Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I've had New England style buns many times, both in New England states and occasionally here in N.J. where they are available. Although they toast fine and do not break, I prefer a regular quality hot dog bun. The New England style is like eating a hot dog on white bread. The key to getting a quality hot dog bun (one which will toast fine on a grill) is to get food service buns. Regular supermarket hot dog buns are of inferior quality. If you notice, they are stuck together in the package. The better buns are not as they are baked separately. Sturdier, and of much better quality.

In New Jersey we have many great hot dog restaurants. A lot of these places used a quality bun called Bakers Touch. A few years ago they cheapened their buns, not baking them separately and increasing the amount of buns they put in the package although keeping the weight of the package the same. Customers and restaurant owners both noticed. The majority of places (more often the better ones) switched. Here in N.J. I would suggest Pechter's, Rockland Bakery (which bought out Pechters) and Sabrett for top quality hot dog buns. If you don't have access to these, try a food warehouse or just ask if the buns were individually baked. Martins Potato rolls are also a good choice, although a little big for smaller, thinner franks.