Whenever I go into any Asian bakery, I am always tempted by their version of the hot dog bun. Unfortunately, more often than not, I walk away disappointed. The hot dogs used are never really great in terms of quality. They lack flavor and texture. The surrounding buns are nice and fluffy but don’t really have much going for it besides a bit of sweetness. Usually, bakeries try to compensate for all this by adding all sorts of toppings that I think just get in the way. So here is my answer to all that! A bun that is flavorful all on its own and better quality sausages!
Quick tip: Measure the weight of your mixing bowl while it is empty. After the first proof, measure the bowl with the dough inside and then subtract the weight of the mixing bowl. This is an easy way to get the weight of the dough and to divide it into equal portions.
2 Small Yellow Onions (or one medium to large onion)
Finely minced.
Slowly caramelize in a pan over medium heat and let it cool completely.
55 g Parsley (about one bunch with stems trimmed)
Roughly chopped.
150 g + 4 g Heavy Cream (4 g will be for the egg wash)
230 g Whole Milk
2 Eggs (one for the dough and one for the egg wash)
90 g Sugar
15 g Active Dry Yeast (2 packets)
570 g Bread Flour
10 g Sea Salt
3 packages of Charcutnuvo Organic Hot Links - Made with Beef
Put the sausages in a 400°F oven for 15 - 20 minutes to crisp up the outside. Rotate about half way through. Let them cool completely.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the onions, parsley, heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, yeast, flour, and salt. Put the ingredients in the bowl in that order.
Knead the dough for about 20 minutes or until smooth. The dough should be silky and not sticky. If the dough is sticky, dust with a little bit of flour.
Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough prove for 50 minutes or until it has grown to about 1.5x its original size.
After 50 minutes, knock the air out of the dough and divide it into 12 equal portions. Make a cupping shape with your hand and spin the dough on the work surface until a nice ball is formed.
For each of the dough balls, flatten into a rough rectangular shape. Then make 4 slanted cuts on either side of the rectangle, being sure to leave space in the middle that is about the width of your sausage. Think Christmas tree. Lay each strand over one another to make a braided shape.
Place the shaped hot dog buns on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper. Cover the buns with a damp towel and leave to prove for another 50 minutes. Check the prove by using the dimple test. Poke one of the buns. If there is an indent that doesn’t immediately spring back, then it is done proving.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Brush each bun with an egg wash that is made by beating one egg with a little bit of heavy cream. Coat the buns evenly, including the sides.
Bake for 25 - 30 minutes.
Then raise the oven temperature to 400°F for 2 -3 minutes to deepen with color of the buns.
Let it cool on a rack for 5 minutes before eating. (Though I love these buns straight out of the oven too!)