Sourdough Burger Buns
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If you have a bubbly jar of sourdough on your counter and burgers slated for the grill, these sourdough burger buns are just the thing you need to make next. They rely solely on active sourdough starter (no store bought yeast needed!) and yield soft, perfectly tangy burger buns. Once you’ve tasted them, you’ll never want to buy them from the supermarket again.
Super Soft Sourdough Burger Buns
I’ve been holding out on you a bit with this sourdough burger bun recipe. It’s been in regular rotation in my kitchen for over a year and a half now, and I even served them at last year’s 4th of July party. With another Independence Day just around the corner, I thought it was about time to finally share the recipe!
They transform any burger (or smash burger) into a gourmet experience–soft and fluffy, with just the right amount of tang from the sourdough.
Serve them alongside macaroni salad, potato salad, broccoli salad and more for the perfect cookout lineup.
Why This Recipe WORKS
- Incredibly soft. Using a stand mixer means we can add minimal extra flour to the dough, resulting in a super soft texture. I do provide instructions for making the recipe without a mixer in case you don’t have one, but I recommend using one for best results.
- No supplemental store bought yeast. Just like with my sourdough bagels and sourdough pretzels, we are strictly using homegrown yeast from sourdough starter here today. That means these are TRUE sourdough hamburger buns!
- Time = best flavor, texture, and digestibility. Baking with sourdough is always an exercise in patience (and perhaps planning, too). Letting the dough ferment overnight allows the flavors to develop and creates a better crumb. It also makes the buns easier to digest.
- Not just for burgers! You can use these buns for just about any type of sandwich. My husband even uses leftover buns to make breakfast sandwiches with crispy bacon and scrambled eggs!
Ingredients
Before we begin, let’s chat about a few of the key ingredients in today’s recipe. Keep scrolling if you’re ready to get started!
- Active sourdough starter. You want your sourdough starter to be nice and bubbly for this recipe. If you don’t have sourdough starter, but still want to make this recipe, head on over to my post on how to make a sourdough starter to get the process started.
- Oil. I recommend olive oil, but you could use any neutral cooking oil. Avocado oil would also work well here!
- Honey. Just two tablespoons helps jump-start the yeast in our starter but also adds depth of flavor and moisture to the dough, making the buns flavorful and soft.
- Bread flour. Bread flour is my preference for the best texture, but if I don’t have any in my pantry I’ll still make these sourdough burger buns with all-purpose flour instead. We’ll start with four cups and add additional as needed, but sparingly so. If you recall from my pizza dough recipe, any time you’re working with a bread-type recipe like this, the amount of flour you need to add will often vary.
- Sesame seeds. These are optional, but they add a nice finishing touch (sprinkle them on the buns before baking). You can skip them if you prefer!
As always, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why, and I hope it’s helpful to you! For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
Sam’s Tip: No Starter? No Problem.
You can still make tasty burger buns even if you don’t have sourdough starter! Give my classic burger buns or potato buns a try instead.
How to Make Sourdough Burger Buns
(Step-by-Step)
- Make the dough. Combine all ingredients (except for egg wash) until you have a shaggy dough. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding additional flour only as needed. This will take 5-10 minutes with a stand mixer or 10-15 minutes if kneading by hand.
- First rise + overnight ferment. Cover your dough and let it rise at room temperature until doubled, then place in the fridge to ferment overnight.
- Shape & second rise. Divide the dough into 10 even pieces and shape each one into a smooth ball. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and cover with a greased piece of parchment or plastic wrap. Let rise until puffed, about 1-2 hours.
- Egg wash & bake. Brush egg wash over each bun and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired. Bake one tray at a time for 15 minutes or until golden brown on the outside and 190-195F on the inside.
Sam’s Tip
When rolling the dough into bun shapes, make sure to create some surface tension; I usually pull the surface taut with my fingers and pinch the seam closed underneath. If you need a visual of this process, I demonstrate it in my video for my sourdough dinner rolls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, and I provide instructions for doing so in the recipe card below.
