Indulge in the irresistible fusion of soft, pillowy buns with a classic pretzel twist in this homemade Pretzel Hot Dog Buns recipe. Bite into its tender crumb and a perfectly chewy exterior, making them the ideal vessel for your favorite hot dogs or sandwiches like my Chimichurri Steak Sandwich or my Buffalo Turkey Meatball Sub recipe.
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For more delicious lunch ideas, try my Crispy Cajun Chicken Sandwich, Mushroom Tartine or my Italian Meatball Soup. Make my Greek Loaded Hummus for an amazing side dish.
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Ingredients
Transform the simple ingredients from the list below to easily create these amazing Pretzel Hot Dog Buns.
- Water
- Granulate Sugar
- Quick Rise Yeast
- All Purpose Flour
- Fine Sea Salt
- Melted Butter
- Baking Soda
- Egg Yolk (for an egg wash)
- Coarse of Flaky Sea Salt
See recipe card for quantities.
Make the Pretzel Hot Dog Buns dough
Mix together the warm water, sugar and yeast. Set aside for 10 minutes or until the yeast starts to foam on top.
Place the flour and the salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Turn the mixer on low and mix the flour and salt together.
Pour the melted (cooled) butter and the yeast mixture, into the bowl of the mixer, while it is running on low. Mix on medium-high speed. Add an extra tablespoon of flour at a time if necessary, so the dough is smooth and tacky but not sticky.
Place the dough on a Digital Food Scale (affiliate link) to obtain its total weight. Divide that number by 8. Divide the dough by that number to obtain 8 equal balls of dough. If you do not have a scale, shape the dough in a flat disk. Cut the dough into 8 even wedges.
Shape the Pretzel Hot Dog Buns
Shape the 8 pieces of dough into balls. Create a smooth surface of dough for the top of the ball. Gather the dough and pinch it together at the bottom of the ball. Create a smooth ball.
Gather the balls of dough on a tray or on the counter. Cover them with plastic wrap. Let them rest for 15-20 minutes so the dough can relax. They do not need to rise at this point.
Take a ball of dough and turn it upside down. Press down on the dough to make a 5 inch flat disk.
Use your indexes and thumbs to take hold of the furthest part of the dough from you. Fold over 1 inch of dough at a time. Roll towards you, pressing down with your thumbs every time.
Apply a light pressure while rolling the dough, until you have a 7 inch logs.
Line up the rolled buns, making sure that the seems are at the bottom. Cover them again with plastic wrap for 15-20 minutes. Let them rise.
Preheat your oven to 450F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Make a simple egg wash by mixing together a yolk and 1 tablespoon of water or milk.
Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Once the water is boiling, turn down the heat to simmer. Sprinkle ½ cup of baking soda SLOWLY into the simmering water. Let the bubbles simmer out.
Bake the Pretzel Hot Dog Buns
Carefully place 2-3 rolls into the simmering water. Blanch for 20 seconds before turning them over for another 20 seconds.
Remove them from the soda water. Place them onto the prepared baking tray. Make sure they are evenly spaced and that the seems are at the bottom.
Brush each bun generously with egg wash. Sprinkle them with the coarse or flaky sea salt. Use a sharp serrated knife to make 3 diagonal cuts in each bun, each being 2 inches long and ⅛ inch deep.
Bake in the preheated 450F oven for 10 minutes. Turn the tray around and bake for another 5-7 minutes. Make sure that most of the buns are baked to a nice brown color, all the way down the sides. (Some of the inside buns might now brown all the way down the sides if they were placed too close together.)
Remove the baked Pretzel Hot Dog Buns from the oven and transfer the buns to a cooling rack. Let them cool down for 10-15 minutes before using them.
Store the Hot Dog Buns
Store any remaining Pretzel Hot Dog Buns once they have cooled completely. Place in a food storage bag (affiliate link) and freeze, as this is the best way to keep these buns long term. Thaw out the buns on the counter or warm up in a toaster oven to crisp up the crust to its original state.
Recipe
Pretzel Hot Dog Buns
Ingredients
Bun Dough Ingredients
- 13 oz Water Water 105F-110F
- 1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
- 2½ teaspoon Quick Rise Instant Yeast
- 4 cups All Purpose Flour plus more for dusting
- 2 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- 2 tablespoon Butter melted and cooled
Other Ingredients
- 8 cups Water
- ½ cup Baking Soda
- 1 piece Egg Yolk for the egg wash
- 1 tablespoon Water for the egg wash
- 1 tablespoon Coarse Sea Salt
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Mix together the warm water, sugar and yeast. Set aside for 10 minutes or until the yeast starts to foam on top.
- Place the flour and the salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Turn the mixer on low and mix the flour and salt together.
- Pour the melted (cooled) butter and the yeast mixture, into the bowl of the mixer, while it is running on low.
- Mix on medium-high speed. Add an extra tablespoon of flour at a time if necessary, so the dough is smooth and tacky but not sticky.
Shape the Dough
- Place the dough on a digital food scale to obtain its total weight. Divide that number by 8. Divide the dough by that number to obtain 8 equal balls of dough. If you do not have a scale, shape the dough in a flat disk. Cut the dough into 8 even wedges.
- Shape the 8 pieces of dough into balls. Create a smooth surface of dough for the top of the ball. Gather the dough and pinch it together at the bottom to create a smooth ball.
- Gather the balls of dough on a tray or on the counter. Cover them with plastic wrap. Let them rest for 15-20 minutes so the dough can relax. They do not need to rise at this point.
- Take a ball of dough and turn it upside down. Press down on the dough to make a 5 inch flat disk.
- Use your indexes and thumbs to take hold of the furthest part of the dough from you. Fold over 1 inch of dough at a time. Roll towards you, pressing down with your thumbs every time.
- Apply a light pressure while rolling the dough, until you have a 7 inch logs.
- Line up the rolled buns, making sure that the seems are at the bottom. Cover them again with plastic wrap for 15-20 minutes. Let them rise.
- Preheat your oven to 450F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Make a simple egg wash by mixing together a yolk and 1 tablespoon of water or milk.
Bake the Buns
- Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Once the water is boiling, turn down the heat to simmer. Sprinkle ½ cup of baking soda SLOWLY into the simmering water. Let the bubbles simmer out.
- Carefully place 2-3 rolls into the simmering water. Blanch for 20 seconds before turning them over for another 20 seconds.
- Remove them from the soda water. Place them onto the prepared baking tray. Make sure they are evenly spaced and that the seems are at the bottom.
- Brush each bun generously with egg wash. Sprinkle them with the coarse or flaky sea salt. Use a sharp serrated knife to make 3 diagonal cuts in each bun, each being 2 inches long and ⅛ inch deep.
- Bake in the preheated 450F oven for 10 minutes. Turn the tray around and bake for another 5-7 minutes. Make sure that most of the buns are baked to a nice brown color, all the way down the sides. (Some of the inside buns might now brown all the way down the sides if they were placed too close together.)
- Remove the baked Pretzel Hot Dog Buns from the oven and transfer the buns to a cooling rack. Let them cool down for 10-15 minutes before using them.
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