Soft and fluffy sourdough buns are perfect for sandwiches or your summer BBQs. These fermented rolls make great hamburger buns.
![Overhead photo of sourdough hamburger buns on a wire rack with a sheet pan to the left of hamburger buns on parchment line baking sheet with a bowl of sesame seeds.](https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sourdough-burger-buns-7-1024x683.jpg)
Summer is approaching, and between warm weather, a huge new garden, and an abundance of veggies that come with it, we couldn’t be more excited.
We recently tore down our garden cottage and built raised garden beds. This past week, Luke added a lovely picket fence to protect our soon-to-be prolific garden.
Something else that we look forward to every summer happens to be family barbecues.
There is nothing like a delicious, grass-fed burger on fluffy, sourdough hamburger buns, topped with a fat, juicy slice of homegrown heirloom tomatoes and some homemade pickles.
These would also make great sourdough dinner rolls, but I prefer this recipe for those.
Benefits Of Sourdough
Grains contain phytic acid. Phytic acid is an antinutrient found in grains, beans, and nuts that interferes with the absorption of certain nutrients.
Proper preparation of grains, like fermenting with sourdough, eliminates most, if not all, of the phytic acid.
This is the very reason traditional cultures soaked and fermented their grains, seeds, and beans.
Instead of using instant yeast packets, people in traditional cultures leavened their bread with a fermented starter that captured all the yeasts in the environment.
These days, weโve lost that art, and so many people have a difficult time digesting grains. Letโs bring back the sourdough and fermented grains.
Tips For Making Sourdough Buns:
- Ferment the dough overnight for the most benefits, or make a quick version.
- If you are new to sourdough, make sure to see how to make your own sourdough starter and how to care for it.
- Adding an egg wash to the top gives them a beautiful golden color. This is an optional step. You can also use a little milk instead.
FAQ:
How do you shape a sourdough bun?
Place a small amount of dough on a floured surface and pull the dough up and fold it into itself 3-4 times until a ball forms. Place the dough seam side down.
Why is my sourdough bread so flat?
There could be a few reasons for this:
- The bread was not proofed enough. Allow the buns to double in size on the baking sheet before placing them in the oven.
- Over-proofing. Allowing the dough to proof too long can cause them to be flat. You can reshape them and proof again for a shorter period.
- The temperature was too low during baking.
Why does my sourdough not hold its shape?
If the dough was under kneaded, it may not hold its shape. To fix this, make sure to knead the dough well to improve gluten development.
If your house it too warm and/or you allow the dough to sit out too long, it can become over fermented. This can cause the dough to turn into a gloopy mess.
What does sourdough buns taste like?
Sourdough hamburger buns have a slightly tangy flavor from the fermentation process which is balanced out with a hint of sweetness. They are so delicious.
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Tools you may need:
Grain mill to grind fresh grain (optional)
Measuring cups
Parchment paper
Sourdough Hamburger Buns Ingredients:
Sourdough starter – Active and bubbly. Your sourdough starter should be fed 4-12 hours before starting this recipe. It should be nice and active to give the hamburger buns their rise.
Warm water – The warm water really helps activate the natural yeasts in the starter. Make sure the water isn’t too hot or you risk it killing the starter.
All-purpose flour – Gives it a nice fluffiness. You could also substitute with up to 1/2 whole wheat flour. Water may need to be adjusted a little and the buns will not be as soft.
Coconut oil or butter – Both work. To make this recipe dairy free use coconut oil.
Honey – Or substitute with maple syrup.
Salt – Brings out all the delicious flavors.
Egg – This is considered an enriched dough since it includes eggs and butter. Makes it rich, fluffy, and delicious.
Egg wash (optional step)
- Egg yolk
- Water
How To Make Sourdough Buns
Day 1
- In a stand mixer with a dough hook, add sourdough starter, warm water, all purpose flour, melted butter or coconut oil, honey, salt and egg. Knead for 5-10 minutes with dough hook until smooth and elastic.
- Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap for 8 hours.
- Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and chill covered overnight.
Day 2
Divide the dough into eight equal pieces.
Shape the buns by creating a flat surface on top and tucking the remaining dough underneath. I also like to create a little tension by rotating each bun slightly on a lightly floured surface.
Cover the buns with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and allow to rise until doubled.
Beat the egg yolk and water and brush the tops of the buns with the mixture.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds. (optional)
Bake the buns for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. You want them to be golden on top.
For Quick Buns
- In a stand mixer with a dough hook, add sourdough starter, warm water, all purpose flour, melted butter or coconut oil, honey, egg, and salt. Knead for 5-10 minutes with dough hook.
- Roll into eight balls and place about two inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Let buns rise until doubled, approximately 1-2 hours.
