Sourdough Discard Hamburger Buns Recipe
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These quick sourdough discard hamburger buns are perfect for grilling season. Make these speedy sourdough discard hamburger buns in around 2.5 hours - and use your sourdough discard. Winning right? They are soft and tender with a rich, buttery crumb yet will wow you with their golden brown, glossy sheen. Honestly, you'll never want (or need) to buy store-bought buns again!
Just like this sourdough discard sandwich bread and these sourdough English muffins, these sourdough discard hamburger buns are perfect to make while you are making a sourdough starter, just like this list of 100+ sourdough discard recipes!
Why You'll Love This Recipe!
Fast Rise Time - These soft buns utilise a small amount of commercial yeast, along with your unfed sourdough starter, to make them rise. This gives you a delicious flavor, without having to wait. If you'd prefer to use active starter, check out these sourdough burger buns.
Perfect for Grilling Season - You can use these sourdough discard burger buns during grilling season, for burger night, breakfast or lunch sandwiches - and the best thing is you can make them whatever size you like. Why not serve them with these sourdough onion rings, sourdough hot dog buns or sourdough pigs in blankets?
Make Ahead, Bake When You're Ready - If you want to make these buns earlier than you need them, you can put them in the fridge after shaping. They can stay there for up to 24 hours. Just bring them to room temp before you bake them. Because they have commercial yeast, they will complete the second rise in the fridge.
Ingredients
- Milk - I've used whole milk, but you can use 2%. I recommend warm milk if you can as it will speed up the rising process.
- Sourdough Starter Discard - You'll use 100g of sourdough discard in this sourdough hamburger bun recipe.
- Bread Flour - I've written this recipe with bread flour and it works perfectly. If you want to use all purpose flour, I recommend reducing the milk by around 20g.
- Sugar - just a little granulated sugar to create a slight sweetness to the dough and soften the crumb. You can leave it out if you prefer, but trust me on this, it's much better if you leave it in!
- Egg - I've used 2 egg yolks to create an enriched dough. I've then used the egg white to create an egg wash before baking. No waste here!
- Butter - softened but not melted, salted butter is best, but you can of course use unsalted if you prefer.
- Instant Yeast - we are using instant yeast here because we are using sourdough discard, which doesn't have the leavening power that active sourdough starter does (plus we are wanting a quick rise here).
- Salt
- Sesame Seeds - these are completely optional, I've use black sesame seeds for something a little different!
How To Make Sourdough Discard Hamburger Buns
Start by combining warm milk, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, stirring gently until dissolved. Add the flour, sourdough discard, egg yolks, butter, and salt, and bring everything together into a shaggy dough (a silicone spatula can help scrape down the sides). Fit your stand mixer with a dough hook and knead for 6–8 minutes, until the dough is silky, smooth, and comes away cleanly from the sides of the bowl with no stickiness. Using a stand mixer is both fast and convenient here, as it efficiently works the butter and eggs into the dough (but as always, you can easily knead the dough by hand if you prefer).
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a bag and let the dough rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size. The exact time will depend on the temperature in your kitchen. Once risen, transfer the dough to your counter for shaping. For accuracy, weigh your dough on a kitchen scale and divide it evenly by the number of buns you’d like. For larger burger buns, divide into 8 pieces of approximately 137g each. For smaller buns, divide into 12 pieces of about 90g each. The enriched dough is smooth and easy to handle, making shaping simple—just pull the edges into the center to create a rounded top, then roll on the counter to form a bun.
Place the shaped buns on a parchment-lined baking tray, cover, and let them rise for around 30 minutes until plump and round. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Brush each bun with egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, Everything Bagel Seasoning, or leave plain—it’s completely up to you. Bake for about 22 minutes, keeping a close eye on them as they brown quickly. The buns are ready when they’re golden, glossy, and sound hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack before serving.
If you’d like to make them ahead, you can refrigerate the shaped buns for up to 24 hours before baking; just bring them to room temperature to complete their second rise. Soft, buttery, and slightly sweet, they toast beautifully—split and lightly char the insides for the perfect brioche-style burger bun. We love eating them with this simple tomato chutney.
How To Store + Freeze
Store At Room Temperature - These sourdough discard hamburger buns will last for 2 days at room temperature. Store in a plastic ziplock bag or airtight container. Warm slightly in the microwave to freshen them up.
Freeze - These buttery hamburger buns are super fast to make fresh, however sometimes you may have a few leftover. Or perhaps you like having a stash in the freezer for easy weeknight dinners. These sourdough buns can be frozen. Simply place them in a Ziploc bag and freeze (there's always a bag in my freezer).
Thaw at room temperature. You can microwave them for a few seconds to soften them up or simply split them and toast the insides before adding your favorite burger fillings.
