Sourdough Burger Buns

Soft and golden sourdough burger buns made with active starter, perfect for burger night or your go to for grilling season. These buns bake up light, fluffy, and full of flavor, with just enough strength to hold all your favorite toppings without falling apart. They’re simple to make, naturally leavened, and so much better than anything you’ll find at the store.

If you love baking homemade buns, you might also enjoy my sourdough hot dog buns for summer grilling, sourdough sandwich bread for everyday lunches, or these sourdough English muffins that are perfect for breakfast sandwiches. They’re all soft, flavorful, and made with sourdough starter.

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

Olive Oil or Butter - You can choose to add 60g of olive oil or melted butter. This recipe works with either one, giving you flexibility, which is especially good if you need a dairy free recipe or you just prefer a butter free recipe.

Simple One-Bowl Dough - You’ll add everything to the mixer at once, making this recipe easy to follow and fuss-free.

Versatile For Any Meal - Use them for burgers, breakfast sandwiches, pulled pork, or even mini sliders. The dough bakes up pillowy inside but holds its shape, so your fillings stay put without the bun falling apart.

Ingredients

• Water - Use room temperature or slightly warm water to help the dough come together more easily.
• Sourdough Starter - You’ll need an active and bubbly sourdough starter for this recipe. Since there’s no added yeast, your starter is what gives these buns their rise. Make sure it’s been recently fed and is at its peak when you mix your dough
• Bread Flour - Bread flour is best here because its higher protein content gives the buns a soft, sturdy texture that holds up nicely to juicy burger fillings. If you only have all-purpose flour, you can use it, but the buns will be a little softer and less chewy.
• Sugar - A little sugar helps feed your starter and adds a touch of sweetness that balances the natural tang of sourdough. You can reduce the amount if you prefer, but it does help create that golden color on the crust.
• Olive Oil - This gets mixed into the dough. You can also use melted butter. Olive oil gives a light, rustic flavor. Melted butter adds a richer taste.
• Melted Butter - This is optional, but adds a wonderful flavor when you brush it on top of the buns right after baking.
• Salt

How to Make Sourdough Burger Buns

My sourdough discard hamburger buns recipe has been shared over 24,000 times and is a well loved recipe, but this burger bun recipe uses active starter instead.

I’ve tested this recipe several times, adding the ingredients in different orders, and it never made a noticeable difference to the final result. So I keep this recipe extra simple by adding everything together in one bowl.

Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of your stand mixer. Knead with your dough hook attachment at speed 1 for around 1 minute or until the dough has just come together. Leave to rest, covered, for around 39 minutes.

Now, knead your dough on speed 1 to 2 for around 2 to 3 minutes, or until a soft, smooth dough forms. This dough is very elastic and will form fairly easily. You'll know it's ready when the bowl is clean and the dough is smooth.

Cover the dough and leave to ferment and rise at room temperature. You want the dough to rise around 30 to 40 percent.

Once the dough has risen, tip the dough out onto a clean work surface. You won't need any flour to shape these rolls as the dough isn't sticky.

Divide the dough into 9 perfectly even pieces (weighing them for accuracy). Mine are 110g each.

Shape each piece into a bun. Pull the edges into the centre to form a rounded top and then place each piece on the counter and roll to shape (like you'd shape a boule).

Place your buns on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover with a damp dish towel or plastic wrap and leave to proof at room temperature until the rolls have doubled in size. This will take quite a while, so be patient here.

When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180C/350F.

Spray the sourdough burger buns liberally with water (trust me on this)

Bake for around 22 minutes or until glossy and hollow when you tap the base.

Remove from the oven and brush liberally with butter (this is optional). Cool on a wire rack.

How to Store + Freeze

Store at Room Temperature - These sourdough burger buns will stay soft and fresh for up to 2 days at room temperature. Keep them in an airtight container or sealed ziplock bag to prevent them from drying out. If they’ve been sitting for a day or two, a quick warm-up in the microwave or a light toast will bring them back to life.

Freeze for Later - These buns freeze beautifully. Once completely cooled, place them in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature when you’re ready to use them. For the best texture, split and toast the insides before adding your burger fillings.

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