DOGGIE ESSENTIALS: NEW ENGLAND HOTDOG BUNS

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. You may knead this dough by hand; however, you will better served using a stand-mixer, fitted with a dough hook... up to you. This recipe assumes that you are using a stand mixer.
• 3. To make these buns the "proper" way, you will need to purchase a New England hotdog pan. I received mine from Amazon, and here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002UNMZQ2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 An "authentic New England hotdog pan will be 15 x 6 inches (38 x 15.25cm), and have indentations for 10 buns.
• 4. How to get a perfect rise on your buns. Ever put a pan of dinner rolls, biscuits or, in this case, hotdog buns, and after an hour or so, you check on them, and they are not rising evenly? Chances are that you did not do anything wrong with the recipe; however, you might have allowed them to rise in a drafty area of the kitchen. What happens is that the cooler drafts, blow against the covered pan, and unevenly change the temperature. So, the left side of the pan is slightly cooler than the right, and the dough rises at different rates. The Solution: If you can, turn on your oven for about 30 seconds, to take the chill off, then put a rack in the middle position, and cover and place the dough in the oven. The gentle heat (sans drafts) will help your creations to achieve an even rise.
• 5. What about that milk powder? You will find milk powder in many New Englander's recipes for these buns. The milk powder combines with the proteins of the flour and produces a light, yet firm bun that will not fall apart, when you pile on the toppings. It can be used in a lot of bread recipes, where you want something light, but with a firm structure.
• 6. Nutritional Yeast... Really? This is my contribution to this recipe... nutritional yeast is heated up, so it loses its ability to make anything rise... its only purpose it to add a bit of depth to the flavor of the buns. If you do not have any... No worries. You will still love the taste of these classic New England buns.
• 7. Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
• 8. Add the flour, milk powder, nutritional yeast flakes, and salt, to the bowl of your stand mixture, and whisk to combine.
• 9. In a separate bowl, whisk together the warm water, and sugar. The temp of the liquid should be no higher than 105f (40c).
• 10. Proof the yeast by adding it to the warm liquid, and then wait about 10 minutes.
• 11. Chef's Note: After that amount of time, the yeast should begin to foam. If it does not, your poor yeast is dead. Give it a proper burial, and buy some good yeast.
• 12. If your yeast is good, add the milk, and egg, then whisk to combine.
• 13. Turn the stand mixer on low, and add the liquid to the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time, scraping down the bowl, after each addition.
• 14. Allow the dough to knead for 5 - 6 minutes.
• 15. Chef's Note: If the dough is still too dry, add a bit of warm water, a tablespoon at a time, until it comes together. I had to add an additional tablespoon of water.
• 16. Chef's Tip: We want a slightly sticky dough that pulls away from the sides of bowl, and begins climbing up the hook.
• 17. Add the butter, a tablespoon at a time, and continue kneading for an additional 8 - 10 minutes. The dough should be crawling up the hook.
• 18. Place a bit of oil into a large bowl, and add the dough. Turn the dough ball, so that it is lightly coated in the oil.
• 19. Cover the bowl and place in a warm, non-drafty, corner of your kitchen until the dough has doubled in size, about an hour or more (mine took 1 hour, and 45 minutes).
• 20. Remove the dough, and knead a few times on a lightly floured surface.
• 21. Use just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. We want it to be slightly sticky.
• 22. Brush your New England hotdog pan with some grapeseed oil, or you could use melted butter... Yummy.
• 23. Weigh the dough, and divide into ten equal portions.
• 24. Take a portion of dough, and on a lightly-floured surface, roll into a rectangle, approximately 5 1/2 x 10 inches (14 x 25.5cm).
• 25. Tightly roll into a tube, and place into one of the indentations in the hotdog pan.
• 26. Repeat for the remaining dough, being careful to make them the same size.
• 27. Cover the pan with cling foil, and put in a non-drafty, warm corner of your kitchen.
• 28. Allow them to rise until they are just below the top of the pan, about 35 - 45 minutes.
• 29. While the hotdog buns are rising, place a rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 350f (175c).
• 30. Chef's Tip: If you want your hotdog buns to have a nice glossy look, make an egg wash from one egg, and a few drops of water, and then brush it on the tops before baking.
• 31. Place the hotdog buns in the oven, and bake until browned, and they sound hollow when you thump them, about 20 - 25 minutes.
• 32. Allow them to cool down for about 15 minutes, before handling.
• 33. Separating the Buns:
• 34. Carefully separate the buns, as shown in the photograph.
• 35. Since the buns were baked side-by-side, you will have two sides of the bun that do not have a crust. That is the yummy part.
• 36. Brush melted butter on both of the non-crusted sides (or you could use mayonnaise).
• 37. Place in a hot pan, and allow the buttered sides to get nice and toasty, about 1 - 2 minutes per side.
• 38. Use a serrated knife to cut straight down the middle of the bun. You can cut down about three-quarters of the way, but no farther. If you do, the bun will fall apart, when you add the doggie.
• 39. PLATE/PRESENT
• 40. Throw in a cooked doggie, and what toppings you desire. Enjoy.
• 41. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.