Note that making this dough by hand will likely require more flour, as it’s a stickier dough and prone to sticking to your hands as you knead it. As a result, your sourdough burger buns might be a bit less soft.
Of course! But they aren’t just for burgers. We use these buns for pulled pork, pulled chicken, and so much more. You could even shape them into logs for hot dogs or grilled sausage! The possibilities are endless (and delicious!).
This dough is fairly sticky by design; it’s what makes the buns so soft! If you need to add more flour to make the dough more manageable, you can; however, this will affect the final texture of your buns.
More Cookout Recipes
Looking for more ways to use up your sourdough starter? Check out my full collection of sourdough recipes!
Enjoy!
And PS: I waited so long to share this recipe because I’m always unsure how interested you, dear reader, are in sourdough recipes. Do you want to see more? Fewer? I’m all ears, so feel free to leave me a comment and let me know!
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Sourdough Burger Buns
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup (150 g) active, bubbly sourdough starter
- 1 ¼ cup (295 ml) warm water, (about 100F/38C)
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons (42 g) honey
- 1 large egg
- 4 cups (500 g) bread flour, + additional as needed
- 2 teaspoons (13 g) table salt
For brushing (optional, but gives a nice deeper golden color)
- 1 egg, (any size)
- 1 teaspoon water
- Sesame seeds, optional
Instructions
- Before you begin, note that this dough requires 5-8 hours of resting at room temperature followed by a 12+ hour overnight fermentation in the refrigerator. I recommend preparing the dough in the morning or early afternoon, allowing it to rise before moving it to the fridge for an overnight ferment, and then baking the buns the next day.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (see note if making by hand) combine sourdough starter, water, olive oil, honey, egg, bread flour, and salt. Stir until a shaggy dough forms and no dry flour streaks remain. If kneading by hand, stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until combined.⅔ cup (150 g) active, 1 ¼ cup (295 ml) warm water, 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, 2 Tablespoons (42 g) honey, 1 large egg, 4 cups (500 g) bread flour, 2 teaspoons (13 g) table salt
- Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead the dough on low speed for 5-10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic but still slightly tacky. Add additional flour only as needed, about 1 Tablespoon at a time. If kneading by hand: transfer to a clean lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 10-15 minutes, adding flour as necessary but sparingly so the dough remains soft. Return dough to mixing bowl.
- Cover mixing bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size (about 5-8 hours), then transfer to the refrigerator to rest overnight.
The next day:
- Prepare two baking sheets by lining with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn it out onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Divide into 10 even pieces (approximately 100g per roll). Shape each piece into a smooth ball (the dough may be sticky at this stage, this is fine), pulling the surface taut and pinching the seam closed underneath to create tension on the surface.
- Place buns onto prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2” (5cm) apart. Cover with a lightly oiled piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper (oil-side facing the buns) and let rise at room temperature until noticeably puffed, about 1-2 hours.
- Once dough is nearly finished rising, preheat oven to 375F (190C). Prepare an egg wash (if using) by whisking together egg and water until combined.1 egg, 1 teaspoon water
- Use a pastry brush to brush each burger bun all over the surface with egg wash (if using), then sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.Sesame seeds
- Bake one tray at a time in the center rack of your 375F (190C) preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until rolls are beginning to deepen in color and the internal temperature when temped with an instant read thermometer reads between 190-195F (88-90C). Allow to cool then slice and use as desired.
Notes
Making without a stand mixer
I prefer and recommend a stand mixer for this recipe as it allows you to maintain a stickier dough without adding the additional flour that’s usually necessary to knead by hand. This allows for softer, fluffier burger buns. However, it will work if made by hand, just note hand-kneading often requires a bit more flour to manage the sticky dough, which can yield slightly less-soft buns.Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Rolls may also be tightly wrapped in plastic then stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months (I recommend slicing before freezing).Rest/rising time: Rise times are estimates and can vary significantly depending on the strength of your starter and the temperature of your kitchen.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Yes to sourdough recipes! Please and thank you!
I hope you love these burger buns, Julie! I will definitely keep developing more sourdough recipes. 🙂