Fun and tasty Hot Dog Flower Buns! Hot dog sausages wrapped in a soft, fluffy dough, and baked in a cute flower shape. You’ll never want to eat a normal hot dog again! Recipe with step-by-step photos.
Hot Dog Flower Buns
I had never seen nor heard of Hot Dog Flower Buns until a trip to Hong Kong many years ago for a friend’s wedding. I was travelling on my own at the time and happened to walk past a Chinese-style bakery with many delicious-looking cakes and bread. And even though I was on my own, I walked out with two large bags of cake slices and buns which eventually became my breakfast for the rest of the week.
One such delight tucked among my purchases was a Hot Dog Flower Bun, which I initially thought was a sweet bun (the bakery only had signs in Chinese). These buns were a happy discovery!
What are Hot Dog Flower Buns?
Hot Dog Flower Buns are like Pigs-In-Blanket, but in a different shape. And before you ask, a Pig-In-Blanket is a hot dog sausage baked inside bread dough or puff pastry.
They are a fun way of eating hot dogs, and my kids love breaking off the “petals” to savor each bite.
Hot Dog Flower Buns Recipe
My recipe for Hot Dog Flower Buns uses my trusty go-to recipe for enriched dough, which is the same dough that I use to make Cinnamon Rolls and Chinese Coconut Buns. But as these are savoury buns, I have reduced the sugar in the dough slightly so they are not too sweet.
I try to always buy good quality, organic sausages, even for hot dogs! Here in Zurich, the land of pretzels and sausages, there are many varieties of hot dog sausages available, typically made from pork or chicken.
For this Hot Dog Flower Bun recipe, I recommend buying hot dog sausages which are as straight as possible. Some hot dog sausages are slightly curved in shape, which makes wrapping them in dough slightly tricky, but still doable, of course.
If you live in Switzerland, I like to use the Optigal Coquerli from Migros for this recipe.
How to Make Hot Dog Flower Buns
Step 1
Measure the flour, sugar, yeast and salt into the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Lightly mix the ingredients together.
Step 2
Add the egg to the bowl. Slowly add the warm milk (you may not need all of it), and lightly beat everything with the dough hook until it comes together into a large ball of dough. Only add as much milk as you need to bring the ingredients together into a dough.
Step 3
Slowly incorporate the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until all of the butter has been used.
Step 4
Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, and place the dough into the bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave it somewhere warm for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Step 5
Once the dough is ready, gently remove the dough from the bowl. The dough will deflate as you handle it. Portion the dough into 12 equal pieces. I like to use a digital scale for this step.
Roll each piece of dough into a ball by pulling the edges of the dough together and tucking them underneath to form a tight ball. Place the pieces of dough on a large baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Step 6
Gently roll out a piece of dough into an oval shape which is just long and wide enough to fully encase the hot dog sausage. This is to ensure that there is no gap between the dough and the sausage, and also to ensure that the dough is evenly wrapped around the sausage.
Pinch the edges of the dough together to seal the dough, and roll it gently on the work surface to even out the dough.
Step 7
Use a sharp knife to cut the dough-wrapped sausage into 6 equal pieces.
Step 8
Arrange the pieces on a large tray lined with baking paper. Place one piece in the centre, and arrange the remaining 5 pieces as “petals” around the centre. Space the pieces of dough slightly apart.
Repeat the above steps with the remaining pieces of dough.
Space the assembled Hot Dog Flower Buns apart from each other so that they have enough room to rise and spread during baking. I generally bake 4-5 flower buns per tray.
Step 9
Set the tray of arranged buns aside in a warm place to rise for about 30 minutes, or until the dough has puffed up a slightly.
Step 10
Gently brush the dough with some egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chives or spring onions (scallions). Alternatively, you can reserve the herbs to decorate as garnish after the buns are baked. (I have to exercise the latter option since my daughter has an aversion to “green bits”.)
Step 11
Bake the buns for 15-20 minutes, or until they are lightly golden. I recommend checking at 10-15 minutes to make sure they are not browning too quickly. If they are, place a loose sheet of foil over the buns for the rest of the cooking time.
Step 12
Leave the buns to rest on the hot baking tray for about 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool. Serve the Hot Dog Flower Buns warm or hot.
How to Serve Hot Dog Flower Buns
Chinese-style hot dogs are typically on the sweet side. So if you are lucky enough to buy these Hot Dog Flower Buns from a local Chinese bakery, they often have a sticky sweet glaze to off-set the smokey saltiness of the sausage, as well as to give shine to the buns.
But perhaps I have lived in Switzerland for too long … I like to have really hot mustard mixed with tomato sauce (ketchup) with my hot dogs, and these Hot Dog Flower Buns are no exception!
More Chinese Recipes
If you are looking for more Chinese recipes, you might also like:
PrintHot Dog Flower Buns
- Resting Time: 2 hours
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: Makes 12 buns
- Category: Bread
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Chinese
Fun and tasty Hot Dog Flower Buns! Hot dog sausages wrapped in a soft, fluffy dough, and baked in a cute flower shape. You’ll never want to eat a normal hot dog again! Recipe with step-by-step photos.
