Chinese Hot Dog Buns

Soft and fluffy Asian bakery-style hot dog buns with lightly sweetened bread and a classic hot dog

Jump to:

• What are Chinese hot dog buns?
• The secret to fluffy bread, tangzhong
• Ingredients
• Frequently Asked Questions
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

What are Chinese hot dog buns?

Chinese hot dog buns are a staple at any Asian bakery. They might not seem like much but the combination of the lightly sweetened, fluffy bread with a hot dog is just so delicious and somewhat comforting.

I grew up eating these as an afternoon snack after school, and now eating these brings back so much nostalgia. A lot of East Asian countries sell their own versions of this sausage bread. And for all of us, it brings back feelings of our childhood.

And for all of you that didn't grow up eating these well, you've been missing out! Here's your gateway into the world of Asian bakery bread, and trust me you're not going to want to leave.

The secret to fluffy bread, tangzhong

Asian bakery bread has that super soft and fluffy texture that is so different from European bread which tends to be much harder with a crust.

The hardest part of making Asian-style bread is recreating that texture. It's very easy to end up with gummy or dense bread, rather than that cloud-like texture. This is where the technique of tangzhong or yudane comes in.

This is a Chinese technique that cooks flour with water until it forms a thick paste. The roux is then cooled and added back into the rest of the dough. This process forces the flour to absorb more water and ultimately become a soft and lighter dough.

Follow these steps when making your tangzhong roux

• Heat the flour and water over medium heat: Heat the water and flour slowly. Overheating can cause it to clump up rather than thicken into a smooth paste.
• Whisk constantly: The more you whisk the flour and water the smoother the paste will form.

• Remove when a thick paste forms: Once the roux forms a thick translucent paste take it off the heat. It should be thick enough to hold itself together when scooped up with a spatula.
• Cool the paste to room temperature or in the fridge overnight: It's important to give the paste enough time to cool down before incorporating it into the dough.
  

Ingredients

Roux

• Bread flour: If you don't have enough bread flour you can also use regular flour here. Anything that has enough starch for the water to absorb is perfect.
• Water: The amount of water you use is important. Too much will result in a roux that is way too runny and sticky dough. Make sure you measure carefully!

Dough

• Bread flour: It's important that you use bread flour when making this as it provides more structure for the bread to rise. Without it, the bread will turn out denser and slightly flatter.
• All-purpose flour: I like to use a combination of bread flour and all-purpose flour as Asian-style bread is lighter and fluffier than regular bread rolls. Bringing some all-purpose flour back into the mix helps bring that lightness.

• Milk powder: Make sure you use whole milk powder for optimal flavor and texture. Milk powder not only gives the bread that slightly milky taste, but it also adds protein to the dough. This helps the bread build strength and rise to its optimal height.
• Granulated sugar: Aka white sugar, gives the bread a lightly sweet flavor, but not so much that it overpowers the hot dog

• Pinch of salt: Salt is needed to balance out the flavor and add strength to the dough
• Instant yeast: I like to use instant yeast as you can add it directly into your flour mixture. You can use active dry yeast if you'd like as well but you need to make sure you activate it. Just add it to your lukewarm water with the sugar and leave it for about 5 minutes before you start making the dough. Once the yeast mixture is bubbly it's ready to be added to the flour.

• Luke warm water: The temperature of the water is so important when making bread. The warm temperature of the water is what helps the yeast grow. The colder the dough is the slower the yeast will work. However, if the water is too hot it can cause the yeast to die. Make sure it doesn't surpass 37C/ 98F.
• Unsalted butter: Butter adds richness and tenderness to the bread dough, as well as a delicious buttery flavor!

Glaze

• Egg yolk: Egg yolk gives the buns a deeper golden color. If you would just like a light golden glaze feel free to use the whole egg instead.
• Whole milk: Milk adds to the shine and thins out the egg yolk to the right consistency.

Assembly

• Thin hotdogs: Use whatever hotdog or sausage you think works best! I like to use the classic continental franks, but it's up to you.
• Toppings: I sprinkled mine with sesame seeds before baking and scattered over spring onion to serve. I like the look of it, but feel free to add whatever you like. You can even add a drizzle of tomato sauce and mustard before baking, or a scattering of cheese near the end of the bake.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do these last?

Freshly baked bread is always best on the day it's made, however, these will last up to 2 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Or 3 when stored in the fridge.

If you store these in the fridge make sure you give them a little reheat in the oven, air fryer, or even microwave before eating to bring them back to that light and fluffy texture.

Why is my bread dense?

There are a couple of reasons why your bread ended up dense:

• The yeast was dead: The yeast was too old or not activated before baking
• The yeast was killed: Salt was added directly on top of the yeast, or the water added was too hot and killed it.
• The dough wasn't kneaded enough: If the dough isn't kneaded enough the gluten strands don't form, preventing it from rising to its full potential.

Why does my bread smell yeasty?

There are a couple of reasons why your bread may smell yeasty:

• Too much yeast was used: You might think that more yeast will help your bread rise up nicer. However, this is not the case. Yeast will continue to multiply the longer you leave it so adding more will only cause your dough to over-ferment and become yeasty.
• The dough was over-proofed: Overproofing the dough causes dough to over-ferment and become yeasty.

Can I make this by hand?

While I highly recommend using a stand mixer when making this you can also make it by hand. With a little bit of elbow grease and patience, you'll pull together some beautiful hot dog buns.

To knead by hand:

• Knead the initial dough until a rough ball
• Add the butter and knead for 20-30 minutes, the dough should be super smooth and elastic
• Check whether the dough passes the window pane test (the dough can be stretched into a thin sheet that resembles a windowpane without tearing)

Let's Get Baking!

If you are looking to recreate this staple even better than those you get from the Asian bakery you've come to the right recipe!

If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went.

Also, don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts and hashtag #cattycakes so I can see and share your desserts. Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, and TikTok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!

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