Sourdough Hamburger Buns
Made with simple ingredients and no yeast, these Sourdough Hamburger Buns are soft, delicious, and easier to bake than you think. Prepare your sourdough starter to bake perfect buns for burgers and BBQs!
Servings: 8 buns
Calories: 313kcal
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
For the dough
- ½ cup sourdough starter
- 1 cup water
- 2 ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 egg large
- 4 cups bread flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup butter unsalted, melted
For the egg wash
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
Day 1
- In a large bowl, mix sourdough starter, water, egg and melted butter. Make sure the butter is not hot before mixing.
- Add salt, sugar and bread flour, mixing with a spoon or your hands, until dough is formed.
- With a stand mixer, using the dough hook, knead for 4-5 minutes. After that time, the dough should have good elasticity and a decent windowpane. Careful to not overknead the dough! If you’re kneading with a stand mixer, don’t go over 10 minutes, and if doing by hand, 10-15 minutes should be enough.
- Cover the dough with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let it bulk ferment for 3-4 hours in a warm spot. When it gets to 50-70% of its size, store it well covered inside your fridge overnight to cold ferment.
Day 2
- Remove dough from the fridge and divide it into 8 equal pieces over a clean counter. This dough is more on the sticky side, so it’s easier to work with while cold.
- Shape each piece into a ball by folding the dough over itself 4 to 5 times, pinching the ends to close.
- Place shaped buns into a floured and lined (with parchment paper) baking sheet, pinched side down. With the palm of your hand, press each ball down to flatten.
- Cover the buns and let them rise in a warm spot of your kitchen until looking puffy and light. It should take between 2 to 3 hours, depending on the temperature. When fully proofed, buns will be wobbly if you bump the pan.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Whisk the egg yolk with 1 teaspoon of water and brush over each bun gently. Top with sesame seeds, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
- Let them cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
If using cups, start by adding 3 to 3 ½ cups of flour. Only add more if the dough is sticky to knead.
Use a 100% hydration starter.
Do not make an overnight fermentation outside the fridge, or the dough might overproof.
Making buns with whole wheat flour: substitute 1 to 2 cups max of white bread flour with whole wheat flour. For each cup of whole wheat, add 2 teaspoon more of water when making the dough.
Making buns with sourdough discard: add 5g of instant dry yeast when making the dough, let it rise for 1h30, shape the buns and let them rise for another 30-40 minutes before baking.
Tips to get perfect buns:
- If you’re baking during winter, rising/proofing times might be longer. Always check how the dough is, instead of relying on time only.
- Use lukewarm water during winter/if your kitchen runs cold. It makes the dough a bit warmer, which helps the initial rise.
- Before baking, always check if buns are ready. They won’t double in size but should look a bit bigger, puffy and feel lighter.
- If your oven has a proofing function, use it! It helps greatly when baking with sourdough.
- Resist the urge to add more flour. If during kneading, stretching and folding, or shaping, the dough feels too sticky, oil or wet your hands.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bun | Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 492mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 208IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
