Easy Sourdough Hot Dog Buns (Dairy-free & Egg-free)

This easy sourdough hot dog buns recipe will have you ready for summer grilling in no time. These dairy-free and egg-free sourdough hot dog buns make the perfect comfort food for BBQ parties and family picnics. Great for hot dogs, sausages, or even sandwich-style fillings.

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Forget about those bland and dry store-bough hot dog buns. You know, those full of preservatives and additives that we can’t even pronounce. Let’s make some real food, homemade buns that tastes good and makes your hot dogs look and feel gourmet.

This is a simple and straightforward recipe that uses minimal ingredients and gives you a delicious result. These hot dog buns are dairy-free and egg-free. Plus it is fermented with sourdough starter, for extra flavor and easier digestion.

Note: This dough makes deliciously soft sourdough dinner rolls as well.

Ingredients needed:

• Sourdough starter: active and bubbly. Can be used straight from the fridge.
• Flour: bread flour is best for this recipe. If you wish to use all-purpose flour, be aware that fermentation can take longer and absorb water less than a bread flour (higher protein).
• Sugar: helps accelerate fermentation and gives the dough a softer crumb. I used granulated unrefined sugar, but you can replace it with any natural sweetener alternative.
• Olive oil: or butter (melted) if you wish. I find that I prefer olive oil to butter as it results in a lighter crumb.
• Salt: used for flavor and gluten development. I used Celtic salt.
• Water: room temperature filtered water is best.

How to make the sourdough hot dog buns

• If your starter is flat and hasn’t been fed in a long time, give it a feed a day or night before making this recipe.
• In a large bowl mix the flour, salt, and sugar.
• Add the olive oil and sourdough starter.
• Add water and give it a good mix.
• Make sure to scrape the sides and not leave any dry flour.
• Cover with a kitchen towel and leave it for 10-15 minutes.
• Dump the dough on a clean working surface and start kneading.
• You will find the dough rather sticky at this point but keep kneading. 
• Knead for about 10-15 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. You will feel the dough warmer and malleable.
• You can also use a mixer with the dough hook attachment. The mixer takes less time to knead than by hand, so keep an eye on to not over knead.
• Shape the dough into a bowl and place it into a slightly oiled bowl.
• Cover it with a damp towel and let it bulk ferment in a warm spot in your kitchen.
• The dough is done bulk fermenting when it has a slight domed shape on the surface, has doubled in size, it is jiggly and light, and has lots of large bubbles on the surface.
• Flour your kitchen counter and dump the dough onto it. Make sure to use gentle hands to not deflate the dough.
• Shape it slightly into a large ball.
• With your bench scraper or a sharp knife, divide the dough into 6 equal parts.
• Shape each piece into a ball.

• With both hands starts rolling each ball against the surface you are working on (as you would with a rolling pin). Don’t apply too much pressure though, to not deflate the dough completely. Roll it into approximately 8 inch log shape.

• Once shaped place the hot dog buns on your baking tray lined with parchment paper.
• Let them rest for 30-40 minutes (while pre-heating the oven).

• Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
• Bake the buns for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
• Let them cool down on a wire rack before slicing.
• Serve and enjoy!

PRO TIPS:

1. Don’t use an acidic starter. This will break down the gluten in your dough resulting in a sticky dough that doesn’t hold shape well and has a chewy, dense texture. Make sure you maintain your starter with a higher feeding rate 1:2:2 and higher. Follow the instructions in this sourdough starter guide.
2. Make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly. That means you can use it anytime after peak (don’t stress catching your starter at peak). My starter stays active and bubbly for at least 48hrs (sometimes even longer) after peak. I keep my starter in the fridge once it reaches its peak.
3. Don’t watch the time, watch the dough for signs of completed bulk fermentation. Times vary from kitchen to kitchen, and starter to starter. There are so many variables for bulk fermentation that you cannot predict a certain amount of time for when your dough has finished its bulk fermentation.
4. If you wish to cold retard the dough, make sure you end bulk fermentation earlier as you risk over fermenting in the fridge. I would say somewhere around 70%-80% done. Shape into logs and let it rest for about 20 minutes before putting the dough in the fridge for a cold proof. This will allow the dough to relax after shaping. When you are ready to bake, take the dough out of the fridge, let the dough come to room temperature, and poke test it to see if it is ready to bake. The dough should spring back slowly when pocked and leave a slight indentation. Fast and complete spring means that your dough needs more time, and no spring back means that your dough is over-fermented (dough has also collapsed and lost shape).
5. Pre-heat your oven before baking. My oven takes about 30 minutes to get to a high temperature. I cannot tell you how many times I had a failed bake because the temperature of my oven was too low and it ended up over fermenting my dough in the oven.
6. Don’t slice the hot dog buns warm. Let the buns cool down before slicing. The reason for this is that the buns will feel gummy and your knife might drag the bread when slicing. These won’t take long to cool down though.

How to store the hot dog buns:

Store them at room temperature in a bread bag, paper bag or bread bin for up to 5 days (no plastic bags or foil).

Freeze them right after they cooled completely in a ziplock bag for up to a month. Thaw them at room temperature or in the oven at a low temperature.

More sourdough bread recipes: