Durable Hot Dog Buns?

[GlytchMeister]

So, something has been irritating me for several years, and I only just now thought to take to the internet to try to solve this conundrum:
Almost every hotdog bun I get from a store falls apart when I use it. Especially when using ballpark franks, other thick hotdogs, and they fail catastrophically when I try to use a regular bun with a brat.
So far, I've found two solutions: for brats, use hoagie rolls. The brats are big enough not to be overwhelmed by the extra bread. For everything else, I have to use semi-molten Kraft American cheese to glue the bun together.

These are all well and good, but sometimes I just want a hot dog. Not a cheese dog. I remember that most hotdogs I have eaten at baseball parks have good buns that didn't split into two pieces when the pitcher sneezes. They were more flexible, so they bent and stretched instead of ripping.

What I'm looking for is either a way to alter an existing bun so it behaves like a baseball park bun, or a way to obtain more durable hot dog buns directly.

Any ideas?

[Dave]

What I'm looking for is either a way to alter an existing bun so it behaves like a baseball park bun, or a way to obtain more durable hot dog buns directly.

Any ideas?

I have a recollection that steaming the bun is part of what makes it behave in the "bend and stretch" way. A quick Google-search for "steam hot dog buns" turns up lots of references to this process, using either real steam, or a microwave oven.

A cautionary note: one posting states that the hot dog buns used in this way are "par-baked", sold in a steamer box, and that the steaming process finishes cooking them. Hence, off-the-shelf buns might not steam up as well as the par-baked ones.

[shadowinthelight]

My ballpark hot dog don't want none unless you got strong buns! *wha-tsh*
Sorry, I don't have anything constructive to add.

[GlytchMeister]

My ballpark hot dog don't want none unless you got strong buns! *wha-tsh*
Sorry, I don't have anything constructive to add.

I thought about doing something like that for the title. I knew it was gonna come up eventually.

[lake_wrangler]

Another option would be to grill them in a frying pan, with butter on the outside, just like you would a grill-cheese, but without the cheese. Squish it down in the process, with the spatula, and you end up with a "toasted" bun that should be mostly resilient enough for the bigger sausages you seem to want to use.

[GlytchMeister]

Another option would be to grill them in a frying pan, with butter on the outside, just like you would a grill-cheese, but without the cheese. Squish it down in the process, with the spatula, and you end up with a "toasted" bun that should be mostly resilient enough for the bigger sausages you seem to want to use.

I can't even open up the bun enough to get it to lie flat on a pan without the...
Ugh. For lack of better terminology, I'm going to start using the babes of parts of books to describe parts of buns...
Anyway, the problem is the "spine" of the bun splits, so the two "covers" separate from one another.
This happens when the bun, almost entirely regardless of the manufacturer, is opened more than about 10-15°.

So trying to fry it flat on a pan... Yeah, no. That kind of cooking process might make the bread more structurally resilient, but getting the bun into a position where it can fry in the first place will make the bun spine split.

Re: Dave (steaming)
I thought steaming or nuking the buns was just to defrost them. I'll try that next time. I have noticed the buns get a bit floppier when I nuke them for the short time it takes to melt the cheese enough to glue the whole thing together. Maybe that floppieness can be specifically tuned to provide enough pliability to prevent the spine from splitting.

[GlytchMeister]

Has anyone come across any hot dog bun or bread brands that make durable buns? Even Ballpark can't seem to make a bun that can properly accommodate their own friggin frank.

[TazManiac]

You are indeed on a quest my young friend. You're going to have to stop buying those cheap ass'd supermarket balloon bread 'things'.

The steaming a great idea.

Nuking is such an expedient but so fraught with perilous tiightroapwalk of timing, that I can not recommend it. Unless it involved a container of water to act as a sink for the evil rays... And to produce steam...

Source buns from a bakery, esp one who you could talk to and figure out, w/ some eloquent feedback, just how well they are doing in the service of the Dog.

(Who knows, you might find a cute baker... It could happen.) Oooor, how about this; find someone you can stand to be around (see 'cute baker' from previous) and who will teach you how to Bake Your Own Hot Dog Buns.

[shadowinthelight]

Nuking is such an expedient but so fraught with perilous tiightroapwalk of timing, that I can not recommend it. Unless it involved a container of water to act as a sink for the evil rays... And to produce steam...

Alternatively, you can wrap the bread in a damp paper towel before nuking.

[Typeminer]

I'd say that if the hoagie rolls work, go with them.

I have done my own baking for more than 10 years now. (In fact, my ex says I'm a master baker. Or something like that. )

I'm also vegetarian, and one thing I always notice when eating at bars and restaurants is sandwiches made with bread that does not stand up to the filling. Too much commercial bread is made with dough conditioners and stuff that produce that fluffy, spongy texture in very little time. Layer it up with anything the least bit moist (like a grilled portobello or a California-style vegburger), and it falls apart in your hand, leaving you to scarf the thing before it disintegrates. Real deli bread doesn't have that problem. Neither does good pizza dough. You need good, high-protein flour that produces a lot of gluten, mechanical kneading, and sufficient rise time.

Nuking good bread somehow makes it both tough and soggy. Nuking takeout pizza is almost as heinous as eating frozen pizza, but that's another rant. Any bread more than a day old is best toasted or warmed with dry heat.

Anyhow--Try warming the hoagie rolls in an oven or toaster oven, if you can. The observation that steaming works best with rolls that are parbaked and intended to be finished that way seems right to me.

Hope this helps. It's been great fun. Next time, let's bitch about the mustard.

[GlytchMeister]

@Typminer:
I was wondering when you'd show up. I noticed your signature quite some time ago. I admit I had to google it, but you certainly have a valid point regarding yeast.

