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    Home » SOURDOUGH » ACTIVE STARTER

    Soft Sourdough Burger Buns

    Published: June 4, 2021 · Updated: July 1, 2022 by Ieva · This post may contain affiliate links · 18 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    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!

    Take Me To:
    • Sourdough Hamburger Buns For Your Summer BBQ
    • Why Use Sourdough To Make Soft Burger Buns?
    • A Few Things To Note
    • Step-by-Step Sourdough Burger Bun Recipe
      • DAY 1: Make The Dough & Proof
      • DAY 2: Shape, Proof & Bake Sourdough Burger Buns
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Burger Ideas
    • Other Sourdough Recipes
    • Recipe Card

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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!

    Vietnamese Banh Mi Burgers in a Sourodugh Burger bun.
    Vietnamese Style Banh Mi Burger in a Sourdough Bun

    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.
    Sourdough Hamburger Buns on a gray linen tea towel.

    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.

    Sourdough starter fermenting in a glass jar.

    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.

    Sourdough gathered on a dough hook attachment in a stand mixer bowl.
    Sourdough ball in a metal bowl covered with cling film.
    Sourdough in a metal bowl after proofing in the fridge overnight.

    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).

    Sourodugh divided into 6 equal pieces.
    Sourodugh Burger buns proofing in a baking tray with high rims.
    Sourdough Hamburger Buns with eggwas and sesame seeds on top.

    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

    How To Store Homemade Hamburger Buns?

    These homemade buns are best had the same day when they are their lightest, fluffiest, softest selves! But if you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container overnight. 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 them and toast them lightly! 

    What Flour To Use In This Sourdough Burger Buns Recipe?

    We recommend using strong bread flour in most sourdough recipes. Strong flour has higher gluten content compared to all purpose flour which makes the structure of the buns better. What is more, they won’t spread out as much on their second proof and will rise better in the oven. For the fluffiest soft burger buns, use white flour in this recipe!

    Soft Burger Buns cut in half on a wooden chopping board.

    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

    Sourdough Burger Buns on a grey tea towel.

    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
     
     

    • 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
    Keyword How to Make Sourdough Burger Buns, Soft Sourdough Buns, Sourdough Bun Recipe, Sourdough Buns, Sourdough Buns for Burgers, Sourdough Burger Bun Recipe, Sourdough Burger Buns, Sourdough Ideas, Sourdough recipes
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Pin for Pinterest.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chef Mireille

      June 15, 2021 at 3:31 pm

      5 stars
      Easy and straightfroward—–i mixed up the buns and had some plain and sprinkled black sesame seeds on some—-They all turned out great.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        June 15, 2021 at 6:50 pm

        Thanks, Chef Mireille! 😍

        Reply
    2. Ryan

      July 11, 2021 at 1:19 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        July 11, 2021 at 9:44 am

        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! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Danielle

      August 01, 2021 at 1:28 pm

      5 stars
      I was drooling looking at these photos – I LOVE fresh bread. Can’t wait to try these!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        August 01, 2021 at 8:51 pm

        Absolutely! Fresh bread is the most delicious thing, especially homemade! Hope you like these buns!

        Reply
    4. Claudia Lamascolo

      September 30, 2021 at 6:17 pm

      5 stars
      my husband is a huge fan of sour dough I need to make this recipe those buns look better than anything I ever seen before nicely done!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        September 30, 2021 at 7:51 pm

        Thanks so much, Claudia! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Cyndy

      July 02, 2022 at 2:21 pm

      5 stars
      Loved the flavor of these buns! We used them for pulled pork and they were so light, fluffy, and flavorful. Thanks for all the tips and tricks too!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        July 03, 2022 at 11:49 am

        Thanks for the lovely feedback, Cyndy! Glad they turned out wonderful 🙂 And what a better way to use them… LOVE pulled pork!

        Reply
    6. Michelle

      July 11, 2022 at 8:35 pm

      5 stars
      Far superior to your average bun! These turned out amazing

      Reply
      • Ieva

        July 12, 2022 at 8:32 am

        Thanks for giving them a try! Glad you enjoyed them 😍

        Reply
    7. Sisley

      September 20, 2022 at 11:33 am

      5 stars
      They are so worth taking the time to make. They were delicious.

      Reply
    8. Dina Miller

      April 02, 2023 at 11:06 am

      5 stars
      Wow! We had been in the search for soft hamburger sourdough buns! Made these! I put everything but the bagel on half. Had grilled chicken sandwiches made with these! So good! Also love the tips!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        April 03, 2023 at 6:50 am

        Thanks, Dina! Lovely feedback! Must be lovely with everything but the bagel!

        Reply
    9. Kate

      May 02, 2023 at 9:57 am

      5 stars
      So much more flavor than regular burger buns!

      Reply
    10. Dannii

      May 22, 2023 at 12:50 pm

      5 stars
      These buns were incredible. Much easier to make than I thought they would be. Will definitely be making them again.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        May 23, 2023 at 6:47 am

        Yay! Thanks, Dannii! Glad you liked them 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi, I am Ieva – the face behind this blog. I live in North Wales with my husband Seb and our golden retriever Sawyer. It’s safe to say that I live and breathe food: from researching and reading about food to creating new recipes and growing vegetables to use in my cooking.  The great thing is, Seb appreciates all the good meals that are also essential at his worst ‘hangry’ moments! Somebody HAS to feed Seb…

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