What happens when you have plenty of time at home to experiment with the power of tiny yeast fungi feasting on sugar and starch to create pockets of air in dough? In this case, the happy result of this type of boredom is these Sourdough Hamburger Buns.
The sourdough craze happening right now is unreal! I think the current crisis has made us all lean a little harder into our somewhat suppressed human need to be self-sufficient.
I’m finding myself fascinated with doing things the long way, the old fashioned way… there’s something a little more satisfying and romantic about it all. Maybe you are too?
The idea of being able to make these beautiful Sourdough Hamburger Buns any day of the week with pantry staples is so wonderful to me. They definitely brought our weekly burger night to the next level!
They do require a lot of time, but most of it is just letting the dough do its thing while it sits on the counter. There’s really very little hands-on time here.
This Sourdough Hamburger Bun recipe does contain both active, bubbly sourdough starter and a small amount of active dry yeast. This allows you to make them the same day that you start the dough.
I’ve included a possible timeline at the end of this post for making the buns in order to have them ready for dinner. If you are interested in keeping a sourdough starter (it is a little like keeping a pet), King Arthur Flour is a wonderful resource.
You may have success making your own sourdough starter from flour and water, but it is easier to start your own from the discard of a friend who has an established starter. It can even be dehydrated and sent by mail!
The boys and I have been making all things sourdough, including waffles, pizza, pretzels, and cinnamon rolls. The Clever Carrot has been such a great resource for us. All of Emilie’s recipes have turned out perfectly.
It’s so fun for the boys to watch the sourdough starter bubble up and learn the science behind it. It definitely counts as school around here!
This Sourdough Hamburger Bun recipe is adapted from my Butterhorn Rolls recipe. It is an enriched dough, meaning that it has milk, eggs, and butter. The glossy top comes from brushing an egg whisked with water over the surface of the risen bun just before baking.
I used my KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook attachment to mix and knead the dough. It can also be done by hand but will take longer.
It is also very helpful to have a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients (especially the starter and flour) precisely. I also love using a bench scraper for portioning out the dough and for cleaning up my work surface.
I think the most difficult part of baking with sourdough is just being patient enough. You can’t rush the rise! If you try to bake your buns before they are ready, you’ll get a heavy, dense bun.
The more you experiment and practice, the more you’ll be able to rely on the feel of the dough and your intuition to know when it’s ready for the next step.
Possible Timeline
7am (or night before) – feed sourdough starter
10:30am – Mix dough together.
11:00am – Dough rests.
11:30am – Knead dough.
11:45am – Bulk rise.
2:15pm – Shape buns.
2:30pm – Buns rise.
3:45pm – Brush egg wash on buns and preheat oven.
4:00pm – Bake for 20 minutes.
4:20pm – Cool, then slice.
5pm – Grill those burgers, these buns are ready!
Sourdough Hamburger Buns
These fluffy, golden Sourdough Hamburger Buns will bring your burger night to the next level! Start the dough in the morning, and buns are ready by dinner.
- Prep Time: 5 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 buns 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (60 grams) bubbly, active sourdough starter
- 1 cup (240 grams) whole milk, warm
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon (2.85 grams) active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) salt
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 1/2 cups (430 grams) all-purpose flour, divided
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) butter, soft
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
- 2 teaspoons (6 grams) sesame seeds
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, mix sourdough starter, milk, 1 egg, yeast, salt, sugar and 300 grams of flour on medium speed until a loose, shaggy dough is formed. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rest in the bowl for 30 minutes.
- With the dough hook, knead the dough for 7-8 minutes, gradually adding an additional 130 grams (or more) flour and 3 tablespoons of softened butter in small cubes. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky, but pulling away from the edges of the bowl as it kneads.
- Pour the dough, scraping the bowl to release, onto a floured work surface. Clean the bowl, then grease, and place the dough back into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and place it in a warm, draft free place. I like to keep it in the oven with the light on, but the heat off.
- After 2-3 hours, the dough should double in size. Remove it from the bowl and place it on a floured work surface. Divide the dough into eight equal portions (about 100 grams each). To shape the dough into buns, pull the edges of the dough balls into the center, then cup your hand around the dough and roll into a tight ball (see video). Place the shaped buns onto a parchment lined baking sheet a good inch apart. Cover with a plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick spray (damp towel may stick), and let the buns rise.
- After about 1 hour and 15 minutes, the buns should be doubled in size and touching each other on the baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk 1 tablespoon of water and one egg in a small bowl, and brush onto the surface of the risen buns. Sprinkle each bun with sesame seeds.
- Bake the buns at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until deep golden brown. The internal temperature should be about 190 degrees. Allow to cool a bit, then transfer to a cooling rack. Wait about 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Bun
- Calories: 301
- Sugar: 4.9g
- Sodium: 331mg
- Fat: 7.4g
- Saturated Fat: 3.8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.8g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 49g
- Fiber: 1.9g
- Protein: 8.9g
- Cholesterol: 61mg
Can I leave these overnight to rise in a greased bowl? Fridge or counter?
