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Sourdough hamburger buns are easy to make, and a simple way to upgrade your burger game! Start your dough in the morning, and have the fresh and ready for dinner!

I’ll start by saying that I love sourdough, and I love that it’s become so popular.

But I believe that sourdough should be easy. I’ve seen so many tutorials on how to get the perfect ear on your loaf, why you should use a thick starter versus a thinner starter, or vice versa, and so much more. Honestly, it’s not for me. I admire the science. I find it fascinating, and do take notes. But at the end of the day, I’m a busy mom. I want delicious, and nutritious, and I can’t have it consume my day.

So no, my sourdough sandwich bread isn’t done with exacting timing, or scoring, or worry about over or under proofing. But it is soft and fluffy.

It’s the same with these sourdough hamburger buns.

Ideally, you’ll have a food scale that measures in grams to take away the guesswork of getting your dough just right, but other than that – and even that can be worked around – this is a very no-fuss recipe.

Ingredients for making sourdough hamburger bun Recipe

Fed sourdough starter (instructions for feeding can be found here, or in the recipe card below)
All purpose flour
Water
Sugar
Salt
Egg (for an egg wash)
Sesame seeds (optional)

All of these ingredients are very basic baking supplies that you likely already have on hand. This is why making your own bread products is so great!

You’ll notice here that I’m using all purpose flour rather than a whole grain. Using part whole wheat flour is totally fine however. I would suggest limiting it to about a cup in order to preserve the rise and texture.

Doing an egg wash and sesame seeds is also technically optional for those with food allergies. If you skip the eggs wash, you may want to consider putting a pan of hot water in your oven while you bake the buns to provide some steam and a nicer finish.

How to Make Sourdough Burger Buns

This is a simple process, but like all sourdough recipes, it is lengthy. Don’t mistake lengthy for complicated though! The majority of the time is proofing. Your sourdough starter needs time to grow and ferment.

Step 1: Whisk 100 grams of active starter with one cup of warm water, 4 1/2 cups of flour, 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar, and 2 teaspoons of salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir until a dough forms. You can do this in a stand mixer with a dough hook if you want, but it’s pretty easy to mix by hand. The dough will be a little shaggy, and You may think it’s too loose to be able to shape nice buns from this dough, but just wait – it’ll completely change over the next few hours!

Step 2: Cover the bowl of dough with a towel such as a flour sack towel. Set timer for 30 minutes, and let sit at room temperature When the timer goes off, perform 4 stretch and folds. This simply means to wet your hands, grab one side of the dough, stretch it upward, and fold toward the center. Turn the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat. Set timer for another 30 minutes

Repeat for a total for three stretch and fold sessions. This strengthens the gluten and makes the dough strong enough to hold its shape when you make your buns.

Step 3: Cover the bowl of dough, and let bulk ferment until it has risen to about doubled – in a warm kitchen, this may take as little as three hours, or up to six hours in a cooler kitchen. You can also slow the rising process by refrigerating it up to 24 hours.

Step 4: Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, and separate into 12 equal sized balls. Place a ball seam side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet pan, and press into a disc about the width of a hamburger (These buns will rise, but shouldn’t spread out wider). Repeat, placing each dough ball/disc a few inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover with a flour sack towel, and let rise 1-2 hours, until at least somewhat puffy (there should be some oven spring during baking to make them rise higher).

Step 5: Preheat oven to 350º. Whisk egg with 1 Tablespoon of water, and lightly brush the top of each bun, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Step 6: Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, until a light golden brown

Step 7: Remove buns from oven and let cool before slicing

How to store homemade sourdough hamburger buns

If you’re not planning to serve your buns right away, here’s how to store them:

Let cool completely.

Seal into an airtight bag such as a ziplock or one of these bread bags.

Store at room temperature for 3-5 days

For longer storage, buns can also be frozen in the airtight bag for a few weeks. To thaw, move the refrigerator overnight. This slower thawing will help prevent condensation on your bag, but you can thaw them on the counter top if desired inside the bag so that your buns don’t get soggy.

I recommend not slicing the buns until ready to use to keep them fresh.

As with most sourdough bread, I’m not a fan of storing it in the refrigerator. While it does keep it from going moldy longer, it also tends to change the texture and dry it out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use this recipe to make hot dog buns? Yes, absolutely! Instead of shaping the dough into a ball, roll it into a log. The flatten it somewhat. The oven spring will give it a nice dome.

Can I top the buns with something other than sesame seeds? You can skip topping them entirely if you want. Or you can use something like everything bagel seasoning, or poppy seeds instead. Another option is to skip the all topping including egg wash, and brush the tops with butter after they’re baked.

How many days can the dough be refrigerated before baking? You can extend the bulk ferment stage for 2-3 days in the refrigerator, or you can shape them into buns, cover them with plastic wrap, and refrigerate that for up to 24 hours. I would make sure they come back down to room temperature before baking in that case.

More Sourdough Recipes:

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