Dinner Lunch Recipes
Fall New England Hot Dogs With Pumpkin Sourdough Buns
These fall New England hot dogs start with homemade pumpkin sourdough buns, split down the top and griddled in butter until both sides are deeply golden. Inside, you get browned chicken apple sausage, creamy apple butter aioli, and a big pile of tangy pickled onions. The buns stay fluffy in the middle, the edges crunch, and the apple butter brings just enough sweetness to balance the sharp onions and savory sausage.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Active sourdough starter: Provides the rise for the buns. Use it fed, bubbly, and near its peak.
- Pumpkin purée: Adds moisture, color, and a gentle pumpkin flavor. Use plain purée rather than pumpkin pie filling.
- Bread flour: Builds the structure needed for buns that hold their shape and support plenty of toppings.
- Whole milk, egg, and butter: Create a soft, tender dough. Add the softened butter after the initial rest.
- Honey: Lightly sweetens the buns without making them taste like dessert.
- Chicken apple sausages: Bring savory flavor with a little apple sweetness. Check whether your sausages are raw or fully cooked before preparing.
- Red onion and apple cider vinegar: Make tangy quick pickles that balance the buttery bread and creamy aioli.
- Apple butter: Adds concentrated apple flavor to the sauce. Choose a thick version so the aioli stays creamy.
- Mayonnaise and Greek yogurt: Form the creamy base of the aioli.
- Dijon mustard: Adds sharpness and keeps the sauce savory.
- Chives or scallions: Give the finished hot dogs a fresh onion bite.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Buttery, crisp sides: Griddling gives the split-top buns their golden exterior.
- Soft pumpkin sourdough centers: The enriched dough stays fluffy inside.
- Tangy apple butter aioli: Creamy, sharp, and gently sweet.
- Pickled onion crunch: A bright contrast to the sausage and butter.
- A seasonal take on New England hot dogs: Pumpkin buns and chicken apple sausage make this a cozy fall dinner.
- Easy to prepare in stages: Make the buns and toppings ahead, then griddle and assemble at dinner.
How to Make Fall New England Hot Dogs With Pumpkin Sourdough Buns
Step 1: Mix the Pumpkin Dough
Whisk the starter, pumpkin, warm milk, honey, and egg together. Add the flour and salt, rest for 30 minutes, then gradually knead in the softened butter until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Step 2: Let the Dough Ferment
Cover and let the dough rise by approximately half. Give it three sets of stretch-and-folds during the first two hours, then allow it to finish fermenting undisturbed.
Step 3: Shape the Split-Top Buns
Divide into eight pieces and shape tight logs. Arrange close together in a greased pan so they meet during proofing and bake with soft, flat sides.
Step 4: Bake and Cool
Bake until the tops are golden and the centers are cooked through. Cool completely as a block, separate the buns, and cut each down the top.
Step 5: Make the Onions and Aioli
Pour warm pickling brine over thinly sliced red onions and let them sit for at least an hour. Whisk the apple butter aioli until smooth, tasting for a tangy, gently sweet finish.
Step 6: Brown and Griddle
Cook the sausages according to their package directions. Griddle both flat sides of the buns in butter until deeply golden and crisp.
Step 7: Assemble and Serve
Spread aioli inside each bun, add the sausage, and pile on drained pickled onions. Finish with chives or scallions and serve while the buns are warm.
Come Cook With Me
Tips for the Best Fall New England Hot Dogs
- Use starter near its peak for dependable fermentation.
- Choose thick pumpkin purée to avoid an overly wet dough.
- Add the softened butter after the dough’s initial rest.
- Let the shaped buns proof until puffy and touching.
- Cool completely before separating and splitting.
- Drain the onions so they do not soak the bread.
- Griddle over medium heat to brown the buns without burning the butter.
How to Store
- Fridge: Refrigerate cooked sausages for up to 3–4 days and aioli for up to 4 days. Keep pickled onions refrigerated in their brine for up to 2 weeks. Store components separately.
- Freezer: Freeze completely cooled buns in an airtight bag for up to 2 months. Thaw before splitting and griddling.
- Reheat: Warm the sausages thoroughly and griddle the buns fresh. Add the aioli and onions after reheating.