You'll find more information on how to freeze sourdough bread here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Since this recipe uses discard, the flavor is mild. You’ll get a hint of tang, but the enriched dough (with butter, milk, and eggs) makes them soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet — more like brioche.
No — you can knead by hand if you prefer. It will take a little longer (around 10–12 minutes), but the dough is smooth and enriched, so it’s easy to handle.
The dough should be silky, elastic, and come away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. It shouldn’t feel sticky.
No you don't have to. If you have a mature sourdough starter and you're confident in your discard, you can skip the yeast, or just use active starter.
Sourdough Discard Hamburger Buns Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Digital Scale
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
- 250 g Milk (warm)
- 100 g Sourdough Starter Discard (unfed sourdough starter)
- 500 g Bread Flour
- 50 g Sugar
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 100 g Butter (softened but not melted)
- 7 g Instant Yeast
- 10 g Salt
- 1 Egg White (for egg wash)
- 30 g Sesame Seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the warm milk, yeast and sugar together in a stand mixer bowl and gently incorporate so that the yeast and sugar are dissolved in the milk.
- Add the flour, sourdough discard, egg yolks, butter and salt to the bowl and bring together to form a shaggy dough. You may need a silicon spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Use a dough hook and/or knead function for this step.Knead the dough for 6 to 8 minutes using a stand mixer (see notes for hand kneading below).The dough will be silky and completely come away from the sides of the bowl when it's done. There should be no stickiness at all.
- Cover the bowl with a plastic bag or wrap and set aside for around an hour to rise. The time it takes depends on the temperature in your home.
- Once the dough has doubled, transfer it to your kitchen counter for shaping. If you are able to, weigh your dough. Divide the weight of the dough by the number of buns you want. Then you'll know how big to make each bun.I make 8 from this recipe and each bun is around 137g. For smaller buns, divide into 12 pieces of approx. 90g each.
- Divide the dough into 8 perfectly even pieces (weighing them for accuracy).
- 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 and cover with a plastic bag or wrap. Set aside to rise for around 30 minutes. They will be plump and round when they're ready to bake.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- Brush each bun with egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional).
- Bake for around 22 minutes or until glossy and hollow when you tap the base. They burn very easily so keep an eye on them.
- Cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi , could I substitute the milk for a non dairy, such as almond,coconut milk ?
I have made a vegan version of these twice now, the recipe works perfectly with a 1:1 substitution of soy milk, plant-based butter and flax/chia eggs (I have tried both and both worked well). So delicious!
Thanks for sharing Mary! I cannot have eggs and was wondering if this recipe would well without the eggs or an egg replacer.
Have you ever made these with gluten free flour? Sadly, it’s come to that and as a bread baker I’m finding it very difficult ☹️ I am about to start experimenting with flours in hopes of finding one or a combination that have a decent taste and texture.
Thanks Lisa
I made these today, using 2/3 hard, white wheat berries and 1/3 soft white. They were amazing, thank you so much for this recipe.
New to sourdough baking--Can I use fed starter for this or only unfed?
You can use either fed or unfed 🙂 If using unfed, make sure you add some yeast 🙂
If fed starter is used, do you still need to add yeast? If so how much.
No if you're using active starter then there's no need to add yeast 🙂
If you substitute active starter for dry yeast, how much active starter do you use?
You can use the exact same amount of active starter as you would discard 🙂
Making these today. I halved the recipe. What a beautiful dough! Can't wait to bake them!
I loved how these delish hamburger buns came out. My grandbabies called them baby bread and wanted them with homemade apple butter on them. They loved them. I made them exactly as the recipe stated, but I did have to knead by hand. (I can't afford those fancy appliances). They came out beautifully. Thank you for the recipe.
I absolutely love these! I make them weekly and use for all things from hamburgers, buffalo chicken sandwich, breakfast sandwiches... It's endless!
I don't know what I did wrong, but my dough didn't rise. It was more like cookie dough, but a little softer. I am going to dissolve some more yeast in something and add a bit of flour and see if that solves the issue. The dough smells wonderful. I make a lot of bread and this doesn't feel quite right. I measured everything exactly. I am new to sourdough, but used the measured amount of discard from the recipe as well. Maybe that was a bit too wet.
Yikes, there's no link for shaping the buns! I'd really like to try this recipe.
Mine turned out perfectly in every regard except flavor. I don't know if it was my butter (store brand, salted) or my milk (local 2%), but I just didn't like the flavor. I had also expected them to be more "brioche-like", meaning a bit doughy inside - mine weren't. In all other respects the recipe was spot on.
Having friends over that are gluten intolerant and wanted hamburgers. Instead of lettuce wraps, I made this recipe and it was moist and delishious!! Big hit at the party. No one wanted the regular buns that could eat them.
