Sourdough Hamburger Buns
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These easy Sourdough Hamburger Buns are light, soft, made with simple pantry staples, brushed with olive oil, baked to perfection, and are SO delicious! Be sure to serve these buns room temperature for the best flavor and texture! Great any time, whether it’s a quick weeknight dinner, a weekend barbecue, or summer holidays with friends and family. These buns are terrific for sandwiches, burgers, or even just as a roll to go alongside dinner. Every bite is soft and buttery, with just the right amount of sourdough for a bun that is melt in your mouth good…and oh so impressive. You simply can’t go wrong with these soft, fluffy sourdough buns!
About The Recipe
The wonderful thing about bread is that it’s truly a year-round classic. Especially when it’s something as simple and delicious as these sourdough hamburger buns!
My mom actually started making these as hoagie rolls. It was her go-to when she had her catering business.
They were perfect for business lunches and birthday parties! A simple, delicious loaf that was a crowd pleaser.
However, a birthday party changed the course of those hoagie buns forever! Someone was using the hoagie as a hamburger bun. That was an AHA! moment.
Now, 20+ years later, these little buns are still in high demand among our friends and family.
Which is great because these buns are not only SUPER easy to make, but they only take a couple of hours from start to finish!
Whenever we bake a batch, I can’t help but snag a bun as soon as they come out of the oven. I’ve done this since I was a little girl! My mom generally had to apologize to people for a bun being missing because…well, they are truly irresistible!
Simple, easy, and absolutely delicious!
Ideal for summer holidays, weeknight dinners, weekend barbecues, and picnics—suitable for any season or whenever you crave a yummy bread bun. These sourdough hamburger buns are just SO GOOD!
What is a Sourdough Hamburger Bun?
Well, a hamburger bun (or burger bun) is a type of enriched, yeast-risen bread that is shaped in a small boule the perfect size to hold a hamburger and it’s toppings!
A sourdough hamburger bun is the same premise, but instead of being boring and flavorless, as most tend to be, using your sourdough discard adds a wonderful flavor to these little bread buns that make them truly irresistible.
Reasons You Will Love These Sourdough Hamburger Buns
- Perfect for hamburgers, hoagies, or even as a bread roll alongside dinner!
- So much easier to make than you might think.
- Ready in less than 3 hours! These buns can also be made in advanvce.
- Can easily be made vegan (see how in the substitutions below!).
- A great way to use sourdough discard!
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)
- Bread Flour – has the extra protein needed to strengthen this dough and give it structure.
- SAF Gold Instant Yeast – is our go-to yeast for any enriched dough recipe! It gives a little stronger rise to the dough.
- Kosher Salt – dissolves easier than table salt. It helps the bread hold its shape and improves the texture.
- Sugar – plays a very important role in this dough. It weakens the gluten structure to create tenderness and and fine texture, retains moisture which keeps the bread interior soft and moist, and helps with browning.
- Warm Water – helps to develop the protein in the flour.
- Sourdough Starter – doesn’t contribute to the rise, but it does add a wonderful flavor!
- Olive Oil – adds fat, flavor, and helps with browning.
- Large Eggs – are a binder and also add moisture and structure.
How To Make Sourdough Hamburger Buns
Step 1: Prepare dough
Combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in bowl of electric mixer fitted with dough hook.
Add the sourdough starter, eggs, oil, and water. Mix on low speed until combined and a rough dough is formed. Increase the speed to medium-high and knead the dough for 8-10 minutes, or until smooth.
Step 2: Prove
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.
Step 3: Shape and prove
Turn dough out and use a bench knife and digital scale to divide into 2 1/2 ounce pieces.You should have about 23 pieces of dough. From there, gently pull the dough with both your hands and fold the seam under to form a ball. Pinch together with your hand, and place on the counter. Gently roll the dough, seam side down, with your hand until it becomes smooth.
Place the dough balls in greased pan. Brush the tops with olive oil and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Step 4: Bake
Bake in 400 degree oven until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.
FAQ’s and Troubleshooting
I don’t have a mixer. Can I make this by hand?
These buns really needs to be made in a mixer! While it’s doable, it takes twice as long to knead and it’s a lot of work. It’s always best to use a stand mixer.
Can I shape these differently? Such as into hot dog buns, hoagies, etc?
Absolutely! Even though this recipe is for buns, you can easily change the shape for your needs. It works great as a loaf bread, buns, hoagies, hot dog buns, even cinnamon roll dough! Remember that changing the shape will affect cook times.
Can I use a different flour?
Of course! All-Purpose flour works great. Just be sure to check the protein content of the flour. We don’t recommend going any lower than 11.7% because it will affect the structure of the bread.
Can I make these buns without yeast?
Yes, you can; but rising times will be much longer. Just keep this in mind!
Can I top these buns with sesame seeds?
Absolutely! We like these buns plain, but you can definitely add sesame seeds on top before baking.
How can I tell when my dough is kneaded properly?
