Sourdough Brioche Hot Dog Buns Recipe

Okay we already know what you’re thinking: “Sourdough and brioche. Aren’t those two different things?”

To that we say, “You are not wrong. But our recipe is probably is not what you think it.” For these hot dog buns, we are using a sourdough starter as the leavening agent. And these are not just any normal hot dog buns either. We are talking buttery brioche goodness in the form of a hot dog bun. All made possible with your trusty old sourdough starter.

why you’ll love it

Using whole milk and a healthy amount of butter ensures that your brioche is fluffy, sweet, and comforting. Leveraging your stand mixer to do most of the heavy lifting (or kneading) helps to make this a surprisingly friendly to even the most amateur baking. While using the sourdough starter increasing the rise time for the dough, it helps with gluten development for a more dynamic tasting hot dog bun as well.

Finally, the everything bagel seasoning is the perfect compliment for the taste and texture imparted from the brioche.

Now, onto the recipe.

Sourdough Brioche Hot Dog Buns

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 10 - 12 hours
Servings: 10 servings | About 10 hot dog buns

Ingredients:

Hot Dog Buns:
50 g granulated sugar (or 1/4 cup)
180 g whole milk (or 3/4 cup)
2 large eggs
425 g bread flour (or 4 cups)
60 g sourdough starter, softened (about 3.5 tbs)
17 g salt (or 1 tbs)
170 g unsalted butter^ (or 3/4 cup)

^ Substitute with cultured butter if available. The higher percentage of butter fat is your friend.

Everything Bagel Seasoning:
4 tsp garlic powder
4 tsp onion powder
2 tsp poppy seeds

Instructions:

Warm milk in small sauce pan until it reache 95 F, and whisk eggs together in small bowl until beaten.

Combine milk and eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer with mixer running on low speed. Slowly incorporate bread flour into mixture and increase mixer speed to medium.

Add salt and sugar, scraping down sides of bowl while mixer is running. Keep mixer running until flour is well incorporated, about 5 minutes

Take softened butter and cut into small pieces. After dough has been well mixed, turn off stand mixer. Add the butter and sourdough starter. Mix dough on medium speed until dough is elastic and pulling away from the side of the bowl, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary (this should take 7 - 10 minutes)

Once dough is smooth and elastic, stop stand mixer, and place into an oiled bowl. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap (if we are being eco friendly) and let rest until the dough has doubled in size (this should take 4 - 6 hours, depending on the sourdough starter).

Once dough has doubled in size, place on a lightly floured work surface. For best results, divide the dough into roughly 10 equal portions, with each portion weighing between 85 g - 110 g (It doesn't have to be perfectly uniform).

Take each portion and form into a 4" by 6." After shaping the rectangle, fold the two short sides towards the center of the dough, and gently press together. Beginning at the long side of the rectangle, roll the dough away from you into a log shape. Repeat this process with the remaining dough portions.

Put shaped dough pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place dough pieces next to each other, so that they are touching each other along their long side (nice and cozy). Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and rest at room temperature until until almost doubled in size (another 3 - 5 hours depending on sourdough starter).

After dough has just about doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375 F. Combine garlic powder, onion powder, and poppy seeds in a small bowl.

Crack egg in a small bowl and whisk until beaten. Brush dough with egg wash and sprinkly generousy with everything bagel seasoning.

Bake in preheated oven until buns are golden brown (about 15 - 20 minutes). Remove from baking tray and let cool on a wire rack (or eat immediately - It's okay, we don't have the patience either).

When ready to eat, cut into buns from top (cutting along the length of the bun) and enjoy!

Store in containers or plastic bag in refregerator for up to 1 week.

Chef Notes:
Sourdough starter is a natural levener, so there's no need for grocery store yeast. All starters are different (it's what makes each sourdough loaf so unique), so give yourself plenty of room to account for differences in rise time. If your dough as not doubled, do not worry, just keep going! Feel free to even let it rise overnight in the refrigerator if necessary.

Adding sugar to the dough (not typical for sourdough baking) should give the starter plenty of nourishment and helps facilitate it rising.