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Sourdough Hamburger Buns

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Soft and fluffy sourdough buns are perfect for sandwiches or your summer BBQs. These fermented rolls make great hamburger buns.

Overhead photo of sourdough hamburger buns on a wire rack with a sheet pan to the left of hamburger buns on parchment line baking sheet with a bowl of sesame seeds.

Summer is approaching, and between warm weather, a huge new garden, and an abundance of veggies that come with it, we couldn’t be more excited.

We recently tore down our garden cottage and built raised garden beds. This past week, Luke added a lovely picket fence to protect our soon-to-be prolific garden.

Something else that we look forward to every summer happens to be family barbecues. 

There is nothing like a delicious, grass-fed burger on fluffy, sourdough hamburger buns, topped with a fat, juicy slice of homegrown heirloom tomatoes and some homemade pickles.

These would also make great sourdough dinner rolls, but I prefer this recipe for those.

up close picture sourdough hamburger buns on a parchment lined baking sheet

Benefits Of Sourdough

Grains contain phytic acid. Phytic acid is an antinutrient found in grains, beans, and nuts that interferes with the absorption of certain nutrients. 

Proper preparation of grains, like fermenting with sourdough, eliminates most, if not all, of the phytic acid.

This is the very reason traditional cultures soaked and fermented their grains, seeds, and beans. 

Instead of using instant yeast packets, people in traditional cultures leavened their bread with a fermented starter that captured all the yeasts in the environment.

These days, we’ve lost that art, and so many people have a difficult time digesting grains. Let’s bring back the sourdough and fermented grains.

Sourdough buns topped with sesame seeds on a parchment lined baking Sheed on a white quartz countertop

Tips For Making Sourdough Buns:

  • Ferment the dough overnight for the most benefits, or make a quick version.
  • If you are new to sourdough, make sure to see how to make your own sourdough starter and how to care for it.
  • Adding an egg wash to the top gives them a beautiful golden color. This is an optional step. You can also use a little milk instead.

FAQ:

Overhead photos of sourdough buns on a wire baking rack on a quartz countertop with more buns to the left on a baking sheet

How do you shape a sourdough bun?

Place a small amount of dough on a floured surface and pull the dough up and fold it into itself 3-4 times until a ball forms. Place the dough seam side down.

Why is my sourdough bread so flat?

There could be a few reasons for this:

  • The bread was not proofed enough. Allow the buns to double in size on the baking sheet before placing them in the oven.
  • Over-proofing. Allowing the dough to proof too long can cause them to be flat. You can reshape them and proof again for a shorter period.
  • The temperature was too low during baking.

Why does my sourdough not hold its shape?

If the dough was under kneaded, it may not hold its shape. To fix this, make sure to knead the dough well to improve gluten development.

If your house it too warm and/or you allow the dough to sit out too long, it can become over fermented. This can cause the dough to turn into a gloopy mess.

What does sourdough buns taste like?

Sourdough hamburger buns have a slightly tangy flavor from the fermentation process which is balanced out with a hint of sweetness. They are so delicious.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

sourdough hamburger buns cooling on parchment paper

Tools you may need:

Stand mixer

Grain mill to grind fresh grain (optional)

Measuring cups

Berkey water filter

Baking sheet

Parchment paper

Sourdough Hamburger Buns Ingredients:

Sourdough starter – Active and bubbly. Your sourdough starter should be fed 4-12 hours before starting this recipe. It should be nice and active to give the hamburger buns their rise.

Warm water – The warm water really helps activate the natural yeasts in the starter. Make sure the water isn’t too hot or you risk it killing the starter.

All-purpose flour – Gives it a nice fluffiness. You could also substitute with up to 1/2 whole wheat flour. Water may need to be adjusted a little and the buns will not be as soft.

Coconut oil or butter – Both work. To make this recipe dairy free use coconut oil.

Honey – Or substitute with maple syrup.

Salt – Brings out all the delicious flavors.

Egg – This is considered an enriched dough since it includes eggs and butter. Makes it rich, fluffy, and delicious.

