Chinese Hot Dog Buns

CHINESE HOT DOG BUNS

Hot Dog Buns in China. It’s an Asian bakery classic, the food of my childhood, and the inevitable outcome of years of cultural assimilation.

As I got older, I came to realize how…actually disappointing these Chinese hot dog buns are on a lot of occasions. Nothing is appetizing about a chilly hot dog of uncertain origin wrapped in bread that has softened after a lengthy vehicle ride. I went from craving the Chinese bakery’s hot dog buns to dreading them in favor of coconut and pineapple buns in a couple of days.

A hot dog bun hadn’t been on my plate in more than 10 years until last weekend. Because my mother discovered a cousin’s simple Asian milk bread recipe, it was time to re-examine this old favorite.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2/3 cup of heavy cream (room temperature)
• 1 cup of milk (plus 1 tbsp., room temperature; total 250 ml)
• 1 large egg (room temperature)
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of cake flour
• 3 1/2 cups of bread flour
• 1 tbsp. of active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1 tbsp. of oil
• 12 hot dogs
• Egg wash: whisk together 1 egg with 1 tsp. of water
• Simple syrup: 2 tsp. of sugar dissolved in 2 tsp. of hot water

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Add the heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, cake flour, bread flour, yeast, and salt to a mixing bowl and blend until smooth (add it in that order). Turn the mixer’s “stir” setting to “dough hook.” Keep mixing for 15 minutes at a time, pushing the dough together as you go.
2. The dough is ready for proving after 15 minutes. Place the bowl in a warm place with a moist towel on top for an hour. The dough will expand by a factor of 1.5.
3. While waiting, heat a skillet with a tablespoon of oil on medium heat. Add the hot dogs and cook until they begin to crisp and take on color. To chill, place the items on a dish and place them somewhere cool.
4. Remove air bubbles from the dough by mixing it for additional 5 minutes after proving for an hour. Cut the dough into 12 pieces and place them on a lightly floured surface.
5. The oven should be preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the middle thicker than the ends of each piece of dough as you roll it into a 10- to 12-inch rope for each piece of dough. Tuck the ends of the rope into the hot dog as you move it around it. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, spread the mixture evenly (keep the buns 2-3 inches apart). Continue assembling the buns until they are all complete.
6. Allow the buns to rise for another hour in a warm location covered with a kitchen towel. Ideally, you want the buns to have nearly doubled in size. 14 minutes of baking time with a half-turn of the pans is recommended.
7. Brush the buns with sugar water as soon as they come out of the oven. As a result of this final stage, they get their distinctive Chinese bakery luster.