Sourdough Hamburger Buns
These Sourdough Hamburger Buns are an absolute favorite around our house! I’ve been making them for at least 20 years. In addition to being the perfect way to highlight your hamburger, these buns are just as yummy on their own. My daughter, Caylie, waits not so patiently from the time I put them in the oven until they come out – golden brown and full of flavor! Before I can even get the buns transferred to cooling racks, Caylie has already bitten into one!
I started out making these as hoagie rolls that I used specifically for catering business lunches and birthday parties. At one of the birthday parties, I noticed one of the parents using it for a hot dog bun and another using it for a hamburger bun. AHA!!! Hamburger buns! Why didn’t I think of that?! And so, my sourdough hamburger buns were born!
Even now, when we go to a cookout at a friend’s house, they always ask me to make the hamburger buns. I happily oblige. They are one of my favorite things to make. They are so easy! And they only take a couple of hours from start to finish.
How to make hamburger buns
Sourdough is what gives these particular hamburger buns their flavor. I highly recommend making your own. You will find so many uses for it!
The steps are about as straightforward as you can get. Make sure you have everything measured out and ready to go before you start (mis en place). Mix all the dry ingredients except the salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add all the wet ingredients. Mix. Add salt. Knead. You really do need to use a dough hook with a stand mixer to develop the gluten. You can do it by hand, but it will take quite a while. Your hands and arms will probably feel like jelly by the time you’re done!
Make sure you coat your dough rising container with cooking spray (or olive oil) so the dough doesn’t stick and tear when you turn it out.
After the dough rises, turn it out and divide it into 24 even pieces. A bench knife and digital scale will make this process much faster and easier.
Can hamburger buns be frozen?
Yes they can! These particular buns freeze really well. Place them flat in a freezer proof zip top bag. To reheat, thaw and pop in the oven for a couple of minutes at 350 degrees. (The tops will be crunchy.) If you’re in a hurry (or you just want the tops soft), the microwave works great!
Expert Tips
- If you don’t have bun pans, you can use a rimmed sheet pan.
- If you don’t have a dough rising bucket, you can use a glass bowl covered with plastic wrap.
- Never add salt and yeast at the same time. The salt will kill the yeast.
- A digital scale will really help with getting these buns all the same size. However, you can just “eyeball” it if you are not super picky.
- A bench knife is a great piece of kitchen equipment. It will cut through the dough easily and allow you to move it without it sticking. If you don’t have one, you can use a sharp knife to divide the dough; but it won’t be as easy.
- To force the dough to spread out into the pans and not rise straight up, top each plastic wrap covered pan with another sheet pan and set something heavy on top to hold it down. (We use cast iron skillets.)
- Use a pastry brush to brush the olive oil on top of the hamburger buns!
When you make these Sourdough Hamburger Buns, make sure to leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you guys and answering any questions you may have. Also, make sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #MSDeltaHospitality
Sourdough Hamburger Buns
Ingredients
- 5 ½ cups bread flour
- 1 ½ Tablespoons SAF gold instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 ½ cups warm water 105-115 degrees
- 1 cup [sourdough starter] at room temperature
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
Instructions
- Combine flour, yeast, and sugar in bowl of electric mixer.
- Add sourdough starter, eggs, oil, and water.
- Mix until combined.
- Stir in salt.
- Use a dough hook to knead dough for 8-10 minutes, until smooth.
- Place dough in dough rising bucket that has been sprayed with cooking spray and put the lid on.
- Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
- Turn dough out and use a bench knife and digital scale to divide into 2-1/2 oz. pieces.
- Roll each piece into a ball and place seam side down in bun pan that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray. (If you don't have a bun pan, a rimmed sheet pan will work fine.)
- Brush tops with olive oil and cover with plastic wrap.
- Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
- Bake in 400 degree oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
Notes
- If you don't have bun pans, you can use a rimmed sheet pan.
- If you don't have a dough rising bucket, you can use a glass bowl covered with plastic wrap.
- Never add salt and yeast at the same time. The salt will kill the yeast.
- A digital scale will really help with getting these buns all the same size. However, you can just "eyeball" it if you are not super picky.
- A bench knife is a great piece of kitchen equipment. It will cut through the dough easily and allow you to move it without it sticking. If you don't have one, you can use a sharp knife to divide the dough; but it won't be as easy.
- To force the dough to spread out into the pans and not go straight up, top each plastic wrap covered pan with another sheet pan and set something heavy on top to hold it down. (We use cast iron skillets.)
- Use a pastry brush to brush the olive oil on top of the hamburger buns!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
These sourdough buns are the BEST!
Tried 4 others n like these best. Best texture n taste! Thx.
Hi Kay! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! x Caylie
We found this recipe during the coronavirus pandemic when we were doing lots of baking. So wonderful! Thanks for sharing this!
We are so glad you enjoyed them!
Are you using a fed/active sourdough starter?
Hi Emily! Yes we are.
Just wanted to let you know that you can also use the discard from your starter.
