Hot Dog Bun Alternatives
There’s a reason why the hot dog bun became the hot dog bun; its shape, size, and texture are the perfect fit for the ingredients they are filled with. Still, having the same thing over and over can get boring and diminish your enjoyment, so it is a great idea to mix things up sometimes and replace the hot god bun with another fast food alternative. So what are some hot dog bun alternatives?
English muffins, baguettes, pretzel bread, tortilla, pita bread, pizza crust, croissant, crepes, or sandwich rolls are excellent hot dog substitutes that will give your hot dog sandwich an entirely different dimension.
Having a hot dog bun alternative sometimes comes in handy for various reasons. You may want a hot dog but not want it the traditional way, or you may be craving a hot dog sandwich, but you are on a low-carb diet. There’s no reason for you to deny such a tasty pleasure, and that’s why in the following paragraphs, I will talk about some of the hot dog bun alternatives and help you match your mood with your food.
What Can You Use Instead of Hot Dog Buns?
Even though the hot dog bun is irreplaceable, that doesn’t mean there are no suitable alternatives when you want to experience something different yet classic.
English Muffins
Since English muffins are meant to be buttered up and enjoyed with a vast range of breakfast foods, they will give your hot dog a gentler and more refined dimension. The English muffin is a soft and elastic pastry, incredibly airy and fluffy, and will hold the hot dogs and other ingredients perfectly inside.
If you want a gentler hot dog bun substitute, you should go for the English muffin; you won’t regret that decision.
Baguette
The baguette is probably the hot dog bun substitute that is most similar to the classic hot dog bun. The baguette shape and consistency are almost the same as that of the hot dog bun, with the baguette being firmer on the outside and more consistent and spongy on the inside.
Whether you have your hot dog sandwich in a hot dog bun or in a baguette, the effect would be nearly the same, though the baguette will endow your hot dog sandwich with a noticeable bread aroma. Also, if you plan on adding moist ingredients or sauces to your sandwich, I’d recommend using the baguette.
Pretzel Bread
Pretzel bread is made of the same dough as pretzels, and the hot dog bun-shaped pretzel bread is an excellent alternative to the classic hot dog bun. Rich, flavorful, with a noticeable aroma and seed-covered crust, the pretzel bread will give your hot dog sandwich a tasty rustic dimension.
Tortilla
The tortilla will turn your hot dog into a real fiesta dog. Elastic and intended to wrap things in it, the tortilla will perfectly hold any ingredients you intend to wrap inside it. You don’t have to worry about the moist ingredients falling out or the sandwich getting soggy.
Pita Bread
If you are in the mood for a hot dog sandwich with a Mediterranean/middle eastern whiff, then the pita bread hot dog sandwich is for you. Wrap the ingredients with pita bread and enjoy the combination’s rustic taste and pungent aroma.
Pizza Crust
Probably the most original solution on this list, the pizza crust combines pita bread and tortilla options. The crust will absorb the juices from the filling ingredients remaining stable and holding everything perfectly inside. You will be amazed at how tasty your hot dog sandwich will be wrapped in a pizza crust.
Crescent Roll
This buttery puff pastry is yet another incredibly delicious alternative to the classic hot dog bun. Cut it in half, ensure the halves are still connected and fill the crescent roll with the ingredients you intend to enjoy. However, you need to be careful not to overfill the croissant as it is a very tender pastry and isn’t as firm, stable, and resistant as the pita bread, tortilla, pizza crust, or baguette.
Therefore, if you decide to use a croissant as a hot dog bun alternative, see that you don’t use wet ingredients or too much sauce, and slice everything finely so that it fits the croissant without falling out.
Sandwich Rolls
Filling the sandwich rolls with hot dog filling will give you the feeling of having a typical homemade cold sandwich with the recognizable sandwich bread crust crunchiness and inner softness of the roll. The sandwich roll is an excellent hot dog bun alternative also because it is very stable and absorbent, and thanks to the crust, it doesn’t get soggy that easy.
Crepes
Although this may sound unusual, wrapping your hot dogs in a dessert crepe, you will be surprised how well this works. Smear some sauce on the crepe and put the hot dog slices in the middle. Wrap the crepe and enjoy the rich and elegant hot dog roll.
Low Carb Hot Dog Bun Alternatives
As tasty as hot dog sandwiches made in the classic hot dog bun are, there’s a downside: the number of carbs they contain. With the expansion of the healthy eating trend and watching the carb intake, many people opt to have low or no-carb nutrition, and, sadly, they feel like they need to give up the tasty delight that is the hot dog sandwich. The good news is that you don’t have to give up entirely on the hot dog sandwich, as low-carb bun substitutes enable you to enjoy a delicious hot dog sandwich.
In addition, there’s always the lettuce wrapper or the cabbage leaf that you can use as a no-carb option. However, the following list includes other solutions too.
Flaxseed Tortilla
The flaxseed tortilla has already made a name in the healthy food department as a carb-free and incredibly healthy alternative for the regular tortilla, or in this case, the hot dog bun. The flaxseed tortilla contains nothing more than ground flaxseed mixed with water. It is ridiculously easy to make; you just mix the ground flaxseed with water and make the dough, roll it with a rolling pin until you shape it like a tortilla, and bake it for ten minutes.
The flaxseed tortilla is very elastic, as the flaxseed contains a bonding substance, which is why it is often used as an egg substitute. However, you should know that the flaxseed tortilla is bitter-tasting, so you better add some salt or some herbs to milden the bitterness.
Buckwheat
Buckwheat is a pseudo-cereal that is low in carbs and is an excellent solution if you want to decrease your carbs intake. Buckwheat flour has many purposes, one of which is low-carb hot dog buns. You can make these hot dog buns just like you would make the regular ones, or you can buy them as they are available in the stores and online.
Quinoa
Not only is it low carb, but quinoa seed is extraordinarily healthy to eat. You can make low-carb hot dog buns using soaked quinoa seeds or quinoa seeds mill. Making the quinoa buns, regardless of which type of quinoa you choose, is easy and takes about 20 minutes.
You will, however, feel the difference, as the quinoa hot dog buns are more crumbly than regular ones but still delicious nonetheless.
Almond and Coconut Flour Hot Dog Buns
Almond and coconut flour are a well-known no-carb alternative to regular flour and have many uses in keto nutrition. Although you can use almond and coconut flour separately, they work best when combined, as the dough will get the fluffiness and softness of the coconut flour and the elasticity of the almond flour.
For this type of hot dog buns, you’ll also need eggs and mozzarella, as you won’t be using yeast to bind the ingredients.
At first, this alternative for hot dog buns might taste a bit strange due to the mixture of tastes, but with each next bite, the flavors will combine and meld perfectly into a single unit.
Sunflower Seeds Flour Buns
Sunflower seeds are, sadly, underrated and used only as a snack. However, you can blend them and turn them into a flour-like substance. They are naturally fatty, so the sunflower mill is very rich, and when mixed with eggs, baking powder, and cream cheese, this mill makes excellent low-carb hot dog buns.
Is Hot Dog a Hot Dog Without a Bun?
Technically the hot dog is the sausage placed inside the hot dog sandwich, and yes, a hot dog is still a hot dog even without the bun. If we’re talking about whether the hot dog sandwich would be a sandwich without the bun, that it depends on what we replace the bun with.
It can be a hot dog wrap if we use a tortilla or a hot dog pocket if we use pita bread. Anything in between is a judgment call, but the hot dog sandwich is definitely a sandwich only with the bun or a similar alternative.