A properly kneaded dough should be smooth and shiny. The bowl of the mixer should also be VERY clean and the dough should lift out of the mixer in one piece, rather than ripping into two pieces.
The dough is still soft! Do I need to add more flour?
Have you been kneading the dough long enough? Is it smooth and shiny? If it’s not, keep kneading! You really don’t need to add anymore flour to this recipe. It’s an enriched dough, which it means should softer.
My dough isn’t rising in the times stated in the recipe card!
The recipe card/post states the times it took our dough to rise. We live in Texas. So, it tends to be a bit warmer here and doughs generally take less time to rise. I promise there’s nothing wrong with the dough! Just let it do its thing, but if you really need it done, try placing near a warm oven. The warmth from being near the oven will help it rise faster. Just don’t put the dough in the oven!
How To Store
The wonderful thing about these buns is that they store wonderfully! You can keep them in the fridge in a zip-top bag or go ahead and freeze them in a freezer safe bag!
When you want to reheat them, allow the buns to come to room temperature OR place in the microwave for 15-30 seconds in high power. The amount of time the bun takes to thaw depends on how frozen it is, but they do reheat very well!
Substitutions:
- To make this recipe vegan, you can use aquafaba instead of eggs! You will need about 4 ounces of aquafaba. Follow the instructions in the recipe card as stated, just using aquafaba instead of the eggs.
Looking for more recipes like this? Here are a few you may like: Soft Sourdough Pretzels, Sourdough Biscuits, Sourdough Bagels, Multigrain Sourdough Bread, How To Make A Sourdough Starter
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.
- A digital scale will really help with getting these buns all the same size. However, you can just “eyeball” it if you’re 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, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
Sourdough Hamburger Buns
Ingredients
- 5½ cups bread flour
- 1½ Tablespoons SAF Gold instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ cups warm water, 105-115 degrees
- 1 cup sourdough starter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in bowl of electric mixer fitted with dough hook.
- Add sourdough starter, eggs, oil, and water.
- Mix on low speed until combined.
- Increase speed to medium-high.
- 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 + 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.
- A digital scale will really help with getting these buns all the same size. However, you can just “eyeball” it if you’re 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!
Tools You May Need (affiliate links)
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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These buns are so soft and easy to make. People are impressed when I tell them I made them
Hi Diane! Thank you for making our recipe! We’re so happy to hear everyone loves them. They are definitely one of our favorites! We hope you find more recipes to love and share on our blog. Happy holidays! x, Caylie
I made them and they were absolutely awesome! I used 2 cups of stone ground whole wheat flour and 3 1/2 of all purpose. I will add this to my go to recipe file. I was wondering can I just put these in loaf pans and make them that way. I am new to sour dough and this recipe has given me the confidence to try other stuff! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Tyrena! If you don’t have bun pans, you can certainly bake them on sheet pans. If you want to bake in loaf pans, this recipe will make 3 loaves baked in standard 9 inch loaf pans.
I’ve been making these buns for several months now. It has become my favorite.
This recipe turned out perfectly outstanding! This will be my go to recipe for EVERY occasion!
😊 Thank you!
Simply the best hamburger buns I’ve made. They are soft and delisious.
Made these for pulled pork sandwiches yesterday. Omg, I don’t think I can go back to store bought buns ever again.Everyone ate every single bun. Soft and delicious. I’m making another batch today.
Love this recipe. Will never buy hamburger rolls again
Hi Andy! We’re so happy to hear you loved this recipe 💛 It’s one of our absolute favorites and we make these buns all the time. I hope you find more recipes to love on our blog! We actually have a few other easy sourdough recipes. You can find them by searching, “sourdough” on our blog! Thanks for making our hamburger buns 😊 x, Caylie
I’m curious, is this basically the same as a yeast roll or bun? And if not how can I make it a yeast bun? I just remember the awesome yeast rolls made in school when I was younger and had tried to recreate it for many years unsuccessfully. My first attempt was sourdough so far so good. I was also told that if I dry out some of the starter and grind it up and put it in a bag I can put it in the freezer and have starter ready to be fed indefinitely.
Hi Ellen! These are sandwich buns. I’m not sure exactly what kind of rolls you had when you were younger, but these are my grandmother’s yeast rolls. I think they are probably closer to what you are looking for. If it’s specifically a sourdough roll you are looking for, I don’t have a recipe up for those yet. In terms of drying out your sourdough starter and freezing it, sometimes that works; sometimes it doesn’t. Your best bet is to keep a jar of starter in the refrigerator. Just start feeding it a couple of days before you want to cook with it to refresh it. You can keep a starter indefinitely. I’ve had mine for nearly 20 years. Let me know if you have any other questions.
May I use a food processor in place of a stand mixer?
Hi Bridget! As long as you use the dough blade, it should be fine. Let me know if you have any other questions.
I was wondering if you can freeze the dough itself after shaping them and letting them rise? I read that you can freeze them once they are baked, but didn’t see anything about the dough part.
