New England-Style Split-Top Buns: Temps for Fluffy Results

When we made our lobster rolls a while back, we had to search high and low for the right bun. The New England-style split-top bun is the preferred vessel for all that buttery lobster meat, but it may also be the best way to house a hotdog. In this post, we’ll go over the thermal processes and tools you need to make these delicious buns so you can elevate your next cookout without having to scour the stores for an industrial bun. Homemade is better, and we’ll help you get there. Read on!

Get the tools you need here:

What’s the difference between a New England bun and a “regular” hotdog bun?

The New England bun was first created by Howard Johnson’s as a bun that could be placed upright on a plate without falling over or rolling around. It has a flat bottom and a split on the top, so that ingredients—Lobster or a frankfurter—are “top loaded” into the bread. “Standard” hotdog buns want to sit on one side, tipped-over, and are side-loading. Interestingly, it seems that the top-loading bun came before the standard bun, even though it was created by the hospitality chain in the ’40s. Before that, people ate hotdogs in bakery rolls sliced all the way through.

Bread quality and uprightness aside, the form factor of the split-top bun allows for better flavor. A standard move with a top-load bun is to toast the cut sides of the bun in a pan with a little butter. You get a little bit of toasty crispness and the delicious flavor of bread fried in butter. It takes a little more effort to do it, but man is it worth it!

How are split-top buns made?

This bun shape doesn’t happen on its own. In fact, it is the result of a very specialized piece of equipment: a split-top bun pan. Looking into the pan form below, there are troughs divided by ridges. The bun dough is proofed in the pan and baked with those troughs on the bottom. You then invert the pan to remove the buns and the troughs become raised bun tops—you cook the buns upside down. The tops of the buns are then sliced, and the individual buns are cut apart and prepared for serving.

We recommend cooking these in the lower third of your oven, as the tops (on the bottom of the pan) will brown better that way.

Keeping the bottoms flat

Because the bottoms of the buns cook at the top of the pan, we need to prevent the top of the bread from mounding as it bakes. This recipe takes a page from the famous Pullman bread pan. After the initial ferment, the dough is transferred to the special pan, where it is allowed to proof in place. When baking time arrives, we place a (greased) sheet tray on top of the hotdog pan and weigh it down with something ovenproof. Now, the dough can only oven-spring as high as the baking sheet, keeping the top (the bottom of the bun) flat and even.

Why you need a thermometer to make split-top hotdog buns

When thinking of making hotdog buns, a thermometer may not be the first piece of equipment you naturally reach for, but it should be right up at the top of your list. For perfect buns the first time, and consistent buns every time, a thermometer is essential.

As with all leavened breads, the yeast in the dough for these buns needs to be properly activated to do its work. Using instant yeast and water that is 85–95°F (29–35°C) will help your dough rise at the right rate, balancing flavor and speed. Use water that is too cold, and the bulk ferment will take a long time. Make it too hot and you’ll either end up with rocket-speed dough that is more likely to overproof, or you’ll kill the yeast altogether, so there is no rise at all. Temp that water with your Thermapen ONE before the mix and get Goldilocks-level fermentation in your dough.

Hotdog bun doneness temperature

But water is not the only place where your thermometer matters—doneness temps matter, too. Yes, you’re going to set a timer for the bake, but the timer knows nothing about your oven, the dough temperature, or any number of other thermal factors. When the timer sounds—perhaps loudly—check the internal temperature of the buns with your Thermapen ONE. These buns have sugar, butter, egg, and even dried potato flakes, so they sit decidedly in the enriched-dough bread camp. And as with all breads in the same taxon, they have a doneness temperature of 180–190°F (82–88°C). Make sure you find no internal dough temps lower than that when baking.

(If you have an RH SPOT, you can also use it during your proofing to keep an eye on the temperature and the relative humidity. We aim for 85°F (29°C) and 75% or higher relative humidity. Those are ideal conditions, but if you can get them, do!)

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We had a lot of fun making these. Yes, you need a special pan to make them, but once you get one, the world is your lobster roll. Use your Thermapen ONE to check your water temps and doneness temps, give yourself the time you need to proof properly, and you’ll love the results.

Years back we published a post on homemade hamburger buns. Some comments asked why on earth we’d bother with it, but of those who actually tried the recipe, many said that it changed their hamburger game forever. I predict you’ll think something similar if you try these buns. They’re not hard to make, and the jump in quality your hotdogs will take is well worth the effort. Give it a shot. Happy cooking!

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