Posted May 29, 2021

Hot dog buns can be tricky to make.  Why?  It’s all about the hinge. 

The bun needs to be flexible enough to insert the hot dog without the bun breaking into two pieces.  What I call the hinge, is the section of the bun that holds the top and the bottom of the bun together.  That hinge has got to work otherwise you’ve got a big mess on your hands.

The key to the hinge working is to have a soft bun.  These challah hot dog buns have that in spades!  The bread is so soft.  Plus, the egg wash makes them so pretty and they feel really nice as you hold them.

What is Challah Bread?

Challah Bread Recipe

Challah is a special bread in Jewish cuisine.  This crowd-pleading bread is usually braided. The bread is pale yellow because it contains so many eggs.  The eggs also help to give it a rich flavor.

Small Warning – Not Good as a Loaf

I wondered if this recipe could make a loaf of bread.  So I tried it and I don’t recommend it.

It made a very tall loaf of bread.  The bread didn’t blow the top off the bread machine, but it came close.

This loaf was almost as tall as it was long.

I’ll work on a variant of the recipe that works better when baked as a loaf.

How to Make Challah Hot Dog Buns

This makes a two-pound loaf of bread. Use the dough setting.

Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which ingredients to put in the bread machine first.  (I use a Zojirushi bread machine and with that, I add the liquids first.) Use the dough setting.

Check the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading. You’ll want the dough to form a smooth, round ball.  However, if it’s a little wet, don’t worry about it.  

If the dough is too dry, add liquid a teaspoon at a time until the dough balls up. If really too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks as expected.

When the dough is done put it on a lightly floured board.

Note that the dough will be very sticky.  I used a bench scraper to help me work with the dough.  It helped a lot!  I’ve been using a pastry mat recently.  The surface of the pastry mat is a lot better for working with dough than my kitchen counter.  

Divide the dough into three equal sections. Then divide each piece into three more sections. The goal is to get 9 hot dog buns.

Next you form the buns and put them on a cookie sheet that’s greased or covered with parchment paper. 

To form the buns, roll the dough into an oblong shape with a rolling pin.  I try to get the oval about eight inches in length.  

Then fold the dough in half.  Fold it in half again.  Put the fold on the bottom. Tuck the top and bottom underneath.  Give it a few pats to shape it and put it on the pan.

Cover the buns with a clean, lightweight kitchen towel and let the buns rise for 45 minutes.

Remove the towel.  Brush the buns with the egg wash.

Bake the buns in a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.  

Enjoy!!

Challah Hot Dog Bun Recipe

Again, this makes a two-pound loaf of bread. Use the dough setting.

½ cups water
3 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 ½ cups bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Egg Wash Glaze

1 egg yolk
1Tablespoon water
pinch of salt