Egg wash (optional step)

  • Egg yolk
  • Water
fluffy sourdough hamburger buns scattered on a parchment lined baking sheet and one on a white countertop on a kitchen island. A vintage stove is in the background

How To Make Sourdough Buns

Day 1

  1. In a stand mixer with a dough hook, add sourdough starter, warm water, all purpose flour, melted butter or coconut oil, honey, salt and egg. Knead for 5-10 minutes with dough hook until smooth and elastic.
  2. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap for 8 hours.
  3. Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and chill covered overnight.

Day 2

Divide the dough into eight equal pieces.

Shape the buns by creating a flat surface on top and tucking the remaining dough underneath. I also like to create a little tension by rotating each bun slightly on a lightly floured surface.

Cover the buns with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and allow to rise until doubled.

sourdough buns on parchment paper rising

Beat the egg yolk and water and brush the tops of the buns with the mixture.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds. (optional)

Sourdough hamburger bun dough on a parchment lined glass baking sheet with an egg wash and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Bake the buns for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. You want them to be golden on top.

For Quick Buns

  1. In a stand mixer with a dough hook, add sourdough starter, warm water, all purpose flour, melted butter or coconut oil, honey, egg, and salt. Knead for 5-10 minutes with dough hook.
  2. Roll into eight balls and place about two inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Let buns rise until doubled, approximately 1-2 hours.
  3. Beat one egg with milk and lightly brush tops of buns with egg wash, without deflating the risen dough. (optional)
  4. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven until lightly browned on top, approximately 25-30 minutes.
  5. Let cool completely before serving these sourdough buns.

Storage:

Store in an air-tight container. Best if used within 3-4 days. Freeze for longer storage. I love freezing bread. Freezes so well and basically taste like fresh bread.

Baker’s Schedule:

8:00 am: Feed sourdough starter

12:00 pm: Start dough. Allow to rise for about 8 hours or until doubled.

8:00 pm: Place dough in fridge.

The Next Day:

8:00 am: (Or really any time the next day). Take dough out and shape. Allow to rise until doubled. Usually 1-2 hours.

10:00 am: Bake:

Find more of our farmhouse favorites:

sourdough hamburger buns topped with sesame seeds on parchment paper

Sourdough Buns

Yield: 8 buns
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 1 day 12 seconds
Total Time: 1 day 35 minutes 12 seconds

Soft and fluffy sourdough buns are perfect for sandwiches or your summer BBQs. These fermented rolls make great hamburger buns.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup sourdough starter, active and bubbly
  • 3/4 cup warm water
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour 
  • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or butter 
  • 3 tablespoons honey 
  • 1 teaspoon salt 
  • 1 egg

Egg wash (optional step)

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a stand mixer with a dough hook, add sourdough starter, warm water, all purpose flour, melted butter or coconut oil, honey, salt and egg. Knead for 5-10 minutes with dough hook until smooth and elastic.
  2. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap for 8 hours.
  3. Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and chill covered overnight.
  4. Divide the dough into eight equal pieces.
  5. Shape the buns by creating a flat surface on top and tucking the remaining dough underneath. I also like to create a little tension by rotating each bun slightly on a lightly floured surface.
  6. Cover the buns with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and allow to rise until doubled.
  7. Beat the egg yolk and water and brush the tops of the buns with the mixture.
  8. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. (optional)
  9. Bake the buns for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. You want them to be golden on top.

Notes

*If you plan to make this recipe without long fermenting you can add all the ingredients (including the egg) in a stand mixer, and skip the fermentation process.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 bun
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 314Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 323mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 7g
© Lisa Bass
Cuisine: American / Category: Sourdough

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Comments

  1. Kathy says

    Hi 🙂
    Have you made them without the egg? Should I replace it with a flax egg? Tomorrow I’ll be baking our fourth batch of sourdough sandwich bread, your recipe is great, thank you.

    Reply

  3. Holly says

    Hi Lisa, thank you so much for sharing all your recipes! I love all of them! My preliminary taste test says these are just as amazing 😋 I did have a few questions…have you made these without adding the egg? I long fermented mine and added the egg as instructed. The dough was very wet/super sticky and just fell flat on the cookie sheet and didn’t rise. They did bake okay, but wondering if I should have mixed longer or done something else? Do you have any thoughts?

