Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Mix. Combine the flour, water, starter, yeast, eggs, sugar, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix on low until the flour is absorbed, then knead on medium-high for 8 minutes until the dough is smooth.
- Add butter. With the mixer still running, add the softened butter a little at a time. Knead for another 8 minutes until the dough is smooth, strong, and shiny and passes the windowpane test. Shape into a ball in the bowl and cover.
- Bulk proof. Let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled, about 2 hours.
- Divide. Gently deflate the dough and divide into 20 equal pieces, about 70-75g each. Shape each into a ball and let rest for 10 minutes. Don't skip this rest, it relaxes the gluten and makes shaping much easier.
- Shape. Work on a clean surface, only adding a sprinkle of flour if the dough is sticking. Flour your fingertips, and flatten each ball slightly with your fingertips and shape into a roughly 7-inch rectangle, or use a rolling pin if that's easier. Smear the far long edge gently with your fingertip to help create a seal, then roll up into a log and pinch the ends closed. Then, just like making a snake with play dough, gently roll the log back and forth on the surface to elongate it into a proper hot dog bun shape.
- Final proof. Arrange the buns on a parchment-lined sheet pan with the ends touching, 10 per row. Cover and proof until light and puffy, about 1-2.5 hours. This is the most important proof so don't rush it (underproofed buns will be dense and dry, and we do not want that). Toward the end, preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Egg wash and bake. Mix the egg and cream and brush over the buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or flaky salt if you'd like. Bake for 16-20 minutes until deeply golden.
- Butter wash. The moment they come out of the oven, brush generously with the melted salted butter and sprinkle some flakey sea salt all over the buns. Rest on the pan for 20 minutes before serving by pulling the buns apart gently or slice between buns to separate.
Notes
- Can I make these with only instant yeast (no sourdough)? Yes! Replace the 240g of starter with 120g of extra flour and 120g of extra water, and bump the yeast up to 12g. Everything else stays the same. Your bulk proof will be shorter, around 45-60 minutes, and your final proof about 1-1.5 hours.
- Honey instead of sugar? You can swap the sugar for the same amount of honey. Since honey adds a little extra moisture, reduce the water by about 15-20g to compensate, though in an enriched dough like this the difference is pretty minor.
- Starter or discard? Either works fine here. Since the instant yeast is doing most of the rise work, active starter or discard will both give you a great result.
- Burger buns: Divide into 16 pieces (around 94g each) and shape into rounds rather than logs. Same proof and bake time. At the time of applying the egg wash, sprinkle some sesame seeds on top!
- Dinner rolls: Same weight as burger buns, shaped into rounds, proofed in two 9x13 pans touching each other.
- Make ahead: Shape the buns a little earlier into the bulk proof, then refrigerate overnight on the lined pan (if using cling wrap, lightly oil the tops of the buns so they don't stick). They'll continue to proof in the fridge. In the morning, egg wash and bake straight from the fridge.
- Storage: Wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days, or slice and freeze for up to 2 months.
