Easy To Make Sourdough Discard Hamburger Buns – So Soft & Fluffy!
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These light and soft Sourdough Hamburger Buns are made with simple pantry staples, brushed with olive oil, and baked to perfection. They’re perfect for any occasion – from weeknight dinners to weekend barbecues. Whether for sandwiches, burgers, or alongside dinner, these buns are soft, buttery, and absolutely delicious!
These sourdough hamburger buns are a year-round classic and a family favorite (alongside our multigrain sourdough bread, of course!). Originally, this recipe started as hoagie rolls for my mom’s catering business and quickly became a hit! Now, even 30+ years later, these soft buns are still in high demand among our friends and family.
They’re simple, delicious, and perfect for any occasion. Plus, they’re super easy to make and only take a few hours from start to finish. Ideal for summer holidays, weeknight dinners, weekend barbecues, and picnics. These buns are just SO GOOD!
* Don’t Have An Active Starter? Start Here:
If you don’t have a sourdough starter on hand, don’t worry! You can easily make your own with our comprehensive guide on How to Make Sourdough Starter in 5 Days. Having an active, healthy starter is essential for successful sourdough baking, and the flavor and texture are incomparable to store-bought alternatives.
Once you have your own homemade starter ready, you’ll be all set to bake these hamburger buns and explore all of our other sourdough recipes like sourdough biscuits, sourdough pretzels, even sourdough bagels!
What’s The Difference Between A Sourdough Hamburger Bun and A Regular 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 bland and boring, as most tend to be, using your sourdough discard adds a wonderful flavor to these little bread buns that make them truly irresistible.
What Makes These Sourdough Hamburger Buns So Good?
- Years of experience and testing. My mom first delved into the world of sourdough over 30 years ago and has developed so many different recipes over the years. From something as simple as sourdough biscuits to our latest creation…pumpkin sourdough bread!
- Easier to make than you might think. While most sourdough bread recipes can be tricky to make, require a practiced eye (or hand), and take a couple of days to complete, this recipe is the EXACT opposite. Over the years, my mom has refined this recipe to only 12 steps, 8 ingredients, and 3 hours or LESS of your time.
- Diet friendly options. We have thoroughly tested a vegan/egg-free version of this recipe using aquafaba in place of the eggs, a sugar free version, and one that was both egg-free (with aquafaba) and sugar-free. They all work incredibly well. You still get a wonderful bun. The only difference we found is that when we removed the sugar, they weren’t quite as tender.
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8 Essential Ingredients in These Sourdough Hamburger Buns
Feel free to skip straight to the recipe. But if you’re new to baking bread, sourdough, working with yeast, or just feel like you need a bit of a refresher, the following explanations are things my mom and I have learned over the last 20+ years and can help you understand more about the ingredients and their usage in bread baking! 😊
- 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 – enhances the flavor, strengthens the gluten helping the bread to hold its shape, and controls the rise by slowing down the yeast growth and reproduction.
- Sugar – plays a very important role in this dough. It weakens the gluten structure to create tenderness and a 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 much to the rise because it is the discard, but it does add a wonderful flavor!
- Olive Oil – adds fat, flavor, and helps with browning.
- Eggs – are a binder and also add moisture and structure. They are an essential component of enriched dough.
A Quick Overview On Making These Buns
Sourdough can be one of those intimidating things to conquer. Before you dive into it, here’s a quick overview on just how simple this recipe really is.
- Make the dough. Read below to learn when specific ingredients need to be added and how it should look after each addition.
- Knead the dough. We are looking for a smooth, silky dough. In an electric mixer, this takes about 8-10 minutes.
- Cover and let the dough rise. The dough typically rises in about 1 hour in a relatively warm environment.
- Divide & shape into balls.
- Brush with oil and let rise for about 1 hour.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
How To Make Sourdough Hamburger Buns Step-by-Step
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
I don’t have a mixer. Can I make this by hand?
While it’s much easier to make these buns in a mixer, they can be made by hand. Keep in mind that it will take a lot longer to knead, and it’s a lot of work. However, if you’re working on your arm muscles, it’s a great workout!
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% 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 means it should be 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!
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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.
Happy Baking!
x, Caylie
Easy To Make Sourdough Discard Hamburger Buns – So Soft & Fluffy!
Ingredients
- 5½ cups bread flour
- 1½ Tablespoons SAF Gold instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ cups cool water, 70℉/21℃
- 1 cup sourdough starter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
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 2½ ounce 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.
- While dough is rising, heat oven to 400℉/200℃.
- Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
Notes + Tips!
- Room temperature is about 70℉/21℃.
- Use an oven thermometer to ensure accurate cooking temperatures.
- 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.
- 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!
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If I would use a active starter for the small recipe. I would need 250g?
I’m not sure what you mean by small recipe. The recipe in the recipe card calls for 250g starter. You’re starter is active if it’s been fed in the last 5 hours unless it’s been refrigerated, then that’s different. If you are asking if you can leave the yeast out if your starter is active, yes, but with the understanding that both the bulk rise and final proof will be longer. The yeast is just in there to speed up the process. Let me know if you have any more questions.
That’s what in mean, to leave out the yeast and use a active starter. I would need 250 g starter.
Hi Andrea! You only need the 250g of starter, even if it’s active and you’re not using yeast. Just keep in mind that the buns will rise a lot slower! Hope this helps and if you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask. x, Caylie
Using only the times one recipe.
Help! Why don’t my buns color?
Hi Andrea! If you didn’t change the recipe and brushed them with olive oil, the only other reason they might not brown is your oven temperature is incorrect. Use an oven thermometer to check the temp.