Think the discard should be at room temperature? Looking forward to trying these.
Hi, Sarah! It’s better if it is at room temperature. However, if you’re in a pinch, you can use cold discard and slightly warmer water.
Can you use other flour?
Hi Deah! Yes, you actually can. You can make this recipe with All-Purpose flour.
I am so excited! Mine are now in the oven. My sourdough starter is probably 100 years old, and I don’t want to lose it. Hamburgers for dinner, LOOK OUT!!!
We hope you enjoyed them!
Can you provide the ingredients in grams, please
Hi Marek! If you Google, “cooking recipe converter” it should come up with an easy way to convert cups to grams!
I’d love to try these without yeast. Typically it just means longer rise times. Anyone ever tried that with these?
Hi, Stacy! You absolutely can but, like you said, the rising time is longer. Hope this helps and you enjoy them!
Did you try this without yeast? Interested to do it that way.
Hi Julie! We haven’t personally tried using it without yeast, but it definitely will work! x Caylie
I absolutely love these buns. Soft and airy with just a hint of sourdough. I am a little sensitive to gluten so after the first rise, I place the dough in the refrigerator overnight. This gives the gluten a chance to break down. The next morning I continue with the directions, adding an hour or so to the rise time. Thanks again for the wonderful recipe.
Did you still use the yeast?
The texture of this dough is great! Do you make anything else with this dough besides hamburger buns? Wondering about cinnamon rolls.
We use it for hoagie rolls, as well. You could also bake it into a sandwich loaf. Using it for cinnamon rolls would take some alterations. We’ll have a cinnamon roll recipe posted soon.
How do you shape your hoagie rolls?
Shape them the same way you would for a batard. Pinch the edges together and roll.
Hi I just found your site and recipe…I’m stocked about this recipe because I’ve been using sourdough for 38 years. My question is can you use milk instead of water? Thank you so much and stay safe. ✝️
To be honest, it’s something I never thought about doing; but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Let me know how it turns out!
Thanks for this recipe! Can it be halved (or quartered?) with the same results?
Yes, it can!
I made this recipe for the first time today and it turned out awesome! I substituted AP flour and wheat gluten instead of bread flour .. I also added in 3/4 cup diced dehydrated onion flakes to the dough and then after brushing with olive oil sprinkled more on top. They are delicious!! Thanks for the recipe!
I converted the recipe to grams as follows:
700g (5 1/2 cups) bread flour — can substitute 650g AP flour + 50g vital wheat gluten
16g (1 1/2 Tablespoons) SAF gold instant yeast
10g (2 teaspoons) salt
60g (1/4 cup) sugar
339g (1 1/2 cups) warm water (105-115 degrees)
241g (1 cup) sourdough starter, at room temperature
50g (1/4 cup) olive oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
– (optional) 3/4 cup dehydrated onion flakes + more for topping (after oil, before baking)
We made them and they tasted great, but I think I’m doing something wrong. They were really dense. I didn’t make a full 24, which probably contributed to that. How do I insure light, airy, fluffy buns?
It sounds like they may have been underdeveloped or under proofed. If you can tell me step by step what you did, I’ll try to help you troubleshoot.
Do I have to use yeast or can I just use starter
You can just use starter, but keep in mind that the proofing time will be a lot longer.
I made 16 burger buns, they are perfect for that and so easy to make. thank you !
Hi Sandy! I’m SO glad to hear you loved this recipe. X Caylie
Has anyone tried freezing the buns once they are made? Wonder how they would preserve?
Hi Joyelle! These buns freeze beautifully and reheat just as well. If you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to ask! x Caylie
Like!! Really appreciate you sharing this blog post.Really thank you! Keep writing.
When you make them into hoagie rolls do you use the same 2 1/2 oz of dough for each one?
No. I use 4-1/2 oz. for the hoagies. The recipe should make about 12.
These are the best buns I’ve ever made and I’ve made my share of buns! The only thing I did different was to use half AP flour & half high gluten flour since I did not have bread flour. I halved the recipe since we’re just two here and am putting some in the freezer for later. Thank you so much!
Hi Judy! I’m so glad you like the recipe! We keep these buns made and in the freezer at all times. And just to let you in on a little secret. I mix my all purpose and high gluten flours too when I’m out of bread flour.
What size are the buns? I prefer to make mine 4 1/2 to 5 in.
No baby sized buns for this family.
Hi Richard! The pan that we use makes 4 1/4″ buns. The link is at the bottom of the recipe card. However, if you prefer bigger buns, simply scale the dough bigger. You can always freeform them and bake them on a sheet pan.
These look good. So can you use just AP flour?
You can use AP flour, just be sure you don’t use one with a low protein content. My AP flour has a protein content of 11.7%. If you go too low, it will affect the structure of your bread.
Made them today! They are outstanding!
So I’ve been making them 1 day and will make them many more times!
Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Tandy! I’m so glad you like them! They are one of my favorites too!!!