Frankfurt or New England Rolls
A recipe for use with the New England Roll pan from USA Pan®. Adapted from the "Everything Parker House Rolls" recipe by Erin Jeanne McDowell for the New York Times, with the layout and baking technique from the recipe by USA Pan®. Laying out the dough in one piece in the pan, then slicing into individual buns after baking, follows what's available from grocers and in restaurants and lobster pounds.
Prep Time3 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time3 hours hrs 25 minutes mins
Course: Breads
Keyword: Frankfurt buns, Frankfurt rolls, New England buns, New England rolls
Servings: 10 rolls
New England Hot Dog Bun Pan from USA Pan® (See Notes below)
Jelly Roll pan, 15.5" in length (to invert and cover the New England Hot Dog Bun Pan)
Cast Iron Skillet, 7" - 10" (to weigh down the baking sheet pan)
- 3-1/2 cups AP flour, sifted
- 1/3 cup dry milk powder
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 Tbsp butter, softened
- 1 egg
If using instant yeast...
- 2-1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 1 cup whole milk
If using active dry yeast...
- 2-3/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup water
If using active dry yeast...
... continuing ...
In a medium pot, heat the milk and 4 tablespoons softened butter over medium heat until the mixture is just warm to the touch, about 95°F, and the butter is melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Note: Pay attention to the temperature of the milk, as 95°F may be reached before the butter melts. If this occurs, remove the pot from the heat at that temperature, and stir the milk to finish melting the butter.
If using an electric stand mixer...
Add everything to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Mix on low for 3 minutes, then increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth, about 3 more minutes.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl.
... continuing ...
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours. The dough may not double in size, but it should be noticeably puffy.
Deflate the dough and stretch it to fit in the New England Hot Dog Bun Pan. If it doesn't quite fit to the edge, that's ok.
Cover with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place for 15 min.
Go back and push dough to fit corners and level as much as possible. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise about another hour.
Preheat an oven to 375°F, 400°F for a convection oven.
Lightly grease the baking sheet pan. Take the plastic wrap off the buns. Place the buns in the oven, invert the greased Jelly Roll pan, and place it on top. Then, weigh the Jelly Roll pan down with the cast iron skillet.
Bake the buns 18 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a rack for about 5 min. Remove the buns from the pan to cool completely. Once cool, use a bread knife to slice each bun just over halfway down the middle, and then cut the buns apart to separate them.
- The New England Hot Dog Bun Pan is available from USA Pan® at:
https://www.usapan.com/new-england-hot-dog-bun-pan-1190ne
- Inverting the Jelly Roll pan with a 15-1/2" length over the New England pan allows the buns an extra 3/4" space to rise into, making the buns tall enough for hot dogs plus toppings, or more lobster meat or fried clams, etc., as well as ensuring the bottoms of the buns are flat
- To get the liquid temperatures correct, you can use an insta-read meat thermometer, a frying thermometer, or any other that can read in the range of 90 - 100°F that's meant for use with food.
- The New England Hot Dog Bun Pan from USA Pan® has a silicone coating that doesn't respond well to non-stick sprays or metal utensils. It's best not to use either with it. However, it it makes you feel better, greasing and flouring the pan is alright, although it's not necessary.