Hi Brandy! I’ve tried it with varying results over the years. At best, I was able to freeze them not proofed for about a week and still have them work. I don’t recommend it. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Can you make this into sandwich bread? If yes does the recipe do one loaf or two? This is my families favorite buns so I thought Ide try it as sandwich bread. Any tips
Hi Nichole! You can absolutely make this into sandwich bread! I do it on a regular basis. It makes 2 9-inch loaves. There is no difference in anything except scaling the dough. Just divide it in half and put it in the pans. I usually use a bench knife to shape mine a bit, but that’s not really necessary. Let me know if you have any more questions.
I just started with sourdough and these buns are amazing. Just need to make them smaller. They were a huge hit with everyone and I am so happy that they are easy to make with the kitchen mixer. Thank you
Hi! We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed these sourdough buns. We have a few other easy sourdough recipes on our blog, if you’d like to check them out! Just tap our search bar and type in, “Sourdough”! Thank you for making our recipe, we hope you find lots of things to bake and enjoy on our blog 🥰 x, Caylie
I did add extra flour after kneading over 10 min as the dough was still too sticky. They turned out soft and delicious! I will make again. I don’t have a bun pan so I used my rimed cookie sheets with no problem at all.
Hi! Would it be possible to start the dough in the morning, let it rise all day, and then place it in the fridge for a longer ferment? I’ve seen several comments about leaving the yeast out but I didn’t see any that said anything about doing so and then doing an overnight ferment. Thank you!!
Hi Paige! I have never done this dough that way. My first thought is that it would be over proofed. If you decide to try it, let me know how it comes out.
These were delicious, very light!
My family loved them!
Is it possible to leave out yeast and just let rise a longer time frame? Want to make dough ahead and take to bake somewhere else
Hi Leslie! You can absolutely do it that way.
Does this use active (fed) starter or discard? I want to try it, but would like clarification.
Hi Trish! If you keep your starter dormant in the refrigerator and only use it occasionally, you need to be sure to feed it for a couple of days before using it to refresh it. You can use the discard from the refreshed starter to bake with. Never feed your starter and try to use it immediately. If you are in a hurry or doing multiple bakes during a day, you can use it a couple of hours after you feed it if you leave it at room temperature after feeding. If you have any more questions, please let me know.
Absolutely delicious buns!! They were simple to make and turned out great. The hubs gave them a thumbs up!!!
Can this recipe be used to make bread bowls. I have been looking for a sourdough bread bowl recipe that didnt take hours and hours to do. I have a bridle shower for 80 next month and need something that will work up fast and also be substantial to hold a cream soup.
Hi Susan! Unfortunately this recipe will not work for that. It is a sandwich bread, so it doesn’t have the crust you need to hold in a liquid. Any good artisan bread recipe could work. If you have access to a proofer, you can speed up the process; but you will lose out on flavor. You could also make your bread loaves up in advance, par bake them, and freeze them, then finish them off when you need them. I hope that helps!
These were very good! I’ll be coming back to this recipe for sure. I added more salt, but I always do with bread recipes.I didn’t have instant yeast so I used active and they came out great. I’m very impressed with the texture of these!
Hi Laura! We’re SO glad you loved these hamburger buns. They’re one of our absolute favorites 🥰 x, Caylie
I used 2 cups dark rye flour, 2 cups whole wheat flour, and 1 1/2cups all purpose flour. I was playing around and shaped some for hot dogs, hamburgers, and as hoagies. They all turned out fantastic. I salted some, put sesame seeds on some, and Everything Bagel Seasoning on some. They were easy and turned out delicious. The only thing I would say, is do not put a lid on your bowl when proofing. The lid blew off the top of mine. I normally use a cloth, but tried this. The gases made it burst and fly off.
💘
Can I leave out the sugar?
Hi Deborah! These rolls are an enriched dough. Sugar promotes browning and rounds out the flavor. If you leave it out, you won’t have the same results or flavor as my original recipe. Let me know if you have any other questions.
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!!!
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.
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 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.
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.
Like!! Really appreciate you sharing this blog post.Really thank you! Keep writing.
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
Such a good recipe, on my second time I made half the dough into rolls and the other half into a loaf. So yummy!!
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
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.
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.
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)
Thanks for this recipe! Can it be halved (or quartered?) with the same results?
Yes, it can!
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!
How do you shape your hoagie rolls?
Shape them the same way you would for a batard. Pinch the edges together and roll.
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.
The texture of this dough is great! Do you make anything else with this dough besides hamburger buns? Wondering about cinnamon rolls.
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?
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 love this recipe and after making the hamburger buns I’m going to now try the recipe as hot dog buns.
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 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 use other flour?
Hi Deah! Yes, you actually can. You can make this recipe with All-Purpose flour.
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.
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!
Simple and produces the best burger buns in a jiffy! The buns were flavourful n super soft
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