Easy Sourdough Hamburger Buns

4.82 from 33 votes

Easy Sourdough Hamburger Buns

Tender, fluffy and made with 100% natural yeast, these easy sourdough burger buns are perfect for your summer BBQ. Sturdy yet soft, these buns are delicious toasted or eaten plain. Enjoy them with your next meal and make them today!

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Fermentation Time12

Total Time12 50

Course: Bread, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: buns

Author: Amy Coyne

Equipment

Ingredients

Levain (overnight, 10-12 hours at 78ºF)

10 grams ripe/active sourdough starter about 1 teaspoon
100 grams all purpose flour about 3/4 cup
100 grams water about 7 Tablespoons

Easy Sourdough Burger Buns

200 grams levain about 3/4 cup
240 grams milk or buttermilk see recipe notes, about 1 cup
1 large egg about 50 grams
40 grams sugar about 3 Tablespoons
515 grams bread flour about 3 2/3 cup
10 grams salt about 1.5 teaspoons
55 grams unsalted butter, softened about 4 Tablespoons

Toppings

1 large egg for egg wash
a splash of water for egg wash
sesame seeds or everything but the bagel seasoning to top

Instructions

Levain (overnight/12 hours at 78ºF)

Mix together 10 grams of ripe and active sourdough starter with 100 grams flour and 100 grams water. Cover and let rise overnight or about 12 hours until it has many bubbles, doubled in size and peaked.

Easy Sourdough Burger Buns

To the bowl of a stand mixer add levain, milk, egg, sugar, most of the bread flour and salt. Mix until completely combined and add the rest of the flour a little bit at a time until the dough is tacky (not super sticky) and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead together for 3-5 minutes until smooth.
Note: If you already have ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter on hand you can substitute 200 grams of it for the levain in this recipe.
Cut the softened butter into 4 pieces and add them one at a time into the center of the dough as it mixes. Continue kneading for another 5 minutes until all the butter is incorporated and the dough is smooth and shiny.
Put the dough in a container, cover it with plastic wrap or bowl cover and set it in a warm place for 4-5 hours. Dough temperature should be 78ºF during this bulk fermentation. If your dough is colder than 78ºF, you will want to extend bulk fermentation. If the dough is warmer, bulk fermentation will be a little shorter.
At the end of bulk fermentation, the dough will have puffed up a little (maybe 30%) and feel smooth and airy. If it hasn't done these things, let it sit for a little longer.
Note: At this point, you have the option to place the dough in the refrigerator overnight or for up to 48 hours. If you decide to refrigerate the dough, you may need to add a little extra time for the buns to rise once shaped.
Dump the dough out onto a countertop. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 130 grams each. Take each piece of dough and pull/pinch up the sides until it forms a ball. Roll the ball on the counter using your hand in a cupping shape (see video here) to seal the balls and create tension for the roll to rise.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place dough balls on the baking sheet apart from each other. Cover the dough and let the buns rise until doubled in size, about 3-4 hours if kept at 78-80ºF. I like to set my covered dough on a proofing mat or in my oven with the light turned on. This keeps the buns in a warm (78-80ºF) environment to rise.
You will know the burger buns have risen when they are puffed up and feel light and airy. The dough will not be hard or stiff. When you push in on the dough it will leave a small indentation in the dough, springing back just a little bit. If the dough springs back completely and the dough feels hard or compact, let it rise another half hour and check on it again. You may need to warm up the dough if it doesn't seem to be rising much.
Once the buns have risen, preheat the oven to 400ºF (remove the buns from the oven first if they are in there for rising). Place a baking stone on the bottom rack of the oven to prevent the bottom of the buns from burning.
Mix together the egg with a splash of water and brush egg wash on top of the buns if desired. Sprinkle with your favorite topping, ie: sesame seeds or "everything but the bagel" seasoning.
Bake for about 18-20 minutes until light brown, baked through and the inside of the bun registers 190º-195ºF. Let cool completely before toasting or using as burger buns. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Milk or Buttermilk: I have made this recipe with both 2% milk and buttermilk. The buns turn out more tender and have a little more sour flavor if you use the buttermilk, but they are delicious with the milk as well.

Flour: I often substitute half whole wheat or khorsan (kamut) flour for the bread flour in this recipe with good results. If you want to make these with all-purpose flour, you may need to add a little extra flour to the dough.

Stand Mixer: If you don't have a stand mixer, it can be difficult to incorporate the butter in this recipe. I would use the recipe for my sourdough hot dog buns that will be easier to knead by hand because it uses melted butter.

Recipe Update: The recipe used to call for extra steam when baking the buns. I took this out of the recipe because I don't usually make the buns this way anymore. If you want to add some extra steam while baking, take a handful of ice cubes and place them in a baking pan. Place the pan on the bottom rack of the oven, immediately adding the pan of burger buns on the rack above the ice cubes to steam while baking.

Nutrition