How did your gluten intolerant friends feel later on after eating them?! There's still non fermented flour in these so I'm definitely curious.
Try using Caputo or similar flour from Europe. You can get it on Amazon but it’s made in Europe where they don’t use the additives that we do here. Between the sourdough and the Italian flour, some celiacs have said they can tolerate it. I make it for my grandson that is gluten sensitive. That’s why I got back into sourdough. Don’t look for just the 00 chef flour, make sure it’s made in Italy.
Can I replace oil for the butter? Would they be softer with oil? Or not?
I’ve heard so much about this recipe, everyone loves it, so I have to try it. But, I’m going to leave out the active yeast, and use a fairly active discard. I would like to do a long ferment in the refrigerator. Can you please tell me at what point I would put the dough in the fridge to do it’s thing? Thanks so much for all your great recipes!
I love these rolls. I need to make these for a larger gathering, could I double this recipe?
absolutely you can double the recipe, no problems at all 🙂 They freeze really well too! xo
Recently I made the Hamburger buns for the first time.
They looked good but they were not an open crumb they were dense.
I kept to the recipe and even doubled inflation.
Not sure how to approach making them next.
I made these with 1/4 freshly milled whole wheat and organic bread flour because that is what I had on hand, and I am thrilled with the results!
I will try another batch with 50/50 milled whole wheat/ bread flour to see how they turn out.
There are many in my SD Baking Group that are huge Pantry Mama Fans and after trying this recipe, I understand why. I think you may have added one more to the group.
Made the burger buns for the first time today. The recipe is super simple, the dough is lovely to work with and so very soft. The buns came out very well and sized perfectly for us at around 100grams. “Accidentally” had a mishapen one that I ate warm from the oven! 🙂 these buns will be on repeat!
So glad you loved them Cynthia 🙂 Hehehe love those misshapen ones ... chef's privelege I say! xo
Wish I could upload a photo of the ones I just made. They're unbelievable. The recipes on this website beat Epicurious, Food.com (you name it) hands down. I'm a decades long veteran of bread making and cooking of all kinds and have never come across anything like the ease of success of these recipes; especially this one! Hubs just told me he had no plans to ever eat a store bought hamburger bun again...
Love the recipe - quick, easy and delicious! I am a year into sourdough and having so much fun with it! (Really appreciate the additions of ingredient check boxes and dark prevention ability. Thank you for those.)
Just made these today to have for dinner tonight. These hamburger buns are the best and easiest buns I have ever made! Thank you for sharing your recipe!! Will be my go to from now on!
Oh, thanks for sharing. I was wondering if I could cut the recipe in half if I only needed 4 buns. Great to know it worked out well for you. I might try it out tonight or tomorrow. Yay!
You absolutely can cut it in half for sure 🙂
Would these freeze well?
Absolutely these sourdough discard hamburger buns freeze really well!
Made these for the first time today, and they were amazing! Perfect texture and flavor and easy to follow instructions. Will definitely be keeping this recipe!!
I changed the recipe size to 4 buns and after adding the flour it was not shaggy, but very wet. Do I just add more flour until shaggy?
My first effort today, they came out beautifully and smell oh-so good. I wonder if making half-sized dough balls and gently squeezing them together before baking might yield a pull apart bun?
First off, I don’t write reviews for anything, but I am so stoked about how these turned out that I can’t not. I bake most of our family’s bread but I’ve always been disappointed in homemade hamburger buns. Not today! This recipe NAILED it, even according to my husband, and that’s the realest endorsement you’ll ever get. I used 50/50 AP flour and fresh-milled white whole wheat flour, and accidentally used 130g sourdough discard instead of 100g. These were so soft and delicious, the dough was so easy to work with, and it’s so convenient to be able to throw these together in an afternoon for dinner that same night. Thank you for saving our hamburgers from store-bought buns!!!
I had asked about these on Facebook and you said that I could use fed started, just don’t use the yeast. I have a Bosch mixer so I used that and my dough never turned “silky”…it was still sticky after 20 min of kneeding. I used exact measurements. What did I do wrong (crying face)?
Is that 399 calories for each bun? I’m making them right now. 😁
Buns are amazing but why are they though (hard) to cut through?
Is the 399 calories for 1 bun? Or is that for the whole recipe?
These turned out beautifully, I didn’t realize when I started but I only had about half the amount of butter that I needed. I substituted olive oil for the missing butter, and had to add a smidge more flour when kneading. I used all bread flour because it’s what I had and they still worked up beautifully. Thank you for this recipe.
I’d like to make these without commercial yeast and just use fed, active sourdough starter. Obviously, I will omit the commercial yeast, Do I then need to increase the amount of starter to make these, or leave at the indicated amount?
I also understand rise times will increase.