These Sourdough Burger Buns are deliciously golden on the top and light and soft in the middle. Perfect for burgers, brisket, BBQ pulled pork or artisan sandwiches, you will love these sourdough burger buns!
If you are into baking sourdough breads like me, you need this recipe in your sourdough recipes arsenal. I have tried many sourdough burger buns recipes over the years, and have always been wondering what could make them better. They were either too chewy, you know the kind, where your jaw gets tired from working so hard? Too dry, or just not flavorful enough.
For this sourdough burger buns recipe, I decided to go back to the drawing board. I thought about what type of sourdough bread would make the best burger buns, and I came to the conclusion that a brioche style burger bun is just what I was wanting. But not too dense, as brioche can sometimes be.
I finally came up with this recipe and I have to say, it was a hit with our family and friends. If you have been searching for the perfect sourdough burger buns recipe, I hope you will give these a try!
Is sourdough bread good for burgers?
Most burger bun recipes call for yeast, which is manufactured to make dough rise quickly. When baking with sourdough starter, the dough fermentation takes a longer amount of time because it is relying on the wild yeasts in the air.
The benefits of using a sourdough starter instead of commercial yeast are vast. Giving the dough time to ferment allows the wheat and phytic acid to be pre-digested, making it more easily digestible and acting as a prebiotic. Sourdough burger buns are an excellent way to make a burger delicious and much healthier!
a note on weighing ingredients vs measuring in cups…
I feel like I need to touch on why I make my sourdough recipes in weight measurements versus volume by cups. When my second baby was about 3 months old, I started my sourdough starter. I was so excited to start making delicious sourdough bread, so I began trying recipes! Most of the recipes I could find online were all measured using cups.
Sometimes my attempt at making a sourdough recipe turned out excellent.. and then the next time I made the same recipe, it was, well.. not so great. It tasted fine mostly, but the inconsistent results were frustrating. Once I started baking sourdough recipes which were measured by weight using a kitchen scale, I realized that the results were consistently the same.
As I began to develop my own sourdough recipes, an important part to me was consistent results when made multiple times. I know using a kitchen scale might be a little intimidating or even seem frustrating at first, but I promise, once you are familiar with it and see how the recipes turn out right every time, I think you will also become a fan of using weighing your ingredients vs measuring for sourdough recipes!
How to Make Sourdough Burger Buns
Tools you will need:
- Stand Mixer or Dough Whisk/Large Wooden or Glass Bowl
- Kitchen Scale
- Bench Scraper
- 2 Baking Sheets
- Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Mats
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients:
- 180 g Active Sourdough Starter
- 285 g Filtered Water
- 145 g Whole Milk
- 43 g honey
- 2 Large Eggs
- 600 g unbleached All-Purpose Flour – I purchase my flour in bulk through Azure Standard!
- 64 g unsalted butter, room temperature (Kerrygold is my favorite!)
- 17 g sea salt
Combine the ingredients
Whisk together the starter, water, milk, honey and eggs till combined. Add the flour, unsalted butter (room temperature) and salt. If using a stand mixer, mix using the dough hook attachment on medium – med/high for 10-15 minutes till the dough pulls away clean from the sides of the bowl. If mixing by hand, use a dough whisk to combine everything and then perform stretch and folds every 30 minutes repeating that process 4-6 times until the dough is holding its shape and is smooth.
Bulk Rise
After mixing or stretching/folding, cover the bowl with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled. Usually around 6-12 hours depending on temperature/climate and maturity of the sourdough starter.
Refrigerate
Once doubled, place the dough covered in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours and up to 24 hours. This is to slow the fermentation process down so that the dough does not overproof, while still allowing the sourdough to process break down the phytic acids and gluten, which is what many people are sensitive to when consuming gluten. Refrigerating the dough also will make shaping the buns so much easier since this is a wetter dough.
Shape sourdough burger buns
After the dough has chilled, scrape it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts for 12 buns. You can eyeball this or actually weigh it out to get uniform sized buns.
Shape the buns by folding the outer edges into the middle until a little ball is formed. To build tension, push the dough on the work surface away from you and then pull it back towards you several times using your hand or a bench scraper.
Second Rise (shorter time)
Place the dough balls on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets. Cover with a light weight tea towel and let the dough rise for another 1-4 hours until doubled in size (again, timing depends on temperature/climate).
Egg Wash + Bake Sourdough Burger Buns
Once the sourdough burger buns have doubled in size, gently apply an egg wash (1 egg + 1 TBS milk) to the tops of the burger buns using a basting brush.
Bake in a 375 oven for 25-30 minutes until the buns are a warm golden color. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before cutting and serving. Enjoy!
Store any extra buns in an airtight container at room temperature or in a linen bread bag and bread box for a few days.
Pin these sourdough burger buns for later!
OTHER SOURDOUGH RECIPES TO TRY!
- Sourdough Orange Cinnamon Rolls
- Artisan Rustic Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Bagels
- Sourdough Croissants
- Sourdough Dinner Rolls
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love to know! Come back and leave a review! Tag me on Instagram @oursimplegraces
The Best Sourdough Burger Buns
These Sourdough Burger Buns are deliciously golden on the top and light and soft in the middle. Perfect for burgers, brisket, BBQ pulled pork or artisan sandwiches, you will love these sourdough burger buns!
Ingredients
- 180 g Active Sourdough Starter
- 285 g Filtered Water
- 145 g Whole Milk
- 43 g Honey
- 2 Large Eggs
- 600 g unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 64 g unsalted butter, room temperature (Kerrygold is my favorite!)
