The Clever Bun Swap That Gives Hot Dogs An Exciting New Flavor Profile

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While hot dog topping combos change from region to region, the bun tends to remain the common denominator. But straying from the packaged, squishy white buns that we're used to is worth the risk, and we've come up with plenty of hot dog bun substitutes that open up exciting new flavor profiles. One bun swap we'd consider an upgrade is corn bread.

A famous Southern specialty that's both sweet and savory, cornbread can take on and complement so many different ingredients, from jalapeños to sweet potatoes to crispy pieces of bacon. So, in addition to the sweet and savory profile of cornbread, you can add more pairings to a hot dog through ingredients mixed into the cornbread batter. We know just how perfect a flavor pairing earthy cornmeal is for a hot dog because it's the key ingredient in the fried coating of a corndog. The trick with cornbread, however, is transforming its buttery, crumbly, and slightly gritty crumb into a bun that's sturdy enough to contain a hot dog.

Since cornbread consists of cornmeal and flour, various hot dog lovers have made yeast-based cornbread hot dog buns for a more elastic and strong crumb. This requires adding instant yeast with the dry ingredients and letting the dough rise for gluten development. You can then roll the dough into a log and cut out bun-shaped cylinders to bake. An easier option is to pour conventional cornbread batter into this WeBake silicon bun mold and bake.

Instead of conventional hot dog buns, incorporate hot dogs and cornbread in unconventional yet delicious ways by baking the hot dogs into cornbread batter. Save yourself the trouble of making cornbread from scratch by using this Jiffy cornbread muffin mix to make a tasty batter that you can pour into muffin tins. Then, cut up hot dogs into quarters or fifths and add a few chunks to each muffin tin before baking. If you want to keep the hot dogs whole, you can make cornbread in a standard 9x11-inch rectangular baking pan, spreading the batter evenly and then placing six grilled or cooked hot dogs on top. Ensure the hot dogs are spaced evenly before pressing them lightly into the batter and baking according to the recipe. Then you can simply cut vertically between each hot dog, lifting each cornbread hot dog out carefully with a spatula.

Whichever way you make your cornbread bun, the topping and ingredient combinations are endless. You can draw from our long list of cornbread recipes to inspire topping combinations. For example, you can use this tomatillo and green chili cornbread recipe for a spicy chili dog; we ranked Tony Packo's Cafe chili with beans as our favorite canned chili. Cornbread tastes delicious with classic soul food sides. So you could top a corn bread hot dog with coleslaw or sauteed collards topped with shredded cheddar cheese.