- Beat one egg with milk and lightly brush tops of buns with egg wash, without deflating the risen dough. (optional)
- Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven until lightly browned on top, approximately 25-30 minutes.
- Let cool completely before serving these sourdough buns.
Storage:
Store in an air-tight container. Best if used within 3-4 days. Freeze for longer storage. I love freezing bread. Freezes so well and basically taste like fresh bread.
Baker’s Schedule:
8:00 am: Feed sourdough starter
12:00 pm: Start dough. Allow to rise for about 8 hours or until doubled.
8:00 pm: Place dough in fridge.
The Next Day:
8:00 am: (Or really any time the next day). Take dough out and shape. Allow to rise until doubled. Usually 1-2 hours.
10:00 am: Bake:
Find more of our farmhouse favorites:
- Sourdough Buckwheat Pancakes
- Homemade Sourdough Crackers
- Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- Long Fermented Sourdough Biscuits
- Best Chicken Pot Pie
Sourdough Buns
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter active and bubbly (113g)
- 3/4 cup warm water 177g
- 3 cups all-purpose flour 420g
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or butter 60g
- 3 tablespoons honey 63g
- 1 teaspoon salt 6g
- 1 egg
Egg wash (optional step)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon water
- sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- In a stand mixer with a dough hook, add sourdough starter, warm water, all purpose flour, melted butter or coconut oil, honey, salt and egg. Knead for 5-10 minutes with dough hook until smooth and elastic.
- Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap for 8 hours.
- Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and chill covered overnight.
- Divide the dough into eight equal pieces.
- Shape the buns by creating a flat surface on top and tucking the remaining dough underneath. I also like to create a little tension by rotating each bun slightly on a lightly floured surface.
- Cover the buns with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and allow to rise until doubled.
- Beat the egg yolk and water and brush the tops of the buns with the mixture.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds. (optional)
- Bake the buns for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. You want them to be golden on top.
Notes
- *If you plan to make this recipe without long fermenting you can add all the ingredients (including the egg) in a stand mixer, and skip the fermentation process.
Erica G says
Can I ferment these longer? Maybe 48 to 72 hours in the refrigerator?
Lisa Bass says
Sure can!
Jessica says
Hi Lisa! I love using all your sourdough recipes! I have 2 plum trees on my property that are producing tons right now and I have been preserving a sweet and sour plum sauce (recipe from the book โBatchโ by Joel MacCharles and Dana Harrison, great book!)
ANYWAY my husband said he would love to eat the sauce with steamed buns such as hum bao but I can only eat fermented doughs. Could you maybe add that to your list of someday recipes? I am canning the sauce so I can wait๐ thank you so much for all you do!
Hannah G says
Just pulled these out of the oven not too long ago and they smell incredible and taste amazing!!! SO much better than store bought! These will be my go to from now on- they are perfectly soft and fluffy. The recipe was easy enough for a beginner sourdough gal like myself!
Heather says
Hello!
Starter has been in the fridge …. You think it would work with using it straight from fridge without feeding and letting it get bubbly first?
Sincerely,
Hopeful
Lisa Bass says
It works best if you feed it and let it get bubbly.
Emily says
Can I make this without the egg?
Lisa Bass says
YEs.
Hannah G says
I had a bubbly starter and let it sit in the fridge overnight. The dough was rock hard. Once I warmed it up with my hands I formed them. But and arenโt rising with a damp cloth. ๐ญ thoughts?
Lisa Bass says
Did you let your dough sit in the fridge over night? Is that before or after you let it rise on the counter? The dough needs time to rise on the counter for about 8-12 hours before shaping them into buns and baking.
Faith Rickett says
The family says I canโt buy hamburger buns in-store anymore ๐. I have my second set of buns in bulk ferment as I type (and doubled it to freeze half this time!). Theyโre amazing!
Vanessa M Chaput says
Mine are not rising for the second rise. It has been two hours. Should I wait. They feel so heavy.
Lisa Bass says
You can try baking them. They may just be more dense.
Kristi says
I don’t have any discard right now so I’ll be using active starter for this recipe. Do I still use the yeast or omit that with active starter? (Still new to all things sourdough and I LOVE your website and information.)
Lisa Bass says
You can still use the yeast, since this is a quicker recipe. If you want to achieve a natural rise, you can omit the yeast and let it ferment out on the counter for a 8-12 hours or until risen.
Shelby says
Am I missing something? I donโt see in the recipe where to add yeast? Thank you in advance for clarifying.
Lauren says
I am on vacation with no stand mixer. Have you mixed these by hand?! Any tips?
Lisa Bass says
You can mix them by hand, they just take a bit longer.