I’m going to try and make a loaf of bread with this recipe as we made the buns yesterday and they are delish!!! I’ll let you know how it goes!!
So I accidentally added all my flour at once. Are they ruined??😩
Can I opt out on the yeast ?
I always do, and they turn out great! It just takes a bit longer for the rise times 😊
O m g, these are amazing!
I will never buy buns from the store again!
Looked and tasted so much better than any buns you could purchase in a store! Wish I could post the picture, they’re beautiful!!
This is our go to hamburger/slider bun recipe. Used this recipe to make slider buns today just weighed out 50 g. They came out amazing! Although the bottoms are a little hard but still delicious!
I accidentally halved the starter and milk, are they done for?
They do have a wonderful tasty flavor. I will definitely be making them again. The only thing for me, the last let rest and rise, I let them rest for close to 3 hours on a Summer weather before baking them. They turned out great, no complaints.
This recipe is easy, great on the time estimate, and produced a terrific batch of buns. Has anyone made them into hot dog buns?
I love this recipe, easy and they are deelicious..
Just made these are they were AMAZING! So impressed. Curious on storing options/freezing options? Love this recipe!
Can I knead the dough by hand? Is the amount of time the same?
I don’t have a stand mixer so I used my hands and a rubber spatula and they turned out amazing still
Love to hear that! Thank you for letting us know.
Made them and I thought I had it, but the turned out dense and heavy. I didn’t think I was impatient. I’ll try again.
Amazing recipe! I’ve made these buns numerous times and they’re always delicious!
Can I make this recipe without dry yeast?
I always do! I increase the starter and go a little longer, depending on temperature, and they’ve always been a hit.
If you double the recipe, it does not reflect in the instructions. It just sticks to the instructions for cooking 1 batch.
Yes, that is true. The software only changes the ingredient measurements.
Hi Julie! I’m planning to make these later this week. I would prefer to omit the conventional yeast. Any idea how long the bulk ferment might take? I am an experienced sourdough baker so I can rely on my instincts to a degree, but I’m debating whether I can start them the night before without over fermenting. Let me know your thoughts, and I’ll update how they come out soon!
Hi! You could start them the day before and just do the bulk ferment in the fridge. When you are ready the next day, shape, proof, and bake. Hope you enjoy!
With or without the active dry yeast?
Hi – what could you substitute for the egg in the dough in the case of allergies?
Hi, excited to try this recipe, but I was wondering if I could proof these in the fridge overnight? To add a little bit more fermentation thank you kindly
I also tried doubling the recipe as another person did and was so frustrated that only the ingredients list doubled but this was not reflected in the instructions. I reread the instructions repeatedly thinking I was mistaken. Finally I doubled ingredients on my own yet their was not enough liquid for 800 gr. of flour as listed . I have a stiff dough in my proofing oven and hoping it will not need to be discarded. Please add a disclaimer about doubling the recipe . Thanx
Incredible! These turned out light and fluffy but with a nice crunch on the outside. Will definitely make regularly from now on!
This recipe is amazing! It creates the softest hamburger buns that still hold up the patties & toppings. This recipe is a keeper, thank you!
I added more discard, increased the amount of yeast by 1/2 tsp, and used avocado oil instead of butter. We just had the best burgers ever!
Thanks so for the review! I’m so glad these worked out so well for you!
Thank you for this recipe! I am new at baking with sourdough, and these buns turned out perfect!!! Will definitely be making these again!
Love to hear that! Thank you for letting us know.
Hi! Could I use this same recipe for hot dog buns as well?!
I’ve made this dough twice word for word and I cant get a shaggy dough in the beginning so I mix it extra long and put in extra flour then it becomes sticky shaggy. After I let it proof its a giant pillow and velvet smooth am i doing something wrong becouse it looks nothing like the video I live in idaho and trying this in summer months using peak starter any help would be appreciated
Hi could I make these buns without the dry yeast?
The best sourdough buns! Soft and light and fluffy and not really sour tasting but it just makes them taste better still even if you don’t notice it! Since I make almost only sourdough by now I find it don’t like the taste of yeast breads but I love the fluffiness. These are perfect and they don’t take too long
Buns were awesome!!! Trying to make a loaf in a bread pan next. I’m thinking 400f for 45 minutes? Any recommendations?
I’m attempting to make this now but the bulk rise isn’t working. I followed the directions exactly and weighed all ingredients. The dough hasn’t even grown at all let alone doubled and I’ve been bulk rising it for almost 5 hours. Any suggestions?
Wonderful recipe and helpful video! I make 100 of these hamburger buns every week, and this is by far my favorite recipe. The instructions are perfect, I just figure out the ingredient quantities I need (I usually double or triple the recipe). I only wish my hamburger buns would come out as golden as the ones in the video. No complaints though this is the best sourdough hamburger bun recipe I have found.
Just made these they were good, but I was hoping for more of a moist bun. They were light and fluffy but alittle dry.