The problem with hoagie rolls is there's way too much bread for one frank... But not enough for two. Hoagie rolls are, in my opinion, smack-dab in the middle of the Goldilocks zone for bratwursts.

I've also noticed how some of the best burger places I know can't seem to get good bread. They make these positively epic burgers... High-quality beef, properly ground, with seasonings kneaded into the meat, perfectly cooked, just the right amount of juice (not dry, but also not grossly greasy), thick-cut bacon, real cheese (not homogenized plasticky stuff)...
But... I have to eat it upside down because the bottom bun is thin, squishes down to paper, and disintegrates faster than a sheet of toilet paper under Niagra Falls. UGH.
I also completely agree with you on the issue of nuking pizza. Horrible. If I have time, I prefer using an oven. If not, I slap it on a medium hot pan and slide it around so it doesn't stick. If I don't have enough time for that, only then will the pizza see the inside of a microwave... And then I slap it on a hot pan to crisp the crust. Beyond that, I just eat it cold.

@Taz:
I certainly wouldn't mind coming across a cute baker...

@Shadow:
That's how I defrost bread when I'm in a hurry.

@all y'all:
So, several solutions so far, inhabiting several different levels of difficulty (in ascending order least-most difficult):
Steam my buns
Get better buns from a real baker
Get parcooked buns from a real baker
Find a cute baker with both kinds of good buns
Spend time with said cute baker (both learning how to bake and... Teaching each other how to shake)

[lake_wrangler]

Another option would be to grill them in a frying pan, with butter on the outside, just like you would a grill-cheese, but without the cheese. Squish it down in the process, with the spatula, and you end up with a "toasted" bun that should be mostly resilient enough for the bigger sausages you seem to want to use.

I can't even open up the bun enough to get it to lie flat on a pan without the...
Ugh. For lack of better terminology, I'm going to start using the babes of parts of books to describe parts of buns...
Anyway, the problem is the "spine" of the bun splits, so the two "covers" separate from one another.
This happens when the bun, almost entirely regardless of the manufacturer, is opened more than about 10-15°.

So trying to fry it flat on a pan... Yeah, no. That kind of cooking process might make the bread more structurally resilient, but getting the bun into a position where it can fry in the first place will make the bun spine split.

I guess I didn't express myself well enough... Of course, trying to open the "spine" and lay it flat on the pan will split it open... I didn't mean to imply to split it open, but to grill it on both "covers" (with butter on the outside surface of the "covers"), and smoosh it down with the spatula as you go along with the grilling process.

You still have to be careful not to overstuff them, but they should not break apart as easily as raw buns. (Raw HOT DOG buns! Sheesh! Get your mind out of the gutter, will ya! )

[TazManiac]

No, I will not...

[GlytchMeister]

Yeeaahh, this topic is fraught with dirty potential.

@Lake:
So, butter the outsides of the bun, and just toss it on the pan, squishing it with the spatula?
...
Huh. An intriguing approach... I never would've thought of that. I guess the result would be a tiny bit like the subway flatbread sandwiches? Hmm. I'll add that to my list of experiments.

[lake_wrangler]

Yeeaahh, this topic is fraught with dirty potential.

@Lake:
So, butter the outsides of the bun, and just toss it on the pan, squishing it with the spatula?

Exactly.

...
Huh. An intriguing approach... I never would've thought of that. I guess the result would be a tiny bit like the subway flatbread sandwiches? Hmm. I'll add that to my list of experiments.

Your mileage may vary, but it helps, in certain cases, depending on the type of bun used.

[GlytchMeister]

Wow.
...
So, I know cooking is really an offshoot of chemistry, with the added perk that the results are (hopefully) tasty.
Baking especially so.
Chemistry is a science.
If I'm going to do this issue justice, I'm gonna have to create a whole matrix of various combinations. I'm gonna have fire up Microsoft excel again.
...
My geeky me is pretty excited about the idea.
The rest of me is just saying "dude, seriously? Hot dog buns? You've already eaten two hot dogs this month. This won't be an issue for at least another month. Chill out, man."

[lake_wrangler]

Everything worth doing is worth doing right...

Come to the dark side... we have... hot dog buns...

[Catawampus]

I don't generally eat hot dogs, so I don't have much personal experience with them. But one possible alternative method could be changing the way that the bun is cut. Rather than making one cut and then folding open the bun, instead carve out a notch and remove a little of the bread (you could use that as breadcrumbs when you cook something else) and put the sausage in its place. That way you're not straining the "spine" of the bun as much. You'd have less bun overall, but perhaps then you could use the larger hoagie rolls to compensate.

Either that, or wrap the whole hot dog and bun in a supportive layer of kelp leaves or something similar.

[shadowinthelight]

Rather than making one cut and then folding open the bun, instead carve out a notch and remove a little of the bread (you could use that as breadcrumbs when you cook something else) and put the sausage in its place. That way you're not straining the "spine" of the bun as much. You'd have less bun overall, but perhaps then you could use the larger hoagie rolls to compensate.

The old Subway sandwich V cut. It held the meatballs so much better than the regular sandwich cut they use now.

[Typeminer]

Hoagie rolls are, in my opinion, smack-dab in the middle of the Goldilocks zone for bratwursts.

That's a shame. I was thinking that brats are bigger than hotdogs, like kielbasa. Have they got a longer Italian-style baguette loaf that you could cut in half?

A lot of people must like the squooshy wonderbreadstuffs, because a metric buttload of them is sold every day, but they are pretty terrible. Some of the grocery megamarts have better in-house bakeries now.