- 17 g sea salt
Instructions
Combine the ingredients
- Whisk together the starter, water, milk, honey and eggs till combined.
- Add the flour, unsalted butter (room temperature) and salt.
- If using a stand mixer, mix using the dough hook attachment on medium - med/high for 10-15 minutes till the dough pulls away clean from the sides of the bowl. If mixing by hand, use a dough whisk to combine everything and then perform stretch and folds every 30 minutes repeating that process 4-6 times until the dough is holding its shape and is smooth.
Bulk Rise
- After mixing or stretching/folding, cover the bowl with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled. Usually around 6-12 hours depending on temperature/climate and maturity of the sourdough starter.
Refrigerate
- Once doubled, place the dough covered in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
Shape Sourdough Burger Buns
- After the dough has chilled, scrape it out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal parts for 12 buns. You can eyeball this or actually weigh it out to get uniform sized buns.
- Shape the buns by folding the outer edges into the middle until a little ball is formed. To build tension, push the dough on the work surface away from you and then pull it back towards you several times using your hand or a bench scraper.
Second Rise (shorter time)
- Place the dough balls on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets.
- Cover with a light weight tea towel and let the dough rise for another 1-4 hours until doubled in size (again, timing depends on temperature/climate).
Egg Wash + Bake Sourdough Burger Buns
- Once the sourdough burger buns have doubled in size, gently apply an egg wash (1 egg + 1 TBS milk) to the tops of the burger buns using a basting brush.
- Bake in a 375℉ oven for 25-30 minutes until the buns are a warm golden color. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before cutting and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Store any extra buns in an airtight container at room temperature or in a linen bread bag and bread box for a few days.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 277Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 569mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 8g
I am very popular around here for my bbq burgers, I’ll make a name now for myself with these
I have been wanting a good sourdough burger bun recipe with no added yeast, thanks so much!
There’s so much liquid it’s not getting to the point of separating and I’ve added so much flour already- are these numbers right?
Over time the gluten will begin to strengthen and it should start to hold together better with the stretch and folds or mixing. In the beginning it is definitely going to seem pretty liquidy.
Can you use 1/2 and 1/2 for a milk substitute? We only have coconut milk but also have 1/2 and 1/2.
I think the half and half should work, I’m not sure how coconut milk would affect the recipe.
I’m so glad to come across this post! I love making sourdough bread for toast and sandwiches, but haven’t stepped out to try much else. I can’t stand the cheapo burger buns they sell in the grocery store, so this is definitely something I want to try. Thanks for sharing!
These look so delicious! Always looking for new sourdough recipes to try:) Printed for later!
Thank you! I hope y’all love them! 🙂
I have tried so many sourdough recipes for buns. THIS IS THE ONE!! Thank you so much for sharing. I am trying to omit yeast from my breads, and so I am now considering other recipes on your pages. Thank you so much. I spray the buns with water and sprinkle on black sesame seeds. So good.
Yay I’m so happy to hear this recipe is working well for you!! The sesame seeds sound like a great addition, too! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi! I am trying to my keys are used to put measurements, but the dough is not pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Should I just add more flour?
Hi! Are you using a stand mixer or mixing by hand? If using a stand mixer, it takes about 10-15 minutes of mixing and it will start to pull from the sides. If mixing by hand, you will just stretch and fold, it won’t totally pull from the sides though. Hope that is helpful!
Is it two eggs in the mix and then another egg for the egg wash? I’m wondering if that’s why my dough is so wet as well – only thought was maybe one egg in the dough and one for the wash?
Yes this is a very wet dough, both eggs go into the dough mixture.
I had the same problem. I had to add almost a full cup more flour.
Hi! Yes, this is definitely a wetter dough, which is why I recommend not skipping the cold fermentation step. Using flour when shaping helps as well. Thanks for trying the recipe!
There istoo much liquid in this recepie, dough is spreading too much and doesn’t keep shape
Hi! I’m sorry the dough isn’t holding its shape for you. Did you refrigerate the dough before shaping? You can try reducing the liquid amount if your starter was very high hydration. Thanks for trying out the recipe!
Is there a replacement for honey?
You could use sugar or maple syrup as a substitute, use the same amount as the honey.
I followed this recipe exactly using a scale… the dough is way too liquidy. I used my mixer and even after 25 minutes it was not pulling away from the sides. I added some stretch and folds to help and then just let it bulk rise and put it in the fridge overnight to see if maybe it would turn out. No it didn’t. It was just a sticky runny mess that you couldn’t shape into anything. Ended up making focaccia out of it so it wasn’t a complete waste of ingredients. Definitely needs less liquid/more flour or something. I really wanted this to turn out because it sounded delicious!!
I have made this bun recipe twice and both batches came out so delicious. The first batch I did the stretch and fold method after mixing in the stand mixer for 10 minutes. The second batch I used the stand mixer for a full 15 minutes waiting for the dough to pull away from the sides of the bowl, which never happened. Both batches turned out very, very wet even after the bulk fermentation. I thought I did something wrong but divided the super sticky mess anyway. I’m glad I did because the taste of these buns are out-of-this-world! Also, we like smaller portions, so I made these half the size and were perfect for our pulled pork sliders. Yep – 24 of these delicious beauties! And they freeze well too.
I love it! So glad they worked well for you!! You are right, the dough is very sticky! Sometimes refrigerating the dough for a bit before shaping helps with that 🙂 thanks for trying the recipe and sharing!