Chinese Hot Dog Buns

• Meat

  • 12 Hot dogs

• Refrigerated

  • 1 Egg, large

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 tbsp Active dry yeast
  • 3 1/2 cups Bread flour
  • 1/2 cup Cake flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/3 cup Sugar

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1 tbsp Oil

• Dairy

  • 2/3 cup Heavy cream
  • 1 1/16 cup Milk

Found on thewoksoflife.com

Description

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup heavy cream (at room temperature)
• 1 cup, plus 1 tablespoon milk (at room temperature)
• 1 large egg (at room temperature)
• ⅓ cup sugar
• ½ cup cake flour
• 3½ cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 12 hot dogs
• Egg wash: whisk together 1 egg with 1 teaspoon water
• Simple syrup: 2 teaspoons of sugar dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water

Directions

• In the bowl of a mixer, add the heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, cake flour, bread flour, yeast, and salt (add it in that order). Using the dough hook attachment, turn on the mixer to “stir.” Let it go for 15 minutes, occasionally stopping the mixer to push the dough together.
• After 15 minutes, the dough is ready for proofing. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm spot for 1 hour. The dough will grow to 1.5X its original size.
• In the meantime, heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the hot dogs, and allow them to crisp slightly and get some color on them. Set aside on a plate to cool.
• After the hour of proofing, put the dough back in the mixer and stir for another 5 minutes to get rid of air bubbles. Dump the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 12 equal pieces.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Take each piece of dough and roll it into a 10-12 inch rope, keeping the middle thicker than the ends. Roll the rope around a hot dog, tucking in the ends. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet (keep the buns 2-3 inches apart). Repeat until all the buns are assembled.
• Cover the baking sheet with a kitchen towel and allow the buns to rise in a warm place for another hour. The buns should close to double in size. Brush with egg wash, and bake the buns for 14 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
• Remove from the oven and immediately brush the buns with sugar water. This last step gives them that signature Chinese bakery shine.