The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

New England Hot Dog Bun Pan

naschol's picture
naschol

New England Hot Dog Bun Pan

On various trips to visit my sister in Boston, we have had hot dogs on buns that are different than the ones we see in Colorado. The New England hog dog bun is baked in a pan, very close together, so the sides have no crust on them. King Arthur Flour sells a pan specifically for this, which is 15 1/2" x 6 1/2" and costs $39.95. That price seems excessive to me, so I am wondering if these could be made in a generic pan and if so, how?

 

I was thinking of just making a regular hot dog bun shape, brushing with oil, and placing tightly together in a cake pan. That way, they would be forced to rise upward, instead of outward. The problem is the ends... Would I have to put some kind of barrier in to prevent them from spreading too much? If so, what?

 

Any suggestions you could give would be greatly valued.

 

Thanks.

 

Nancy

breadnerd's picture
breadnerd

I bake mine in a regular sheet pan. If you put them an inch or so apart they will still rise into each other, but keep the pointier ends. I usually scale about 3 to 3.5 ounces each and shape like a very small baguette. They get very round so the longer and skinner to start with the better.

 

I think the bun pans seem a bit overrated and priced too :) 

naschol's picture
naschol

Thanks for sharing your experience.  We are not big hot dog eaters, here, but are having a big outdoor party next summer and would like to serve these.  This will give me some time to perfect.

Now, I'm thinking that if I use a half sheet pan, I could do two across and control the length  of the rolls to some degree.  They would then have crust on one end only.

 

To make matters even worse with the purchased pan, they only make 10 rolls at a time!  Just didn't make sense to me to spend that kind of money on it. 

 

Nancy