A Recipe for Frankfurter Buns
A nostalgic throwback to childhood + a satisfying snack for back-to-school season
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I admittedly felt a sort of way when I came across Suzie’s recipe for frankfurter buns in “Simply Chinese Feasts” earlier in the spring when it first came out. In fact, one of the most nostalgic snacks of my childhood was sausage rolls—specifically my mother’s makeshift version of the Chinese bakery classic, which was made by wrapping thawed pre-made dinner roll dough around Banquet Brown N’ Serve sausage links and baking them until golden brown. While not “authentic” in any way, they still got the job done and would, without fail, make it into my lunchbox at least once a week during my grade school days. To this day, seeing a sheet of freshly-baked golden sausage rolls evokes pangs of nostalgia—and, funnily enough, so does seeing the bright orange bag of Rhodes’ Bake-N-Serve dinner rolls in the freezer section of the grocery store. But I digress.
With everyone heading back to school, I thought it’d be a great time to share our this recipe for Suzie’s frankfurter buns. They’re a truly iconic Chinese baked good, and the secret to that tender, fluffy milk bread we adore lies in the roux (you might’ve also heard this referred to as a tangzhong)—a viscous paste made of milk, water, and a bit of flour that’s cooked down. Preparing this before adding the rest of your ingredients gelatinizes the starches in the flour, enhancing the dough’s moisture retention; more hydration ultimately yields a pillow-soft, cloud-like bread that stays fresh for a longer period of time.
By the way, this is the perfect thing to prepare on a Sunday afternoon. Bake a batch or two of these to keep on hand for an afternoon snack or a quick lunch option throughout the week.
Have a great rest of the week, everyone! Oh, and for those are new here: earlier this year I shared another recipe from Suzie’s “Simply Chinese Feasts” to everyone here, one for a comforting bowl of ground beef and peas in an oyster sauce-based gravy served over steaming basmati rice, finished off with a raw egg yolk to make for a rich and creamy mixture. Dropping the link here for your consideration… 😉
Makes 8
1 (¼ ounce) envelope active dry yeast
½ cup (4 ounces) lukewarm milk, plus extra for brushing
8 frankfurters
4 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)
4 tablespoons ketchup
4 tablespoons honey
Roux
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup (2 ounces) milk
3 ½ tablespoons (1 ¾ ounces) water
Dough
2 ¾ cups (350 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons condensed milk
½ teaspoon salt
1 medium egg
4 tablespoons (60 grams) butter, melted
Sugar syrup
¼ cup (50 grams) superfine sugar
3 ½ tablespoons boiling water
Add the yeast to the lukewarm milk The yeast will bloom in the milk, which speeds up the proving process.
To make the roux, mix all the ingredients in a cup to make a paste, then warm in the microwave twice in 30-second bursts and stir. Alternatively, cook in a small saucepan on the stovetop over low heat, continuing to stir, until it has thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
To make the dough, mix the roux, flour, sugar, condensed milk, salt, egg, and the yeast mixture in a stand mixer with a hook attachment (or in a mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer) until combined, about 3-5 minutes. Add the melted butter while the mixer is still running and mix until completely incorporated.
Leave the dough to sit for 20 minutes covered with a damp dish towel. Return the dough to the mixer and mix for 5 minutes at medium speed.
Shape the dough into a ball by tucking under until the surface is nice and smooth. Return the dough to the bowl and leave covered until doubled in size, about 1 hour. A quick method is to put the dough in the oven with the light on, which will be warm enough to prove the dough.
Preheat the oven to 400° F and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Remove the dough from the bowl, then punch down the dough and divide it into 8 portions. Roll each portion into a log shape (with the middle part thicker than the ends) and wrap it around a frankfurter.
Cover the rolls once more and leave for 45 minutes-1 hour to double in size, once again putting them in the oven with the light on.
Brush the tops of the rolls with some milk, being careful not to let it drip down the sides too much. Top the rolls with a sprinkling of sesame seeds (if using).
Bake the rolls on the bottom shelf of the oven until golden brown, about 30-40 minutes.
While the rolls are baking, make a sugar syrup by dissolving the sugar in the boiling water. Set aside to cool.
As soon as you remove the rolls from the oven, brush the sugar syrup all over each one. Serve with the ketchup and honey mixed together.
Recipe adapted from “Simply Chinese Feasts: Tasty Recipes for Friends and Family” by Suzie Lee. Copyright © 2024. Used with permission of Quadrille Publishing. All rights reserved.