Your favorite burgers deserve these fantastic sourdough hamburger buns! They are soft and fluffy with the irresistible flavor of sourdough. Make the dough in the morning and serve them for dinner.
Table of Contents
Here's a simple recipe for sourdough hamburger buns made with all-natural yeast from a sourdough starter and a no-fuss dough. It yields buns with a light golden crust and a soft yet sturdy texture that can hold a burger patty without falling apart.
My favorite part of these hamburger buns has got to be the flavor: they have the mild but unmistakable tang of sourdough that won't overpower the flavor of the burger patties and other toppings you add to them. I particularly love these sourdough hamburger buns for bold-flavored veggie burgers like spicy black bean burgers and Moroccan chickpea burgers. Toast the buns to make them divinely crispy.
One of the most common frustrations for bakers can be the time it takes to make sourdough bread. Natural yeast organisms simply don't work as fast as added yeast do. I designed these buns so you can start them in the morning and get them out of the oven just in time for dinner, so long as your sourdough starter is very active and bubbly. It won't be as quick as my whole wheat burger buns recipe, but you will be happy you waited!
My schedule for making sourdough hamburger buns
8 p.m. (previous night): Feed sourdough starter.
9 a.m.: Make dough for sourdough hamburger buns. Let the dough rise for four hours in a warm spot until double. The optimal temperature is between 75 degrees Fahrenheit and 82 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius to 28 degrees Celsius).
1 p.m.: Form the buns and put them on a baking sheet for the second rise in a warm spot.
5 p.m.: Put the risen buns in the oven and bake 30 minutes.
If you want to develop more sourdough flavor in the buns, do an overnight cold rise in the fridge for the first rise. If the dough hasn't doubled, let it stand for a couple of hours in a warm spot in the house.
Would you like to save this recipe?
Enter your email and I'll send this recipe to your inbox!
Recipe card
Sourdough Hamburger Buns
Ingredients
- ¾ cup non-dairy milk (I used oat milk)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2½ cups bread flour (300 grams)
- 2 tablespoons sugar (helps feed yeast, won't make the buns sweet)
- 1 teaspoon salt (tweak this to your preference)
- ½ cup sourdough starter (active, 145 grams)
- 6 tablespoons vegan butter (melted)
Optional "egg" wash
- 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon oil
Instructions
Make the dough
- Mix the milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl or cup. Set aside.
- Place the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl. Add sugar and salt, whisk to mix, then add the sourdough starter and butter.
- Trickle in the milk while running the stand mixer on low speed with the dough hook attached, or while mixing with hand, until the dough comes together. It should be soft but not sticky. You may not need all the milk, or you might need a little more.
- Knead the dough lightly by hand, form into a ball, and place in an oiled bowl.
First rise
- Set the dough to rise in a warm spot for four hours. Around 78 degrees F/25 degrees C is an optimal temperature for a four-hour rise.
- Once the dough has risen, gently deflate the dough and form into a ball. Divide the dough into six equal-sized pieces and form each into a ball. You can just eyeball it, I often do, but this time I weighed the dough to form buns of the exact same size. My dough weighed 630 grams, so each ball of dough was 105 grams.
Second rise
- Place the buns on a lightly oiled baking sheet, cover loosely with a kitchen towel and set the buns aside in a warm spot to rise for four more hours.
- The buns will be puffy after rising and should have nearly doubled. Ten minutes before baking, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/205 degrees Celsius.
- If using the optional wash, mix the milk and oil in a bowl. Brush the tops of the buns with the mixture. You can also sprinkle some sesame seeds or poppy seeds on the tops of the buns at this point.
Bake sourdough hamburger buns
- Place the sourdough hamburger buns in the preheated oven and bake 24 minutes or until the buns are golden on top.
- Cool the buns on a rack before serving.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
Frequently asked questions about sourdough hamburger buns
Yes. Substitute half the bread flour with whole wheat flour.
These buns have the perfect crust, very lightly chewy and golden. But if you want an even softer crust, use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour.
Yes, freeze them in a freezer-safe bag for up to four months. Thaw completely and warm the buns in a preheated 350-degree F/180-degree C oven for a few minutes before serving.
You can store them at room temperature for 2-3 days in a cool kitchen. Refrigerate up to a week and freeze for longer storage.
Comments
No Comments