Hot dog bun dough calculator
New England split-top buns with potato flour and dry milk — pan-pressed, flat-sided, per-piece calculation.
10 × 78 g · 75% hydration
Type how much flour you have — the portion weight recalculates.
New England hot dog buns — the flat-sided, split-top kind, baked pressed together in a pan and torn apart at service. King Arthur’s formula leans on two professional softeners: potato flour and dry milk.
How it works
The formula
A 63% hydration dough with 12% potato flour, 7.8% each of dry milk and butter, 7% sugar, 14% egg, 2.5% salt and 1.7% instant yeast. Potato flour binds moisture like mashed potato does, without the wet mash — the crumb stays cottony for days.
The pan makes the shape
Divide at ~78 g, shape logs, and set them side by side so they touch as they proof — in the dedicated New England pan or crowded in any straight-walled tray. Rising pressed together is what produces the flat, crustless sides.
Baking under weight
The signature move: bake at ~190 °C under an inverted, weighted baking sheet, which keeps the tops flat and the texture even. Cool, split from the top, and toast the flat sides in butter — the whole point of the style.
FAQ
Why split from the top?
The New England lobster-roll tradition: a top split with flat toasted sides holds fillings upright and griddles on both faces. Side-split round-top buns are the other American school.
No potato flour — what now?
Substitute the same weight of instant mashed-potato flakes, ground fine. Plain flour works at a push, but you lose the moisture-holding that keeps these soft past day one.
Can I make burger buns from this dough?
Yes — it is a general soft-roll formula. Shape rounds at ~100 g and skip the weighted sheet; you will get an excellent soft burger bun with the same long shelf life.