    Reply

    • Morgan says

      Making these right now and this happened to me too. I added more flour after the egg and that made it more stiff, but still is super sticky. They’re rising now and I’m just hoping they bake ok since burgers are for dinner tonight!

      Reply

    • NB says

      I made these for the first time. The quick version and mine didn’t rise? Are they supposed to be covered with a cloth to rise? This is the first time I have ever used a sour dough starter. Any pointers for me?

      Reply

      • Masha says

        Mine didn’t rise the first time I made them either. Our house is too cold I believe. This time I turned our oven on 200 until it preheated then put the buns in there for 45ish minutes, checking periodically. Rose beautifully:)

        Reply

  5. Arminda says

    You say that tools you’ll need are a grain mill, but then the recipe says to use all purpose flour. I only grind my own flour, wondering which flour I should use? I’m assuming hard white wheat for the gluten content?

    Reply

  6. Mona Cameron-Ball says

    Hi Lisa,

    I have just created my first sourdough starter and it’s ready to to. I’d love to make some burger buns. My family is plant-based so we don’t eat eggs. Can I just leave the egg out? Or is it necessary to bind the dough? If so, I could use an egg replacer, or make a flax-egg.

    Thanks!
    Mona

    Reply

  7. Lauren says

    When I made them into buns, half of them formed into perfect buns and half of them were super sticky/wet and wouldn’t form… They pretty much fell flat. Any troubleshooting ideas if the dough is too wet?

    Reply

  8. sam says

    Once I added the egg my dough became so sticky I can’t pick it up to form it into anything?! Ive added more flour and some oil to my hands but no luck. Any ideas??

    Reply

  9. Jennifer says

    I love the podcast and the blog, but this is the second recipe I’ve been disappointed in the result with (the first was the sub rolls). For both recipes, the dough struggled to rise and it took a considerable amount of time longer than the recipe called for to cook. I bake sourdough bread each week, so I definitely know when my starter is ready to go. The only difference I can seem to think of between these two recipes and the others I make regularly is that these recipes don’t call for any proofing before the refrigeration step. The taste was good on these and the sub rolls but even after 5 extra minutes for the buns they were still very dense and not cooked through in the center. Perhaps next time I’ll skip the bulk ferment step and just quick rise to test my theory? Basically I’m just confused and really want these recipes to rise as they should along to go with the great taste they already have 😂

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      Hi Jennifer, I am confused too because this is the exact process I use to make buns. I don’t do the fridge proof, like you mentioned. I do it exactly as outlined in this recipe, that I tested multiple times, and then took the pics. So for me, they do rise with this exact recipe. Sorry you’re having so much trouble with it! Maybe it is a humidity thing, or the temp in your house.

      Reply

  10. Alina Schenkman says

    Hi Lisa,
    I have been following along for almost 2 years now, and I just love your blog and channel. I made these buns last year and they came out great! This year, I decided to try the long ferment process and the dough was perfect. Then next day when I added the egg it became super sticky and instead of rising went out and flat. Does this ever happen to you? Any suggestions to correcting the stickiness when adding the egg the next day?
    Thanks
    Alina

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      This hasn’t happened to me, but with any sourdough recipe, the flour amounts totally depends on the hydration of your starter. So if you starter is a bit thinner, you may want to add a bit more flour to the recipe. It can also vary by temperature and humidity!

      Reply

  11. Shari says

    I made these for Thanksgiving and they turned out great! I skipped the egg and just formed them into buns after the long ferment. They were shaped more like a dinner roll, but that’s what I wanted. Our oven died a couple of weeks ago so I had to use the air fryer with the bake option. Worked great!

    Reply

  12. Samantha says

    As soon as I added it turned into a sticky mess so I added more flour. Is it okay to leave out the egg next time.

    Reply

  13. Shannon says

    For those who say the dough became sticky after adding the egg, I just add the egg when mixing the rest of the dough rather than adding it in the morning. The buns turn out beautiful! I’ve never had the egg go bad (but I do use pasture raised duck eggs that have never been washed or refrigerated). ❤️

    Reply

  14. Caitlin says

    How long do these generally take to rise after shaping? I’m newish at using sourdough and I’m trying to figure out when to start so they will be ready at lunchtime

    Reply

  15. Sonya says

    These came out amazing!!! I prepped it in the morning and then made into 8 rolls around 4, the about 6 is when I started baking them.