Oops!Now that I have read about sugar that it helps to brown. I thought it I saw that it was crossed out. So no sugar
Hi Andrea! If you saw the sugar was crossed out, this is a feature in our recipe card for getting ingredients together (mise en place!). You tap the box next to the ingredient once you have it measured to help you stay organized. If there’s an ingredient in our recipe card listed, it’s in the recipe for a reason! If you ever see anything with line strike through, this may have been caused by an accidental click on the ingredient box. Hope this helps! x, Caylie
I can’t wait to try these, but I have one question. It’s the yeast absolutely necessary if I’m using sourdough starter? Or does it just help get a quicker rise on the dough?
Hi Danielle! Thank you for asking 😊 You can make this recipe without the yeast. Just keep in mind that, without that extra yeast, it will take much longer to rise. Hope this helps! Let us know if you have any more questions and I hope you love this recipe !! x, Caylie
Can I use a mix of whole wheat and all-purpose flour I the recipe? Or would it be to high protein?
Hi Andrea! You can substitute up to 25% of the all purpose flour with whole wheat. I really wouldn’t do more. Keep in mind you may need to increase the amount of water slightly, and it may need to rise a bit longer. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Would you have this hamburger buns recipe in grams?
Hi Andrea! Under the ingredients in the recipe, there is a button that says “US Customary – Metric”. You can press the word “metric” to get this recipe in grams. Hope this helps! x, Caylie
This recipe is amazing! I’ve made it 3x now. They freeze amazingly well too. I just pulled out the last 4 of my frozen cooked buns last night, they had been in there a month and had a little ice crystal on them, but thawed perfectly and were as good as fresh! Fluffy and chewy, 100x better than store bought rolls. This really elevates my homemade burgers.
Some tips I’ve found: I put a large plate on my scale and measure out 4 buns at a time to work in batches. I also oil my hands as I roll them out so I don’t have to brush them with oil afterwards! I don’t have a stand mixer, but I mix it by hand with a spatula using a vigorous scrape and fold motion for about 10 minutes and it works well for me. I have trouble kneading with my hands bc it’s so sticky!
FYI – I always come up short with the yield. First batch made 16, second and third batches made 17 rolls.
I’m currently making the second batch of this recipe… it’s fantastic! One question. Could you add the weights of the ingredients in grams? Especially the flour. Depending how it’s measured, the actual amount could be totally different. My dough is always very wet, so I’m always adding more flour at the end.
Hi Angie! The metric conversions are right under the ingredients. I convert everything for American home cooks, and most don’t use a scale. The metric conversions are a function of the recipe card we use, so I have added in the notes what you need to do to make those conversions work. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll be happy to help any way I can.
I have made these 3 times and everytime a real success. I am baking for just my husband and myself. The last time I made them I made 8 burger buns, 6 hotdog buns and 2 long baguettes. I keep them well wrapped in the freezer and they are like freshly-baked after thawing. Just a perfect recipe for me!!
Hi Cindi! i’m so happy to hear you and your husband love this recipe. It’s one of our favorites! We hope you find more recipes to love on our blog 😊 x, Caylie
We love these hamburger buns! I gave some to the neighbor and she ate it like a dinner roll. This is my second time making these thanks so much for the recipe 😋
Hi Janice! LOL! I love that. If I’m being honest, I tend to eat these hamburger buns like a dinner roll too🫣😂 Thank you for making our recipe 🥰 x, Caylie
I have tried this recipe 3 or 4 times, it’s perfect everytime ! We will never buy buns or rolls again. I bake 25 minutes, personal taste we like the top a little browner. So good !
Excellent recipe. Very soft, flavorful buns. Didn’t have bun pans. Rimmed baking sheets worked great. Will definitely make again!
Hi Kathy! I’m so happy to hear you liked this recipe. We also used to make this recipe in a rimmed baking sheet before we bought the bun pans🥰 I hope you find more recipes to love on our blog! x, Caylie
Do you bake the buns with the other pan on top, or is this only for when they’re rising?
Hi Lynn! You don’t bake these buns with the other pan on top. That’s only for rising. Hope this helps! Let us know if you have any further questions! x, Caylie
I’m having a senior moment…
If I place a rimmed pan on top to flatten them a bit, do you put it upside down? If I put it right side won’t the buns be really flat?
Hi Lori! Put the pan right side up and make sure you put something heavy on top. It will make them flatten out and fill up the pan. Then when you put them in the oven, they will rise beautifully. Let me know if you have any other questions.
I’ve made these rolls a couple of times now. The first time I made them I did 50/50 ap flour and whole wheat flour qnd sprinkled cornmeal on top. This recipe was very easy to follow and will definitely make again!
These are so yummy! All of my family enjoyed them. This was my first attempt at buns EVER and I have only been working with sourdough for about a month. I used an active starter, Kirkland unbleached organic AP flour, powdered sugar, avocado oil, and active dry yeast that said expired months ago and still had great results. I personally would prefer a smaller bun so next time I will make them a bit smaller like 2 or 2.25oz and will be gentler taking the plastic wrap off next time as one pan kind of deflated when the dough stuck to the plastic wrap. Overall I say it was a success. Thanks for a great recipe 🙂
Hi! I’m new to sourdough. Do you use an active starter that you’ve fed and is risen to its peak ready to be used on a recipe or discarded sourdough that I’ve stored in a jar in the fridge?
Hi Chantal! Since this recipe contains yeast, the sourdough is simply there for flavoring. That being said, if your starter has been in the refrigerator for a while, the flavor won’t be pleasant. I usually feed my starter for a couple of days before making the bread to refresh it. The discard after a couple of days of refreshment is what I use. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Is this using an active bubbly starter?
Hi Kendra! It’s more for flavor since there’s yeast in the dough. If you want to make it without yeast, then yes, you need an active bubbly starter and an overnight retarding in the refrigerator. Let me know if you have any more questions.
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.