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Pin Recipe
RateIngredients
For the Dough
- 400 g (2 2/3 cup) white bread flour
- 55 g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 9 g instant dried yeast (see Kitchen Notes below)
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 250 ml (1 cup) milk, warmed to 37°C/98°F
- 40 g (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
For the Sausage Filling
- 12 hot dog sausages
For the Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- dash of milk
To Decorate
- Sesame seeds
- chives or spring onions (scallions)
To Serve
- Tomato sauce (ketchup)
- Mustard
Instructions
You will need approx. 3.5 hours to make the Hot Dog Flower Buns
For the Dough
- Measure the flour, sugar, salt and yeast into the bowl of an electric stand mixer.
- Lightly mix the ingredients together using the dough hook.
- Add the egg to the bowl.
- Slowly pour in the warm milk, and continue mixing until everything comes together into a rough dough.
- Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Once the butter has been fully incorporated into the dough, add the next tablespoon of butter.
- Once all of the butter has been added, continue kneading the dough on medium speed for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- The dough is ready when it is soft and smooth, and no longer sticks to the side of the bowl. The dough will be somewhat sticky from the butter and egg.
For the First Proofing Session
- Lightly oil a large mixing bowl.
- Place the dough inside the bowl.
- Cover the dough with a clean tea towel, plastic wrap, or a reusable bowl cover.
- Leave the dough somewhere warm for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size (see Kitchen Notes below).
To Portion the Dough
- Line a 40 x 30 cm/16 x 12 inch sheet pan with baking paper.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, gently remove the dough from the bowl. The dough will deflate as you handle it.
- Portion the dough into 12 equal pieces. Use a digital scale for even sized buns.
- Roll each piece of dough into a round ball. I do this by pulling the edges of the dough together and tucking them underneath to form a tight ball.
- Arrange the balls of dough on the sheet pan.
To Assemble the Hot Dog Flower Buns
- Line a second 40 x 30 cm/16 x 12 inch sheet pan with baking paper.
- Gently roll out a piece of dough with a small rolling pin, or simply use your fingers, until you have a long oval shape which is slightly longer than your hot dog sausage. The dough should also be just wide enough to fully cover the sausage – this is to prevent any space between the dough and the sausage, and also to ensure an even coverage of dough around the sausage for a uniform look.
- Place a hot dog sausage in the middle of the dough.
- Encase the sausage inside the dough by pinching together the edges of the dough, and shaping the dough into a nice oval shape.
- Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces.
- Arrange the pieces on the sheet pan to form a flower – place one piece in the centre, with 5 pieces around it to form the “petals”. Space the pieces of dough slightly apart to allow some room for them to rise later.
- Repeat the above steps with the remaining pieces of dough and hot dog sausages.
- Leave enough space between the assembled Hot Dog Flower Buns for them to spread a bit upon baking. I typically bake 4-5 flower buns per tray to ensure enough spacing.
For the Second Proofing Session
- Place the pan somewhere warm for about 30 minutes, or until the buns have risen and puffed up slightly.
- During this time, make the egg wash.
To Bake the Hot Dog Flower Buns
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (without fan) with a metal baking tray on the middle shelf.
- Gently brush each bun with some egg wash.
- Sprinkle some sesame seeds and fresh chives or spring onions (scallions) on each bun. (Or use the herbs as garnish later).
- Place the pan of buns on the preheated baking tray.
- Bake the buns for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Check the buns at about 10-15 minutes, and if they are browning too quickly, cover them with a loose sheet of foil for the rest of the baking time.
- The buns are cooked if an internal thermometer reads 85°C/185°F.
- Leave the buns on the hot baking tray for about 5 minutes before removing.
- Serve warm or hot.
Kitchen Notes
DIFFERENT TYPES OF FLOUR
For Swiss Readers:
* I use Zopfmehl (or farine pour tresse) when making bread and enriched dough.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF YEAST
* Please note that there is a difference between instant yeast (also called instant dried yeast or fast-action dried yeast) and dried yeast (also called active dry yeast). If you are not sure what type of yeast you have, please check the packaging for instructions on how to use the yeast.
* With instant yeast, you can add it directly to the flour mixture without having to activate it first.
* With dried yeast, you will need to activate it first (usually in some warm liquid).
PROOFING THE DOUGH
Dough needs a warm environment for the yeast to activate and cause the dough to rise. If you don’t have a warm place in your home, try one of the following ideas:
* In the oven with the oven light switched on (works only for some ovens).
* In the oven with a tray of boiling water on the bottom shelf.
* In the oven or a steamer oven at a low temperature of about 25-40°C (77-104°F).
MAKE AHEAD TIPS
You can make the dough ahead of time, e.g. the night before. Simply make the dough as per the instructions. Once the dough has had its first proof (i.e. it has doubled in size), cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for up to 12 hours. The dough will continue to rise a bit in the fridge, so make sure your bowl is large enough. Once you are ready, continue with the rest of the recipe. However, because the dough will be somewhat cold from the fridge, the second proof (after you have shaped the buns) might take a bit longer (maybe an extra 5-10 minutes). On the flip side, because the dough is colder and firmer, it will be easier to work with. The dough will also have a nicer flavour and texture from the overnight proof in the fridge.
OVEN TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website state temperatures for a regular oven (i.e. a conventional oven without fan). If you have a convection oven with a fan, please consult the manufacturer’s handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly.
CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
I loved this recipe! I buy these buns all the time with my family (we live in Chicago) but thought we could try making them as a weekend project. They turned out perfectly! The recipe does make a lot of buns but you are right, they freeze and reheat great. Thanks again!
Great recipe! The flower buns were fun to make and eat. I will make these again soon!
Such a delicious and fun recipe!
We loved this recipe! The bread was soft and tasty, and the flower shape was just too cute!