    Reply

  16. Ashton says

    I’m making these now but I’m starting to get nervous. I followed the instructions exactly except I did need to add more flour and everything looks great. My concern is that I just came back to check the baking time and noticed there’s a note at the bottom saying you can add all ingredients *including egg* and skip long fermentation. Does this mean I wasn’t supposed to add the egg yesterday BEFORE long fermenting? I’ve seen a lot of your videos where you add the egg the next day, and I triple checked the recipe yesterday before adding it because I was surprised that it went in before long fermenting. Is it going to be ok/safe to eat?

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      I have done it both ways! It turns out fine adding in the egg the night before. Some people are squeamish about the raw egg overnight, but it has been fine for me.

      Reply

      • Ashton says

        Thank you Lisa! They turned out great and I am making them again now!

        I think my starter must be more liquid than yours because my dough (in various recipes) keeps coming out sticky and I end up adding additional flour. But I added less water last time I fed my stater, and I see a difference in this batch already! So excited. I love your approach to sourdough!

        Reply

  17. Rebecca says

    I made these with the egg, fermented on the counter for 8 hours and then fridge overnight. Cooked them today and they’re absolutely beautiful! I am very new to sourdough and I wasn’t sure if they’d come out good but they are! I’m gluten sensitive so can’t skip the fermenting step. Thanks for a great recipe!!

    Reply

  19. Sabrina says

    I made these almost exactly as instructed except I added a 1/4 cup flour, and instead of kneading I used the stretch and fold method – I just mixed the dough until flour was combined, let it sit for 20 minutes and then transferred to an oiled bowl and stretched and folded about three times with 20 minute intervals. Then I just let it sit overnight. It rose tremendously, and the next morning, after I formed the balls they were doubled in size after about two hours. They rose more in the oven and the result is very light and fluffy and beautiful. I will definitely be using this recipe again!

    Reply

  20. Kacie says

    I am new to sourdough. I gave these a try and didn’t get a try. My starter did seem bubbly. Could you give a time line of when to feed the starter to time the overnight rise right? I fed mine the night before, then started mixing the dough at 12 pm the next day to allow 8 hours before the night shift in the fridge. Should I have started the buns right away in the morning?

    Reply

  21. Autumn says

    I mixed the dough and am doing the long fermentation process. However, the fact that the dough sat at room temp for 8 hours with a raw egg is making me think I will have salmonella buns. Any thoughts to make me feel better about this before I take them out of the fridge?

    Reply

  22. Kim says

    Hi I accidentally forgot to put mine in the fridge overnight so it’s been on the counter for just under 24 hours. What do I do? Thank you

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      It may work, but if it feels loose and shapeless it may have overfermented. If it still has structure, you’re good!

      Reply

  23. Haley says

    So I’m really new to bread making and sourdough (only had my starter a couple of weeks).

    This was the first bun recipe I’ve tried with my sourdough starter and they turned out perfect! I mixed all ingredients together and kneaded the dough by hand. Left it out to rise for about 5 hours and then put in the fridge before bed. Pulled it out of the fridge this morning, formed my buns and let them rise another hour. They are the prettiest and fluffiest bread product I’ve made so far and taste amazing!

    Reply

  25. Crystal says

    These are so yummy!
    The dough was sticky, so while I was forming, I just put flour on my hands.
    We made them into sizer sized. They cooked about 20 min.

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      Bread products freeze really well after they are baked. Place in an air-tight container like a freezer safe Zip-lock bag. For the cinnamon rolls, freeze them after baking without icing.

      Reply

  27. Carrie says

    Thank you for always including a baker’s schedule with these! That’s so helpful for my brain. I’m really looking forward to making these. 🙂

    Reply

  28. Christy Pettitt says

    I have made this recipe 4 times. Thankfully the first time was a complete success and loved by all. However, the 3 times since have been failures, either they wouldn’t rise, or they were unformed. Can you guess what could have happened? I have followed the recipe exactly. Help? My family loves them.

