Hamburg Rolls

The flavor of these rolls is perfect for hamburger or hot dog buns, and they have the right texture. I've had this recipe for a long time (1970s) and do not remember where I got it from. It differs from most hamburg/hot dog buns recipes in that it uses oil instead of butter.

Makes 2 dozen small to medium size rolls. To make just a dozen rolls, or less if making them bigger, cut the recipe in half. (see below)

2 Tbsp. yeast (one packet of dry yeast = 2 1/4 teaspoons, I just use 2 packets)
1/2 cup warm water
1 Tbsp. honey
1 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
4 - 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Scald the milk, place in a mixing bowl and let cool. Dissolve the honey in the warm water and add the yeast. Let set until the yeast starts to work and gets foamy. Add the yeast to the cooled milk, then add the rest of the ingredients in the order listed, using just enough flour to form a soft dough. If you add too much flour to the dough the buns will be dense, not soft. You want the dough to be soft, elastic, and still slightly sticky when kneading.

While the dough is rising, grease two cookie sheets. You will place 12 buns on each sheet, but you want them to just touch once they are baked (as shown in the picture).

Knead well, cover with a cloth and let rise until double in bulk. Punch down the dough and knead. Cut into 24 pieces and shape into flattened rounds. Place on the prepared pans about 1/2 - 1 inch apart so the buns will just touch once they have risen and baked. The buns will have soft sides after baking as they do in store-bought packages. Place them 2 - 3 inches apart if you do not want them to touch. After resting for a few minutes, flatten from the center out. Let rise until double in bulk.

When I first made these, I did not weigh the dough - I just cut it into 24 pieces. They are not large buns, about 1.85 oz. dough weight each (calculated later using the total weight of the dough when I made these at a later date), about the size of less expensive store-bought hamburg buns, once baked. The dough will lose weight as it is baked. According to baking websites, the standard dough weight for hamburger or hot dog bun dough is about 2.5 oz. Some recipes call for bigger buns for bigger hamburgers. King Arthur Flour suggests dough that weighs 80g to 100g for each bun, which is about 2.8 to 3.5 oz.

The next time I made these, I weighed my dough. I made 8 buns from 1/2 recipe instead of 12. The dough for each bun was 2.7 - 2.8 oz. Big Marty Rolls are 2.25 oz. each, baked, and are covered with sesame seeds.

I weighed my dough for another batch and made 12 hot dog buns weighing 3.5 oz. dough each. The rolls were too big, too bready. I think 3.0 oz. might be perfect and will yield about 14 buns.

Once more, I weighed my dough and used 3 oz. for each bun. I made half a recipe and ended up with 3 hamburger buns and 4 hot dog rolls. Each roll weighed about 2.9 oz. after baking. Although the hot dog buns were not a bad size, I thought they were a bit bready and could be a bit smaller for a regular size hot dog, not so thick in the middle, maybe 2.8 oz. of dough for each. I froze the hamburger buns and have not tried them yet.

To shape hot dog rolls, see below. They will expand while rising and baking. I make mine 5" long or a little shorter.

While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or a little longer for larger buns. Cool on a cookie rack. A tip I found said to cover the rolls on the rack as they cool. This will keep them softer on the outside.

Sesame Seed Hamburger Buns: After the buns have risen the second time, brush them with beaten egg white mixed with a little water and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if you want. The egg white wash will make the seeds adhere.

Buns can be frozen up to 2 months. Simply remove the buns from the freezer and thaw on the counter. It will only take a short time to thaw (30 minutes, or so).

Yield: Makes 24 small to medium size buns (about 1.85 oz. each, the size of store-bought hamburg buns).
For larger buns, use 3 oz/100g dough for each. A full recipe will yield about 14 buns.

Softer Crust: Brushing buns with melted butter will give them a soft, light golden crust. You can brush them again with more melted butter when they come out of the oven. Brushing with an egg-white wash will give them a shinier, darker crust - one which is not as soft as store bought buns.

Also see Beautiful Burger Buns at King Arthur Flour

Griddle Buns: End up with leftover buns? You just might have some extras. You can elevate leftovers by brushing the cut halves of the burger buns with melted butter and griddling them until toasted. The buns will be revived in a glorious, buttery form. You just might want to eat one all on its own — they’re that delicious. (Tip from King Arthur Flour)

The Texas Hot in Wellsville grilled their hamburger buns and brushed the top part of the bun with butter when it came off the grill. It really did make the hamburgers taste better.

To shape hot dog buns: Butter 13 x 9 baking pans (8 buns per pan). Punch down dough, then divide into equal pieces (about 3 oz each [2.8 oz.]).

To shape each piece of dough, begin by stretching or patting the piece into a rough rectangle with short sides to your left and right. Then, take the top edge (the farthest side from your body) and begin rolling it down toward your body. With each roll, press the dough into itself away from you. Continue to roll and press, roll and press, forming a tube to make a cylinder that is roughly 5-6" by 1-1.5". Once you've reached the bottom of the dough, seal the seam, and if the piece is a little squat, roll out a few times using the palm of your hand to elongate.

Space 8 logs evenly in each pan so that there are 2 columns of logs that run parallel to long sides of pan. Flatten the cylinders slightly in the center as dough rises to give them a gently rounded top versus a high top. Before using buns, pull apart and cut lengthwise down center of each (but not all the way through).

New England-style hot dog buns, also known as “top-loading hot dog buns”, are the buns most commonly used in New England cuisine. They’re round at the top, with flat sides, and are split in half at the top rather than along the side. The rolls are baked very close together, keeping the sides soft, much like sliced bread. This makes the sides amenable to buttering, toasting and grilling.

This style of roll or bun was developed in the 1940s by Howard Johnson's, who approached the Maine bakery J. J. Nissen in search of a bun for its fried clam strip sandwich. According to The Boston Globe, the "restaurant chain wanted top sliced rolls that would stand upright and be easier to prepare, serve, and eat." The New England-style bun predates the hot dog bun found almost everywhere else in the United States by at least several years. Before the invention of the New England bun, commercial bakers would slice rolls all the way through.

In New England, hot dogs, clam rolls, lobster rolls, and the buns that accompany them are often associated with the summer months and coastal villages, where clam shacks and lobstering are common. Some recipes for these dishes explicitly require the use of a New England-style bun.