One Hour Sourdough Discard Burger Buns

4.92 from 112 votes

One Hour Sourdough Discard Burger Buns

Sourdough burger buns that take an hour from start to finish. These buns are light, tender and the perfect complement to a nice juicy burger. Life is too short for store-bought burger buns! Give these sourdough discard burger buns a try at your next family BBQ.

Prep Time12

Cook Time18

Rise Time30

Total Time1

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Servings: buns

Author: Amy Coyne

Equipment

Ingredients

380 grams warm water see recipe notes, about 1 1/2 cups
200 grams sourdough discard see recipe notes, about 3/4 cup
30 grams granulated sugar 2 Tablespoons
20 grams instant yeast 2 Tablespoons, see recipe note
1 large egg about 50 grams
55 grams unsalted butter, melted about 4 Tablespoons
20 grams salt 1 Tablespoon
830 grams bread flour about 5.5 - 6.5 cups
1 large egg for egg wash, 50 grams
sprinkle of sesame seeds if desired

Instructions

To the bowl of a stand mixer add the warm water (around 100ºF) and sourdough discard. Mix together quickly. If your discard is cold from the fridge, it is especially important to use warm water to warm up the dough. Add in the sugar and instant yeast. Watch for the yeast to activate - you will notice a yeasty smell and the yeast will start to clump together. Add the egg, melted butter and salt. Mix again.
With the dough hook running, add the bread flour, reserving about a cup of flour to add in at the end so you don't over-flour the dough. Dough should be tacky and not overly sticky. Knead for about 5-7 minutes until the dough forms a cohesive ball and is smooth and elastic.
Note: This dough can also be mixed together by hand in a large bowl. Knead for 7-8 minutes until smooth.
Turn the dough out of the mixer and onto the countertop. Cut the dough into twelve equal pieces, about 130 grams each. Shape each piece of dough into a ball. Take each piece of dough and pull/pinch up the sides until it forms a ball. Roll the ball on the counter, holding your hand in a cupping shape to seal the balls and create tension.You can see how I shape rolls here.
Note: If you'd like to let the dough bulk rise, place the dough in a container. Cover the dough and let rise until doubled. Then proceed with the recipe as written.
Place the buns on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Put your hand on top of each bun and lightly push down to form a wider burger shape.
Cover the rolls and place them in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes. This quick rise is going to be very dependent on the temperature of your dough. Keep your dough warm if you want them to rise quickly. If you don't notice much rise, leave them for a few minutes longer. Sometimes I will leave them in the oven with the pilot light on (do not turn the oven on) to encourage a good, quick rise.
Preheat the oven to 425ºF (pull the buns out of the oven if you are proofing them in there BEFORE you turn the oven on).
While the oven preheats, mix together the egg wash: crack an egg and add a splash of water. Whisk together with a fork. Lightly brush the egg wash over each bun. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
Bake the buns for about 15-18 minutes until golden brown and reach 190ºF inside. Allow to cool completely before slicing and enjoying with your burgers.

Notes

Water: The temperature of the water and the sourdough discard have a big impact on how quickly this dough rises. Make sure the water is fairly warm (around 100ºF) to make this dough rise quickly.

Sourdough Discard: I use 100% hydration sourdough discard in discard recipes. You can also use fresh, bubbly sourdough starter or discard that’s been in your refrigerator for a week or longer, if you like the flavor of older discard. You can use it straight out of the fridge if you use very warm water to mix your dough.

Instant Yeast: In order to get the quick rise, this recipe calls for a lot of instant yeast. It's about 2-3 packages or 2 Tablespoons of instant yeast.

Whole Wheat Flour: I have made this recipe using freshly milled white wheat flour. Hold back about 50 grams of flour when mixing the dough and only add it in if needed. If you're just starting out with whole wheat I recommend half whole wheat and half bread flour. The buns won't rise quite as high with whole wheat but will have more flavor.

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