Monday, December 12, 2011

How to Make Gluten Free Hot Dog Buns

It took a while to crack this one.  And I suspect, if you are reading this, you've been looking/trying too!

Gluten free hot dog buns at the store are extremely expensive and taste a bit powdery and bland.  And, if you've ever baked with gluten free flours, you can forget about forming the dough into anything meaningful.  So my wife has been eating the occasional hot dog or chicken brat on a hamburger bun for the past year or so -- until now.

I recently discovered there are different hot dog bun designs such as the New England style hot dog bun.  I found a baking pan for the task that I acquired from King Arthur Flour.

I prepared an entire package of King Arthur Gluten Free Bread Mix I purchased at our local grocery store ($5.49) and poured it into the mold being certain to smooth out the top with a damp spatula.  The consistency of this mix is a bit like cake batter -- perhaps a bit stickier.  Cover the batter with a greased (I use a bit if cooking spray) plastic wrap and let rise for 30-60 minutes -- though most of the rise from gluten batter will occur in the opening moments of baking.

Once the batter is smooth, grease the underside of a baking sheet and lay on top.  This prevents too much rise and over browning.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.  Remove the baking sheet after 20 minutes to get the top a little browner before the baking has finished.



Use an instant thermometer to check the temperature.  The baking process is done when you reach an internal temperature between 205-210 degrees -- higher than the typical 190 degrees for standard wheat baking.

Remove the buns from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes, then flip the bun loaf out and let cool (about 45 minutes).  Cutting into it sooner will risk losing moisture and creating a dryer result.



After the loaf is cooled, use a good bread knife and cut along patterned lines.  This will give you 10 hot dog buns.  Take each bun and make a slice down the middle, about 75% of the way down, being careful to not cut all the way.

There you go!  Fresh gluten free hot dog buns!  Or, promptly freeze them in a good freezer bag or container and reheat when needed in the microwave.

Finally -- a real bun for brats and hot dogs!










1 comment:

  1. Fell upon your blog googling the Nordic Ware Gingerbread House Bundt Pan. To my surprise you guys are GF too!!! :-) You have a really nice blog here!

    What is the texture of these buns? are they sturdy (don't break) and yet soft enough to enjoy with a dog?

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