Sourdough Burger Buns

Very slightly sweetened, made with olive oil and milk these sourdough burger buns tick all the boxes of a perfect bun: they’re soft but sturdy enough to hold a filling, they stay soft overnight, and they have the delicious tang of sourdough flavor. 

Recipe Origins 

For this one I looked at KAF’s ‘beautiful burger bun’ recipe. I wanted to incorporate sourdough, for the excellent flavor it imparts, and to ‘milk bread’ the dough (start the base with a tangzhong which gelatinizes some of the starches so the bread stays softer longer) so I made some critical changes to the amounts and method. 

Using sourdough meant I could use less commercial yeast so the buns would have a more natural, bakery-style flavor. I swapped in olive oil for the butter because the higher fat content lends to a softer bread (and in this case, the olive oil flavor works well). 

Recipe Ingredients 

Flour: either bread flour or a high protein all purpose flour will work here. Bread flour will make the buns a bit more chewy, all purpose a bit softer. 

Water: tap water, temperature doesn’t matter as it will be cooked. 

Milk: whole milk (or at least 2%). If you wanted to make these dairy free I’d use almond milk. 

Yeast: active dry yeast. Rapid rise yeast works too. 

Salt: fine sea salt. If using table salt, halve the amount. 

Sourdough starter: fed at least 6 hours prior. I usually feed mine before I go to bed, when I wake up the starter is active and bubbly and I’ll make the burger bun dough. 

Olive oil: any kind, but something you like the flavor of. You can also use a flavorless oil like avocado or canola. 

Egg: one large egg. Temperature doesn’t matter. I don’t have an egg free version. 

Sugar: fine granulated sugar. Sugar adds to the flavor but it also contributes to the texture of the dough, without it the bread will be more dry. 

Milk (for topping): you can also use cream or make an egg wash with an egg yolk and a tablespoon of water. 

How to make sourdough burger buns 

Feed your starter: 6-12 hours before making the dough. We want the starter while it’s active and bubbly. 

Make the roux: in a small pot add the ingredients for the roux (water & flour) and cook, while stirring, until thickened and paste-like. Set aside to cool. 

Bloom the yeast: warm up the milk just to touch (it shouldn’t be too hot or it will kill the yeast) and pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer, then sprinkle the yeast over it. Stir it gently then leave it aside to bloom. 

After about 5 minutes, it should be foamy and bubbly – this indicates it’s active and ready to use. 

Add remaining ingredients and knead: once the yeast has bloomed, add the flour over it and the rest of the ingredients (starter, egg, oil, sugar and salt) and affix the dough hook. Knead until the dough starts to ‘clean’ the bowl and comes around the dough hook in a ball. 

First rise: oil a large bowl and toss the dough around it to coat in oil. Then cover and let rise until almost doubled. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, this can take 2-4 hours. 

Divide & shape: gently deflate the dough by carefully punching it then set it on a floured surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces (you can use a scale to be exact about it). Pinch the ends together and roll each dough piece into a ball using your hands – I usually start rolling between my palms, then to tighten it I’ll roll it on the counter. Repeat with all the dough pieces. 

Set on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches of space around each dough so it can expand. 

Second rise: Cover the dough with a tea towel and spritz the towel with water to dampen it (so the dough doesn’t dry out). The second rise will take about 45-75 minutes, you’re looking for the dough to be puffy and to keep a slight indentation when pressed gently. If it bounces back quickly, it’s not ready to bake yet. 

Topping & baking: you can do an eggwash (egg white, or an egg yolk mixed with a bit of water) or just brush milk over the tops of the dough. If you like, sprinkle some sesame seeds on top (they are more likely to adhere if you use an egg wash). 

Bake the dough at 375 until golden all over. 

Storing sourdough burger buns

Like all breads, these are best eaten the day of but they keep great overnight at room temperature in an airtight container. For longer storage I’d freeze them then thaw and warm them up in the microwave. 

Sourdough Burger Bun Recipe

Sourdough Burger Buns

Super soft milk bread style burger buns made with active sourdough starter.

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Rest & Rise: 3 hours hrs

Yields: 8 buns

5 from 3 votes

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Ingredients

Tangzhong (roux)

• 30g all purpose or bread flour
• 120g water

Dough

• 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
• 80g milk warm to touch
• 330g all purpose or bread flour
• 100g active starter fed at least 12 hours prior
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 35 g or 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fine granulated sugar

Method

• First, make the roux (tangzhong): Place the flour and water in a small pot and whisk to combine. Set the pot over medium low heat and cook for a few minutes, until thickened into a wet, loose paste. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour in the warm milk and over it sprinkle the yeast. Stir together then let the yeast bloom; after about 5 minutes the mixture will look foamy.
• Over the yeast add the flour, active starter, egg, oil, sugar, salt and the cooled roux. Affix the dough hook and knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough starts to clear the bowl and gather in a shapeless ball around the dough hook.
• Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and toss around to coat the dough with the oil. Cover the bowl and leave at room temperature to rise for 2-3 hours, until almost doubled in size.
• Scoop the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and flour the dough. Divide into 8 pieces and roll each piece into a ball: pinching the seam together at the bottom and rolling the dough on the counter until taut.
• Set the dough balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a tea towel and spritz the towel a bit to make it damp (so the dough won’t dry out).
• After about an hour, the dough will be puffy and when pressed it will not bounce back immediately but slowly, leaving a small indentation (if your kitchen is cold this may take longer). Preheat the oven to 375 F.
• Brush some milk over the tops of the dough (or make an egg wash from a yolk whisked with a tablespoon of water or milk) and, if you like, sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden all over.
• The rolls keep well at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

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