Soft Sourdough Burger Buns

Our Sourdough Burger Buns are soft and fluffy with a beautiful sourdough tang! If you fancy making your own buns for the burgers at your summer BBQ, this is a great recipe to use. Most work is done a day before you bake them, so you only need to shape, prove and bake them on the day of the BBQ itself! These Sourdough Burger buns are also easier to shape, as the dough is a lot less sticky than the brioche burger bun dough! Get creative by sprinkling some sesame or poppy seeds on top of the buns!

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Sourdough Hamburger Buns For Your Summer BBQ

The BBQ season is officially open here, at Somebody Feed Seb. As a matter of fact, we have been BBQing for over a month now, refining and photographing our favourite recipes. And we had a blast! Eating lovely food in our garden, with our Golden retriever running around hoping to get some of what we’re having.

However, the first recipe of the season is not something you can grill, skewer or cook on an open flame. It’s a Sourdough Burger Buns recipe to set you up for some ultimate burgers that we know you will be making over the summer months!

Why Use Sourdough To Make Soft Burger Buns?

Sourdough is a wonderful dough to use for burgers. Here’s why:

• The dough in this recipe is less sticky, therefore a lot easier to knead (especially if you are doing it by hand). 
• These naturally-leavened burger buns are a lot easier to digest due to the slow fermentation process compared to buns made with commercial instant yeast. 
• The final result is fluffy and soft buns that are perfect for any type of burger you may decide to make – meaty or vegetarian. 
• Finally, who can resist a signature sourdough flavor?

A Few Things To Note

• This recipe makes 6-8 buns, depending on how big you want them. We opted for 6 large buns this time, but you can easily make 8 smaller ones or 14-16 sourdough slider buns.
• Make sure to use your sourdough starter at its peak, when the wild yeast colonies are at their strongest. Also, avoid using an acidic starter – your dough won’t rise as much, producing less fluffy sourdough buns and they will taste too sour. 
• You may substitute up to ⅓ of white bread flour for strong whole wheat flour. 
• Whilst these Sourdough Burger Buns take a while to make, the good news is that the majority of the work is done a day before you actually bake them. Remember to start making them the day before you want to serve them!
• These Sourdough Hamburger Buns are best served the same day, but also taste wonderful lightly toasted the next day.

Step-by-Step Sourdough Burger Bun Recipe

This is a 2-day recipe: on Day 1, we feed the starter, autolyse, prove the dough, and then leave it to finish proving in the fridge overnight. On Day 2, all you need to do is shape 6 buns, leave them for a couple of hours to double in size and bake!

DAY 1: Make The Dough & Proof

Feed your starter first thing in the morning to be used when it’s at its peak (at least double in size). Your starter should double within 4 hours at room temperature (22-24 C). If it doesn’t, unfortunately, your starter may be too weak in this highly enriched dough. You will need to feed your starter again before you make these soft hamburger buns.

To the bowl of a stand mixer (we love Kenwood), add the active sourdough starter, water and 70g of strong flour. Mix to a rough dough, cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rest (autolyse) for an hour.

Measure out 180ml of milk and leave it to come to room temperature. Leave the butter out of the fridge to soften as well.

After an hour. Add the milk, sugar, and the remaining 350g of flour, salt and egg to your dough. With a dough hook attachment, knead the dough for about 3 minutes. One bit at a time, start adding the butter to the dough with the mixer running. Mix until the butter is fully incorporated, for about 5 minutes.

Scoop the dough out onto a floured work surface and form a dough ball. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with clingfilm (we recommend Kirkland Signature Cling Film – it is strong and lasts forever) and leave in a warm spot.

After 30 minutes, with a wet hand, lift one side of the dough and fold it into the centre. Repeat with the other three sides. Then flip the dough over. Alternatively, perform coil folds. Cover and leave again for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, fold and stretch again using your preferred method. Do so two more times (4 times in total).

After the last stretch, cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm spot to let the dough rise for another 1-2 hours. The dough should almost double in size. It will finish proving the fridge.

Cover the bowl and pop the dough in the fridge to prove overnight.

DAY 2: Shape, Proof & Bake Sourdough Burger Buns

The next morning, line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Carefully scoop the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Shape each piece of dough into a tight ball, using a bench scraper and your hands and place each of them onto a baking parchment-lined baking sheet. TIP: Use a large roasting tip with high rims, so you can cover it without touching the tops of the buns.

Cover the tray and leave the buns to rise until almost doubled in size (it takes about 1.5-3 hours depending on the temperature).

