Homemade Challah Hot Dog Bun Recipe

This challah hot dog bun recipe makes soft, pillowy, and beautifully tender buns. The egg wash gives each bun a glossy golden finish, making them perfect for cookouts, family dinners, or any meal that deserves homemade bread.

Updated June 28, 2025 – Originally Posted May 29, 2021

Featured Comment:

Absolutely perfect! I have struggled finding any kind of roll recipe that isn’t too dense, dry, chewy or an absolute fail, and this recipe was absolutely spot on! ~ C. Blakemore

Homemade hot dog buns can be a little challenging, especially if you want them to hold together properly. The most important part is the hinge. A good hot dog bun needs to be soft and flexible enough to open without splitting completely in half. If the hinge breaks, the bun falls apart, and eating a hot dog becomes much messier than it should be.

That is where these challah hot dog buns really shine. Challah dough is naturally rich and tender because it contains eggs and oil. Those ingredients help create a soft crumb, a gentle texture, and a bun that feels sturdy without being dry or tough. The result is a homemade hot dog bun that bends nicely, holds the hot dog, and tastes far better than many store-bought versions.

The egg wash is another reason these buns look so inviting. It gives the surface a beautiful color and a light sheen after baking. These buns are soft enough for casual meals but attractive enough to serve when you want something special on the table.

What is Challah Bread?

Challah Bread Recipe

Challah is a traditional bread in Jewish cuisine. It is often made as a braided loaf and is known for its rich flavor, tender texture, and pale yellow color. The yellow tone comes from the eggs in the dough, which also help give challah its soft, slightly luxurious crumb.

For this recipe, the same qualities that make challah delicious as a loaf also make it ideal for hot dog buns. The dough bakes up tender and light, while still being substantial enough to hold a hot dog and toppings.

Small Warning – Not Good as a Loaf

This dough is best used for shaped buns rather than a loaf. When tested as a loaf of bread, it rose extremely high. It did not overflow the bread machine, but it came very close.

This loaf was almost as tall as it was long.

Because of that, this particular challah dough recipe is not recommended for baking as a standard loaf. It works much better when divided, shaped, and baked as hot dog buns.

Challah Hamburger Buns

If you enjoy this challah hot dog bun recipe, you may also like challah hamburger buns. They have the same soft, rich texture in a round bun shape.

How to Make Challah Hot Dog Buns

This recipe is designed for a two-pound bread machine. Use the dough setting.

Add the ingredients to your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Some machines call for liquids first, while others may instruct you to add dry ingredients first. Follow the guidance for your specific model and select the dough setting.

After the machine has kneaded for five to ten minutes, check the dough. Ideally, it should form a smooth, rounded ball. If the dough looks slightly wet, that is usually fine because challah dough can be sticky. If it seems too dry and crumbly, add liquid one teaspoon at a time until it comes together. If it is extremely wet, add flour one tablespoon at a time until the dough looks more manageable.

When the dough cycle is complete, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board or work surface. The dough will be very sticky, so a bench scraper can be helpful. A pastry mat can also make shaping easier because dough often releases more cleanly from that surface than from a kitchen counter.

Divide the dough into three equal pieces. Then divide each piece into three more pieces. You should have nine portions of dough, which will become nine hot dog buns.

Next, shape the buns and place them on a greased baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

To shape each bun, use a rolling pin to roll one portion of dough into an oblong oval. Aim for an oval that is about eight inches long. The exact size does not have to be perfect, but keeping the pieces fairly even will help the buns bake at the same rate.

Fold the dough in half, then fold it in half again. Place the fold on the bottom, tuck the top and bottom ends underneath, and gently pat the dough into a hot dog bun shape. Put the shaped bun on the prepared pan and repeat with the remaining dough.

Cover the buns with a clean, lightweight kitchen towel and let them rise for 45 minutes. Once risen, remove the towel and brush the tops with the egg wash glaze.

Bake the challah hot dog buns in a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are nicely colored and baked through. Let them cool before slicing and serving.

Challah Hot Dog Bun Recipe

This recipe makes nine soft hot dog buns and is intended for a two-pound bread machine using the dough setting.

½ cup water
3 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 ½ cups bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Egg Wash Glaze

1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
Pinch of salt

See below for metric measurements and nutrition information for this bread machine challah hot dog bun recipe.

Challah Hot Dog Bun Recipe

This challah hot dog bun recipe makes soft, pillowy buns with a tender crumb and a glossy egg-washed finish.

5 from 4 votes

Course: Bread Machine Recipes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: challah, hot dog bun, bread machine buns

Yield: 9 hot dog buns

Calories: 282kcal

Recommended Equipment

Bread Machine

Lightweight Kitchen Towel

Bench Scraper

Ingredients

Challah Hot Dog Buns

½ cup (118.29 ml) water
3 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup (59.15 ml) canola oil
¼ cup (50 g) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 ½ cups (437.5 g) bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Egg Wash Glaze

1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
1 pinch salt

Instructions

Use a two-pound bread machine and select the dough setting.
Add the ingredients to the bread machine in the order recommended by your machine’s manufacturer.
After five to ten minutes of kneading, check the dough. It should form a smooth, rounded ball. A slightly sticky dough is normal.
If the dough is too dry, add liquid one teaspoon at a time. If it is extremely wet, add flour one tablespoon at a time until the texture looks right.
When the dough cycle is complete, place the dough on a lightly floured board.
The dough will be sticky, so use a bench scraper if needed to make handling and dividing the dough easier.
Divide the dough into three equal sections. Divide each section into three smaller pieces to make nine buns.
Roll each piece into an oblong oval about eight inches long. Fold the dough in half, then fold it in half again. Place the fold on the bottom, tuck the ends underneath, and gently shape the dough into a hot dog bun. Place the buns on a greased baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Cover the shaped buns with a clean, lightweight kitchen towel and let them rise for 45 minutes.
Remove the towel and brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash glaze.
Bake in a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Notes

This recipe is for a two-pound bread machine. Use the dough setting.

This recipe was developed and tested using US customary measurements. Metric measurements are calculated automatically.

Nutrition

All nutrition information is provided as a general guideline. Values are estimates and may vary depending on ingredient brands, measuring methods, and serving size.