Hot dogs! Get your hot dogs here!

Hot dogs and hamburgers are a BBQ staple. Bringing plain hot dogs sans the buns to a get-together for my girls is never a big hit. They will quietly whine that everyone else is eating their own hot dogs in buns. Finding store-bought gluten and egg-free hotdog buns has been impossible (I did find a 4-pack of hamburger buns that were egg and gluten-free that cost a whopping $8 per pack.), and so I set off on an adventure to make my own.

First, I needed to make my own molds. If you eat a lot of hot dogs, you may want to invest in a hot dog bun tray like this one, or you can just make your own foil molds.

I start with a piece of foil about 16-18 inches long.

Next, fold the piece of foil in half so that you have a stronger material to work with.

Look around your kitchen for an item that is roughly the size of a hot dog bun. I used an empty "honey bear" for my mold. It was a tiny bit big for regular skinny hot dogs, but perfect for larger brats.

Line your molds on a baking tray.

Spray your molds with oil so that the buns do not tear and stick to the foil once baked. I like using a Misto because it doesn't use any chemical propellants, you can use it over and over, and you can put any type of oil in it that you wish.

Now you are ready to make the batter. I have tried a lot of store-bought ready to use brands and I tired have mixing my own. I still haven't found anything better that Pamela's Baking Mix. I use it for everything: Breads, muffins, cookies, pancakes, buns, rolls, roux, and biscuits. It has a perfect blend of flours and already includes the xanthan gum, which is a spendy item to buy on it's own.

I began buying the Pamela's from my local grocer in the 4 lb bags. The cost worked out to be about $4 per pound, which is about 4 items (3 1/2 cups per item made). I looked around for less expensive alternatives and found a 25 lb bag offered on Amazon.com. I signed up for "subscribe and save" and am getting the bag for $58. That works out to $2.32 per pound. I like having the smaller 4 lb bag to pour into and have in the pantry.

Recipe for hot dog buns:

3 1/2 cups of Pamela's gluten-free flour
3 tablespoons of ground golden flaxseed
2 cups of warm, but not hot water
1/4 oil (I like sunflower oil)
1 packet of yeast (7 grams or 1/4 oz.)

Pour all of the ingredients into a stand mixer bowl, place bowl onto stand mixer and begin mixing. Go very slow to begin with so that you are not flour bombed. Once the dry ingredients are combined thoroughly, turn speed up to med/high and mix for 3 minutes.

Next, using a spatula or spoon, spoon the batter into the hot dog bun molds.

Once the batter is in the molds and looks fairly even, dip your spoon in water and use the back of it to smooth the batter. This process has two purposes: First, it makes a nicer looking bun and second, it browns the bun through the similar chemical process as browning meat by searing.

Next, you will need to proof your buns for 1 hour. You can put a tea towel over the top of them or clear plastic wrap and set them in an area that is not breezy or better yet you can place them in your oven and set the oven to "bread proofing".
This is what proofed buns will look like!

About 50 minutes into proofing, pull them out of the oven and set your oven for 350 degrees fahrenheit. Once at 350, put the buns in for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

And there you have it, hot dog buns and happy kids! Happy cooking!