Top split poppy seed hot dog or brat buns

In large bowl or bowl of your stand mixer, weigh all hot dog dough ingredients. 

Knead in your stand mixer for 8 minutes or if you are kneading by hand, knead for 12 to 15 minutes until you have a smooth, non-sticky dough.

Add dough to a lightly oiled bowl and allow to proof on the counter or a warm place in your kitchen for at least 1 hour.

After an hour, roll out into hot dog shapes. I weigh my dough balls for consistency and shoot for 80 to 90 grams. You should be able to get 8 or 9 hot dog buns out of one batch of dough. If you don't have a scale, you can just make 8 similarly-sized dough pieces.

Place each hot dog dough piece onto a sheet pan in a row about 1/2 inch apart. 

Cover your dough with lightly oiled plastic wrap or cover the sheet pan with another sheet pan. Let the shaped dough rise for 1 hour.

Near the end of your rise time, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). 

Crack one whole egg into a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of water. Beat the egg until everything is fully combined. Paint each bun very carefully with the egg wash, this helps the buns brown consistently. 

Sprinkle each egg-washed bun liberally with poppy seeds. 

Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes. I typically peek into the oven to check for the bread color at 20 minutes.

Once the rolls are fully cool, store them in a bag or container for up to a week.