One Thing I Ate: Challah wrapped hot dog buns ðŸŒ
Nara Smith voice: My husband wanted hot dog buns, so I made them from scratch.
Hello and welcome back to Five Things I Ate! This week, we make challah from scratch. Read past posts here, and please follow my Instagram, @fivethingsiate.
This recipe is a true labor of love. I got hot dog buns from Chinatown the other day and my husband wanted some. He doesn’t eat pork, though, and Chinese bakeries love pork, so I decided to get my hands on some all-beef hot dogs and make my own buns from scratch.
Of course, I chronically cannot follow a recipe or idea through, so I decided to make the buns out of challah instead of milk bread (bonus of being dairy free).
A big spoiler alert: These turned out to be nothing like Chinese bakery hot dog buns, because it’s almost like you need to follow the instructions for things to turn out like they should. But they turned out absolutely wonderful in their own right. Challah is much richer than milk bread, and all-beef hot dogs are more savory than the pork mixed ones, so it’s a hearty, salty-sweet snack. It kinda reminds me of a pretzel dog. This challah dough is definitely on the richer and denser side.
It’s been a while since I did a weekend baking project. I forgot how soothing it is to make bread from scratch. It does take a long time (mine took way longer because I put the dough in the fridge overnight and had to wait 5 hours the next day for it to rise), but there’s very little hands-on time. It’s actually pretty easy, and just requires patience. Some might even say love(!!!).
Challah wrapped hot dog buns
Makes 12 servings.
Adapted from: Laney Schwartz
The challah dough was very simple to make and well-behaved (unlike the many challah doughs I’m now testing for another recipe). I made a few minor adjustments to the original recipe – turning down the temperature to 350F, and also topping half the buns with fresh scallions instead of sesame seeds for a Chinese bakery effect.
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
3 3/4 to 4 cups all purpose flour
Sesame seeds and/or scallions, for topping
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
12 hot dogs
Instructions:
Dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup warm water* in a large mixing bowl that has first been rinsed with very hot water. Sprinkle yeast on top and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir to dissolve.
* Not hot water! I made that mistake once, and killed all the yeast. You should be able to stick your finger in it – think 110F or so.
Combine with oil, remaining water, sugar, salt, eggs, and half the flour. Beat well. Stir in the remaining flour. Dough should be sticky. Cover dough and let rest for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes, adding flour as needed.
Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rest until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Punch down dough. Divide dough into 12 equal parts. Shape onto ropes. Roll the rope around an entire hot dog making sure to secure the ends tightly. Place on the baking sheets.
Brush with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds or freshly cut scallion.
Bake at 350F degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown.
XOXO,
Soph
P.S. If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turns out! You can reply directly to this email. I’ll feature your results on this newsletter if you give me permission <3
P.P.S. Have a favorite challah OR milk bread recipe? Send it to me! I’m slowly venturing out into bread baking, and those are my two favorite loaves.