The Chinese Hot Dog Bun. The Asian bakery classic, the food of my childhood, and the inevitable result of years of cultural assimilation.
As I got older, I came to realize how…actually disappointing these Chinese hot dog buns often are. After a long car ride from Chinatown, a cold hot dog of questionable origin wrapped in bread that has gone slightly soggy is not good eating. Very quickly, the hot dog bun went from being all I wanted from the Chinese bakery, to the last thing I wanted…replaced by the likes of the much more palatable coconut buns and pineapple buns.
Until this past weekend (when we baked these suckers), I hadn’t had a hot dog bun in over 10 years. After my mother discovered her cousin’s brilliantly easy Asian milk bread recipe, however, it was time to revisit this classic, and really do it up right.
As I see it, there are three main problems with the typical Chinatown hot dog bun:
1. The quality of the hot dog: not good.
2. The dough is usually wrapped around an uncooked hotdog before baking. The result? A total lack of flavor and a rubbery texture.
3. If they put them out in the morning, and you get there at 3:00 in the afternoon, you’ve already lost.
Alas, the Chinese hot dog bun was long overdue for redemption. In our version, you choose what brand of hot dogs you want to use. We sear them before they get wrapped in dough, and it makes all the difference. The result is a what I’ve always wanted a hot dog bun to be.
One can also get pretty creative with this concept, add some ingredients and make some cool hot dog recipes – maybe just some foreshadowing but for now, on with it!
Chinese Hot Dog Buns: Recipe Instructions
In the bowl of a mixer, add the heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, cake flour, bread flour, yeast, and salt (add it in that order). Using the dough hook attachment, turn on the mixer to “stir.” Let it go for 15 minutes, occasionally stopping the mixer to push the dough together.
After 15 minutes, the dough is ready for proofing. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm spot for 1 hour. The dough will grow to 1.5X its original size. Check out our original milk bread recipe for photos of this process!
In the meantime, heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the hot dogs, and allow them to crisp slightly and get some color on them. Set aside on a plate to cool.
After the hour of proofing, put the dough back in the mixer and stir for another 5 minutes to get rid of air bubbles. Dump the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 12 equal pieces.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Take each piece of dough and roll it into a 10-12 inch rope, keeping the middle thicker than the ends.
Roll the rope around a hot dog, tucking in the ends. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet (keep the buns 2-3 inches apart).
Repeat until all the buns are assembled.
Cover the baking sheet with a kitchen towel and allow the buns to rise in a warm place for another hour. The buns should close to double in size.
Brush with egg wash, and bake the buns for 14 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and immediately brush your Chinese hot dog buns with sugar water. This last step gives them that signature Chinese bakery shine.
Enjoy these Chinese Hot dog buns!
Chinese Hot Dog Buns
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup heavy cream (160 ml, at room temperature)
- 1 cup milk (plus 1 tablespoon, at room temperature; total 250 ml)
- 1 large egg (at room temperature)
- 1/3 cup sugar (75g)
- 1/2 cup cake flour (70g)
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour (500g)
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast (11g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (7g)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 12 hot dogs
- Egg wash: whisk together 1 egg with 1 teaspoon water
- Simple syrup: 2 teaspoons (8g) of sugar dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water
Instructions
- In the bowl of a mixer, add the heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, cake flour, bread flour, yeast, and salt (add it in that order). Using the dough hook attachment, turn on the mixer to “stir.” Let it go for 15 minutes, occasionally stopping the mixer to push the dough together.
- After 15 minutes, the dough is ready for proofing. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm spot for 1 hour. The dough will grow to 1.5X its original size.
- In the meantime, heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the hot dogs, and allow them to crisp slightly and get some color on them. Set aside on a plate to cool.
- After the hour of proofing, put the dough back in the mixer and stir for another 5 minutes to get rid of air bubbles. Dump the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 12 equal pieces.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Take each piece of dough and roll it into a 10-12 inch rope, keeping the middle thicker than the ends. Roll the rope around a hot dog, tucking in the ends. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet (keep the buns 2-3 inches apart). Repeat until all the buns are assembled.
- Cover the baking sheet with a kitchen towel and allow the buns to rise in a warm place for another hour. The buns should close to double in size. Brush with egg wash, and bake the buns for 14 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
- Remove from the oven and immediately brush the buns with sugar water. This last step gives them that signature Chinese bakery shine.
Nutrition
Carmen says
Is there a reason no butter is included in this recipe? :)
Sarah says
Hi Carmen, the heavy cream provides plenty of fat! No need for additional butter.
Emily says
Could I freeze to bake later? I wouldn’t want to make all 12 at once. More like a few every couple of days so I can have breakfast
Sarah says
Hi Emily, I would freeze them after they’ve been baked.
Bonnie says
Can you use instant yeast instead?
Judy says
Yes, you can.
Sarah says
Yes!
Bonnie says
Do I have to adjust the proofing time since I’m using instant instead of active dry yeast?
Sarah says
Hi Bonnie, nope, same proofing times should apply!
Sophia says
Hi Sarah! If we don’t have heavy cream, is it possible to substitute it with milk instead? So we would use a total of 2/3 cup of milk + the normal 1 cup of milk that the recipe asks for.
Thank you,
Sophia
Sarah says
Hi Sophia, the heavy cream in this recipe is what makes the milk bread so rich and soft. I generally wouldn’t try to substitute it, but you could certainly try it if you don’t want to make a trip to the grocery store!
holly says
hi Sarah! I’ve made the wonderful milk bread recipe twice and have found that it’s fluffy when I simply make it into a loaf as shown on the original recipe. When I shaped the dough for the hot dog it ends up being drier. I do add flour for dusting for each rope… do you know why the dryness is caused when I try to shape the dough? Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
Sarah says
Hi Holly, when shaping the dough, avoid adding additional flour! The dough is a little bit sticky, but there is so much fat in it from the heavy cream, it shouldn’t actually stick while shaping!
Larry says
And what would you like on your hot dog, ketchup, relish, mustard, onions, pickles? I am a huge fan of Asian cuisine especially Chinese but there are limitations to the cuisine and adaptability. Hot dogs are one, huge failure . You basically have plain bread and a hot dog. The other is steak. Almost impossible to cook in a wok and can’t be eaten with chop sticks. There are workarounds but not suitable for Chinese cuisine. Your web site is my favorite and I have learned so very much from you and your dishes are fantastic but hot dogs and steak, well not so much..
Sarah says
Hi Larry, I’m a little confused by this comment. Hot dog buns are a beloved fusion item that Chinese bakers and patrons have been enjoying for decades. I’ve loved these since childhood. I also love a hot dog in a regular bun with mustard and onions––the two aren’t mutually exclusive. I would just say don’t knock it until you try it. Or, if this recipe doesn’t suit your taste, just ignore it and find something you do like.
As for steak, we love it, and have ideas on how to cook it. While steak may not be an item often served in China, we’re a Chinese American family! Also, have you seen our steak stir-fry? https://thewoksoflife.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/steak-stir-fry-10.jpg