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 200°C Fan. Beat an egg yolk with a teaspoon of water (or milk) in a small bowl. Brush the tops of the shaped buns with the egg wash and sprinkle each bun with nigella or sesame seeds, if using.

Bake the buns for about 14-16 minutes. Your buns should be golden brown. Transfer the baked buns onto a cooling rack to cool.

Recipe FAQs

Burger Ideas

If you are looking for inspiration or simply want to try a new burger recipe that will take your summer bbq experience to the next level, we have a selection of burger recipes here. Some of our favourites include:

• Beetroot Burgers with Goat’s Cheese (Vegetarian)
• Vietnamese Burger Banh Mi Style
• Pulled Chicken Burger With Sweet Chilli
• Asian-Style Satay Jackfruit Burger with Sesame Wedges (Vegan)
• Ultimate Halloumi Burgers with Chimichurri Mayonnaise (Vegetarian)

What is more, you can turn this Sourdough Hamburger Bun Recipe into Hot Dog Buns recipe. Simply change the way to shape the buns to create long ovals instead of balls.

Other Sourdough Recipes

For other sourdough ideas, have a look at our recipes, here. Some of our favourite things to hill our homemade burger buns include: 

• Date & Coffee Sourdough with Spelt Flour
• Overnight Sourdough Olive Focaccia
• Soft Sourdough Pretzels

And if you are now left with a lot of sourdough discard, have a look at some of our best sourdough discard recipes that will have you salivating!

Recipe Card

Soft Sourdough Burger Buns

Our Sourdough Burger Buns are soft and fluffy with a wonderful sourdough tang! If you fancy making your own buns for the burgers at your summer BBQ, this is a great recipe to use. Most work is done a day before you bake them, so you only need to shape, prove and bake on the day of the BBQ itself! These Sourdough Burger buns are also easier to shape, as the dough is a lot less sticky than the brioche burger bun dough!

5 from 11 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Autolyse & Proving: 16 hours hrs

Total Time 17 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Sourdough

Servings 6 large buns

Calories 349 kcal

Equipment

• Stand Mixer with Dough Hook Attachment

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• 225 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration
• 55 ml water lukewarm
• 420 g strong bread flour
• 180 ml milk room temperature
• 40 g butter softened
• 1½ teaspoon caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 medium egg

To Top:

• 1 egg yolk + 1 teaspoon water or milk
• 1 teaspoon sesasme or nigela seeds or a mixture

Instructions

 

Day 1:

• Feed your starter first thing in the morning to be used when it's at its peak (at least doubled in size).
• To the bowl of your stand mixer, add the starter, water and 70g of strong flour. Mix to a rough dough, cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave to autolyse for an hour.
• Measure out 180ml of milk and leave it to come to room temperature. Leave the butter out of the fridge to soften as well.
• After an hour. Add the milk, sugar, the remaining 350g of flour, salt and egg to your dough. With a dough hook attachment, knead the dough for about 3 minutes. One bit at a time, start adding the butter to the dough with the mixer running. Mix until the butter is fully incorporated, for about 5 minutes.
• Scoop the dough out onto a floured surface and form a ball. Place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm spot.
• After 30 minutes, lift one side of the dough and fold it into the centre. Repeat with the other three sides. Then flip the dough over. Alternatively, perform coil folds. Cover and leave again for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, fold and stretch again using your prefered method. Do so two more times (4 times in total). Cover and leave in a warm spot to prove for another 1-2 hours. The dough should almost, but not quite double in size.
• Cover the bowl and pop the dough in the fridge to finish proving overnight.

Day 2:

• In the morning, carefully scoop the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Shape each into a tight smooth ball and place onto a baking parchment-lined baking tray. TIP: Use a large roasting tip with high rims, so you can cover it without toughing the tops of the buns.
• Cover the tray and leave the rolls to rise until almost doubled in size (it takes about 1.5-3 hours depending on the temperature).
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 200°C. Beat an egg yolk with a teaspoon of water. Brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle each bun with nigella or sesame seeds, if using.
• Bake the buns for about 14-16 minutes. Your buns should be golden brown. Transfer them onto a wire rack to cool.

Notes

These burger buns are best served on the day that they are baked. However, if you have leftovers, store the buns in an airtight container, and toast lightly the next day. 

Nutrition

Calories: 349kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 10gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 446mgPotassium: 124mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 231IUCalcium: 54mgIron: 1mg

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