- Make Ahead: Bake the buns a day ahead and keep airtight at room temperature. Prepare the onions and aioli ahead, then cook the sausages and griddle the buns just before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use Sourdough Discard?
Use active starter for this recipe. There is no commercial yeast, so the starter needs to be strong enough to raise the enriched dough.
What Makes These New England-Style Hot Dogs?
The buns are split down the top and have soft, flat sides that are toasted in butter. That gives them a crisp exterior while keeping the inside tender.
Will the Buns Taste Like Pumpkin Spice?
No pumpkin spices are added. The pumpkin contributes moisture, color, and a mild flavor to the savory buns.
Can I Use Store-Bought Buns?
Yes. Choose New England-style split-top buns with flat sides, then griddle and assemble as directed.
Can I Use a Different Sausage?
Yes. Use your preferred sausage and follow its cooking instructions. Chicken apple sausage pairs particularly well with the apple butter aioli.
How Do I Make the Aioli Less Sweet?
Choose an unsweetened apple butter and adjust the Dijon and vinegar to taste. Aim for tangy first, with apple flavor underneath.
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Fall New England Hot Dogs With Pumpkin Sourdough Buns
Ingredients
Method
- Whisk the active sourdough starter, pumpkin purée, warm milk, honey, and egg together in a large bowl.
- Add the bread flour and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Work in the softened butter a small piece at a time. Knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and begins pulling away from the bowl. It may remain slightly tacky; avoid adding extra flour unless it is genuinely unmanageable.
- Cover and bulk ferment for approximately 8–10 hours, or until the dough has risen by about half and looks aerated. Fermentation time will vary with room temperature and starter strength.
- During the first 2 hours of fermentation, perform 3 sets of stretch-and-folds, spaced approximately 30–40 minutes apart. Keep covered between sets.
- If the dough reaches the desired rise before you are ready to shape, cover and refrigerate until needed.
- Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape each into a tight log approximately 6 inches long.
- Arrange the logs parallel to one another in the pan, leaving approximately 1/2 inch between them where possible. They should expand into one another during proofing.
- Cover and proof for approximately 2–3 hours, until visibly puffy and touching. Refrigerated dough may need longer.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden on top and baked through.
- Cool completely as a connected block. Lift out of the pan and slice between the buns to separate them.
- Cut a slit down the top of each bun, stopping before you reach the bottom.
- Place the thinly sliced onion in a clean, heatproof jar or bowl.
- Bring the apple cider vinegar, water, maple syrup, salt, and peppercorns to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the salt.
- Pour the brine over the onions and press them beneath the liquid. Let stand for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Refrigerate once cooled. Drain the onions you will use before assembling.
- Whisk together the apple butter, mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, Dijon, apple cider vinegar, and salt until smooth.
- Taste and adjust. The sauce should taste tangy first, with apple sweetness underneath.
- Cover and refrigerate until needed.
- Cook the chicken apple sausages according to their package directions, browning them in a skillet. Raw chicken sausages should reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Melt some butter in the skillet over medium heat. Griddle both flat sides of each bun until deeply golden and crisp, adding more butter as needed.
- Spread apple butter aioli inside each bun. Add a sausage and a generous pile of drained pickled onions.
- Finish with chives or scallions and a little flaky salt, if desired. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Notes
- Nutrition estimate: Includes approximately 2 tablespoons griddling butter across the batch. Excludes optional finishing salt and discarded pickle brine. Values vary considerably by sausage brand, sausage size, mayonnaise, and apple butter.
- Starter readiness: Use active, bubbly starter near its peak. This dough relies on sourdough for its rise.
- Pumpkin consistency: Thick canned pumpkin is more predictable than watery homemade purée. Drain homemade purée if necessary.
- Butter timing: Adding butter after the initial rest helps the dough develop strength before the fat is incorporated.
- Fermentation: Follow the dough’s expansion rather than the clock alone. Warm kitchens can shorten the suggested rising time.
- Split-top shape: Baking the buns together creates soft, flat sides that can be griddled in butter.
- Make ahead: Prepare the buns, aioli, and onions ahead. Cook the sausages and griddle the buns just before serving.
- Pickle storage: Refrigerate the cooled onions in their brine and use within 2 weeks. These are refrigerator pickles, not shelf-stable preserves.
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