Sourdough Hot Dog Buns (2025)

Home › Recipe Index › Recipes

There’s just something about homemade Sourdough Hot Dog Buns that takes an everyday dinner and makes it feel extra special—and these 100% sourdough hot dog buns do exactly that.

Made with natural yeast (your sourdough starter!), they have a soft, fluffy texture, toast up beautifully, and hold up to all your favorite hot dog toppings—no falling apart mid-bite.

I love the classic shape my hot dog bun pan gives, but you don’t need one—just shape by hand and they’ll turn out soft, fluffy, and delicious. I’ll still grab a pack of buns if we’re hosting a big backyard BBQ, but for regular weeknight dinners or smaller BBQ gatherings? These sourdough hot dog buns are always on the menu.

Why You’ll Love Sourdough Hot Dog Buns

• 100% Sourdough Recipe – Just like my easy sourdough hamburger bun recipe, these hot dog buns are made with 100% sourdough starter -no commercial yeast- and they have all the natural fermentation benefits.
• Sturdy, Yet Soft – These hot dog buns are perfect for toasting. They can hold a juicy hot dog, but won’t disintegrate in your hands, just like my extra tender and fluffy Sourdough Brioche Burger Buns.
• Simple & Delicious – This is an easy, straightforward recipe with great results every time. Want something extra fun? Try my kid-approved Sourdough Discard Mummy Dogs – a family favorite!

New to Sourdough? If you arenew to sourdough, learnhow to make a sourdough starter from scratchand check out myFree Sourdough Beginner Guide. Using naturally fermented sourdough will take much longer, but you will love thefermentation benefitsand the flavor!

Important Ingredients

• Sourdough Starter –Use an active/ripesourdough starter(doubled in size/bubbly/mild sour aroma) to mix thelevainor substitute levain for ripe active starter.
• Milk –Milk makes these buns tender and gives them great flavor.
• Butter – Melted butter incorporates quickly and easily into this dough making it super soft and tender. I like using unsalted butter.
• Honey – This dough is sweetened with a little bit of honey. You can substitute granulated sugar if desired.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities

Sourdough Baker’s Timeline

Bread made with 100% natural yeast takes extra time. Because of this I like to start my sourdough recipes with a sample schedule so I can get an idea for what the timing looks like for making this bread.

This sample schedule assumes you are using aripe/active sourdough starterand keeping your dough at atemperatureof 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit.

How to Make Sourdough Hot Dog Buns

Mixing the Levain

Step 1: Mix Levain.Combine ripe sourdough starter with flour and water(Image 1). Cover and let rise overnight (for about 12 hours) until peaked, active and bubbly(Image 2).

Do you have to use alevainin this recipe?No. I prefer it, but if you have a well-maintained and frequently refreshedsourdough starter, you can substitute it in place of the levain in the recipe. You can alsochange the feeding ratioof your starter/levain to make it ready when you need it.

Mixing the Dough

Step 2: Mix Dough.Add ripe levain, milk, egg, honey, salt, melted butter and most of the bread flour to the bowl of astand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment.Start the mixer and knead the dough together until the dough is tacky and starts to pull away from the sides of the mixer (Image 3).Continue kneading for 5-7 minutes until smooth (Image 4).

No mixer? If you don’t have a stand mixer or prefer to knead the dough by hand, knead for about 8-10 minutes until smooth.

Bulk Fermentation Or First Rise

Step 3: Bulk Fermentation.Move the dough to a bowl orcontainerfor the bulk fermentation (Image 5). Do your best to keep the temperature of the dough at 78-80ºF.

I use abread prooferin the winter to help the dough develop at the right temperature.Cover the container and let bulk ferment (rise) for about 4-5 hours. By the end of this time, you will notice the dough has filled out the container and has risen about 30-40% (Image 6).

Cold Fermentation? At this point, you can refrigerate the dough after the first rise. Place the covered dough in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. Shape the dough into buns and allow a little longer for the dough to rise as it comes up to the 78-80ºF temperature.

Shaping the Dough

Step 4: Shape the Dough.Place the dough on a countertop and use a bench scraper to cut the hot dog bun dough into 10 equal pieces, about 110 grams each (Image 7). To shape each bun, pat each piece into a rough rectangle – no need to use a rolling pin (Image 8). Roll it tightly into a 6-inch bun and pinch the seam together (Images 9 & 10). Place each shaped hot dog bun in a hot dog pan (Image 11) or on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (Image 12).

Proof the Buns

Step 5: Proof the Dough.Cover the buns and let rise for 3-4 hours until puffed up and very soft (Images 13 & 14). When your dough has fully risen it will have puffed up and feel light and airy (Images 15 & 16). If your dough isn’t rising, try using a proofing mator put your dough in the oven with the oven off and the light turned on.

Amy’s Tip: Do not bake these buns until they have risen and doubled in size! If they aren’t rising, find a way to warm them up.

Bake the Hot Dog buns

Step 6: Bake.Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Whisk together an egg with a splash of water. Gentlybrushthe egg wash over the tops of the buns (Image 17). Place the hot dog pan orbaking sheetin the oven and bake the buns for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned and baked all the way through at 190-195ºF (Image 18). Let the buns cool completely before using.

If your oven runs hot – place a baking stone or baking sheet on the rack below the hot dog buns to help offset the heat. You can also reduce the baking temperature to 375ºF if needed.

How to Store Leftovers

Make a batch ahead of your next cookout—these freeze beautifully and reheat like a dream. Let buns cool completely. Then stick in an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to three months. Let them defrost. Toast if desired or warm up slightly in the microwave.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you tried theseSourdough Hot Dog Bunsor any other recipe on my website leave a 🌟star ratingand let me know how it went in thecommentsbelow. Happy Baking!