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!
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.
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The first recipe of the season, however, is not something that you can grill, skewer or cook on an open flame. It’s a Sourdough recipe to set you up for some ultimate burger that we know you will be making over the summer months! Sourdough is a wonderful dough to use for the burgers. I love that the dough in this recipe is less sticky, but the final result is still airy and soft buns that are perfect for any type of burger you may decide to make!
This recipe makes 6-8 buns, depending on how big you want them. We opted for 6 large buns this time! Whilst these Sourdough Burger Buns take a white to make, the good news is that majority of the work is done a day before you actually bake them. On Day 1, we feed the starter, autolyse, prove the dough, 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!
The buns are best had the same day when they are their lightest, fluffiest, softest self! But if you have any leftover, you can toast them the next day. What is more, these Sourdough Burger Buns freeze beautifully! Simply wrap each bun tightly in clingfilm and pop them in the freezer. When you want to use them, defrost and toast lightly!
Now that you have your burger bun, what do you like to stuff them with? We will be sharing our favourite recipe over the coming months, so keep an eye out, if you’re looking for ideas!
Step-by-Step Sourdough Burger Bun Recipe:
Feed your starter the night before or 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 (we love Kenwood), 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 work a floured surface and form a ball. Place it in a lightly greased 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, 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 double in size.
Cover the bowl and pop the dough in the fridge to prove 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 tsp 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.
For other sourdough ideas, have a look at our recipes, here. Some of our favourites include:
Soft & Fluffy Sourdough Burger Buns
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Dough Hook Attachment
Ingredients
- 225 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 55 ml water lukewarm
- 420 g strong white flour
- 180 ml milk room temperature
- 40 g butter softened
- 2 level tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 medium egg
To Top:
- 1 egg yolk for brushing the tops
- 1 tsp sesasme or nigela seeds or a mixture
Instructions
Day 1:
- Feed your starter the night before or 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 work 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 double in size.
- Cover the bowl and pop the dough in the fridge to prove 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 tsp 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.
Nutrition
Made these for dinner tonight, and they came out great! One thing I’d change for next time would be to use the egg white instead of the yolk, or at at the very least paint less of the mixture on the buns. Some of it dribbled around the edges and I essentially ended up with chunks of egg stuck around the bottom of my buns. Other than that though, great recipe. They’re fluffier than the other sourdough brioche buns I’ve made in the past. Hello from California!
Thanks for the feedback, Ryan! All the way from California too 🙂 I’ve never had this issue with the egg, but using egg whites will definitely work – the buns may be slightly lighter in colour when baked though! Maybe using just a small amount of the eggwash would be better too. Glad they came out fluffy – that’s how we like our buns! 🙂