfectly. You are spot on, even though my first effort was experimental, I will repeat it and yes, it was worth effort. Now I will search for the right pan to bake them in, I used a 7x7 casserole pan for the first batch. Thanks for your recipe.
Lydia
Thank you for this posting. I just made these last night and they were perfect! Couldn't believe how great they cam out. I live in England and it is just impossible to find a good hotdog bun, they're small here and they fall apart. so drastic measures were in order and I had to finally resort to making them myself. Thank god I tried your recipe I can now have fresh homemade NE style hotdog buns for veggie dogs and Lobster rolls whenever I want!
Dean
I have made this recipe three times and followed the instructions without and changes. The results are fantastic and consistent. Thank you for such a well written recipe and for including baking percentages.
Eric
Followed this recipe word for word twice now. So good!