    Reply

  30. Averie says

    Love this recipe! It can be a bit tricky to get the dough the right moisture though. I also wish the recipe was in metric as I prefer to bake by weight. My printed copy has so many notes on it by now I confuse myself. Lol.

    Reply

  31. CK says

    I found similarly to other people here that the recipe will probably need more flour, it came out unworkably wet using these measurements but an extra 40g of flour (that’s a quarter of a cup in US measurements I think) did the trick.

    I don’t think people need to worry about the egg at room temperature, as long as it’s free range and with unwashed shell there shouldn’t be any problem at all, certainly wasn’t here. Maybe if it’s some miserable battery hen egg it might be an issue but then it’s probably not a good idea to be eating them if they’re that brittle and quick to spoil anyway, it means something’s very wrong.

    Reply

  32. Nellye says

    Just made the dough and letting it ferment! I don’t have a stand mixer, so I just used my hand mixer with dough hook attachments to get everything pretty well incorporated, then used my hands to knead for a little over five minutes until it was a nice, decently smooth lump and easily workable. Hopefully it works out okay doing it that way!

    Reply

  33. Jana Cervinka says

    Amazing! Easy to make. Lovely medium-dense texture (not heavy or airy light). Using these for veggie burgers and sandwiches – winner!

    Reply

  34. Klarise says

    I am always blown away by your recipes but this one definitely wins my heart as a burger loving gal I’ve been determined to find or make the best buns and these are it! I followed the directions and mixed everything together, including the egg. I let that sit out for the allotted time and then placed in the fridge! Midday I baked the buns and decided to do half with everything but the bagel seasoning and I’m so glad I did, it was delicious!

    Reply

  35. Annette says

    Hi there! I’ve been enjoying making so many of your recipes. This was the first one that I didn’t feel came out that well. I mixed as directed and realized I added too much butter, so I doubled everything else to match. I did the quick recipe and made 16 balls on my baking sheet and left them to proof for 2 hours. I didn’t see much change in them but went ahead and baked them. They taste good but are dense and small, like little rocks. 😬 The also cracked around some of the edges. Any suggestions? I used honey and dairy free butter (this has worked in all of your other recipes). Help! 🥰 Thanks!!

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      Oh bummer. They may have needed to proof longer than 2 hours, especially in winter when the house is cooler. Did they double in size before baking?

      Reply

  38. Darlene says

    Oh wow! Turned out amazing. Will never buy buns again. Since onion rings go with burgers so well, I experimented using a mixture of starter and buttermilk as the wet dip and flour and bread crumbs as the dry element. Seasoned with powdered Worcestershire. To die for!

    Reply

  39. Candace says

    Hello 😃
    I’ve made many of your sourdough recipes. Your sourdough sandwich bread is my absolute favorite but I just made these hamburger buns and they turned out perfectly. I was afraid the dough was too wet or sticky like many other said
    but I added a tad more flour and went with it and they rose just fine turned out delicious! I used “everything but the bagel” seasoning to top them rather than plain sesame seeds and it added a delicious flavor kick. 10/10 recommend.

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      You could also substitute with up to 1/2 whole wheat flour. Water may need to be adjusted a little and the buns will not be as soft.

      Reply

  43. Stephanie says

    If I don’t do the 8hr ferment, do I put them in the fridge overnight still? Or can I just let it sit on my counter and bake them without the fridge part? Just looking to eliminate one of the long waiting periods- doesn’t matter to me which one!

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      In the post, there are directions for the quick buns. They may not be quite as fluffy as the regular ones. But they are delicious and much faster without the 8 hour rise or the fridge. Or you could mix them up, let the dough rise overnight, shape, rise again for about 2 hours and bake. Then you skip out on the refrigerator rise.

      Reply

  44. Cami says

    I tried the make quick buns and they didn’t turn out the same as starting them the day prior. The same day buns didn’t rise. Taste was still good but more like thin buns.

    Reply

  45. Ellie says

    Once you have kneaded the dough with stand mixer for 5-10 minutes, what should dough feel like … sticky but keeps its shape?

    Reply

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I’m so glad you’re here! Join me and my family as we find beauty in our everyday life in the farmhouse: food from scratch, natural living and a handmade home.

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