BHA & BHT Free Soft Hot Dog Buns
Hot dog buns seem like the last thing you'd need to make from scratch — until you check the ingredient list on a store-bought bag and find a string of preservatives you'd rather avoid. BHA and BHT show up in packaged breads and buns with frustrating regularity, making something as simple as a cookout feel complicated. This homemade version uses nothing but whole milk, butter, egg, flour, yeast, sugar, and salt — a clean, recognizable lineup from start to finish. The enriched dough, built with softened butter worked in gradually, bakes up pillowy and tender with a lightly golden crust that store-bought buns genuinely cannot compete with. A final brush of milk before baking gives them that soft, slightly glossy top that makes them look as good as they taste. They proof up just enough to press together on the pan, so you get those classic pull-apart sides that hold a hot dog without falling apart. Once you've made a batch, going back to the packaged version is going to feel like a real step down.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
For the dough
- ¾ cup whole milk, warmed to 110°f (43°c)
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
For brushing
- 2 tbsp whole milk, for brushing
Instructions
- 1
Combine the warmed milk, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl). Stir briefly and let stand for 5–8 minutes, until the surface is foamy and the mixture smells yeasty — this confirms the yeast is active.
- 2
Add the flour, salt, and egg to the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed with the dough hook (or stir with a wooden spoon) until a shaggy dough forms, about 2 minutes.
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