Sourdough Hamburger Buns

It’s officially grilling season here on the Homestead! These sourdough hamburger buns will be a staple throughout the summer! They are soft and delicious! Perfect for burgers or sandwiches!

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When the weather starts warming up, I start thinking about grilling and taking our meals outside. It’s so refreshing after a long winter!

The warm weather also makes me want to make more and more long fermented sourdough bread products. Sourdough loves the warmer weather.

A few days ago, my husband and I were talking about grilling for the weekend and I got so excited. I knew I wanted a burger, so, I went back in my recipes and realized I needed a hamburger bun recipe that I can use all summer. These are made with freshly milled hard white wheat flour, but, you can definitely make these with all-purpose flour.

This recipe is a same day recipe, however, you can mix these up in the evening and give them a 2-3 hour rise on the counter, then place the dough in the fridge overnight and shape in the morning. This makes the recipe very flexible for busy summer routines.

I recently realized that to get the best results with freshly milled flour, it needs to be kneaded for a longer period of time. Prior to this, I would knead the dough in the mixer for 6-8 minutes, however, I have since been kneading for more like 15 minutes or until the dough passes the window pane test. I went more in detail in this post: https://therosehomestead.com/whole-grain-sourdough-tips/

I have found that the results are so much better now and I am renewed in my love for baking with whole grain flour!

For this recipe, you will need:

1. Flour
2. Water
3. Active/Fed Sourdough Starter
4. Salt
5. Oil/Butter
6. Honey (optional)

Flour:

I used freshly milled hard white wheat. I grind mine to a bread flour consistency. You can use All-Purpose, Bread flour, or store bought whole wheat.

Just keep in mind, you only want to add enough flour for the dough to pull from the sides of your mixing bowl.

Water:

Use filtered water. Most tap water will be chlorinated which can hinder the good bacteria in the sourdough starter.

Active/Fed Sourdough Starter:

You want your starter to have been fed 4-12 hours before using. Or, have been fed and become active then placed in the fridge.

I use my starter straight from the fridge until it needs to be fed again.

Salt:

A good quality salt is ideal. Any kind of sea salt works great.

Oil/Butter:

I use Olive Oil, but, melted butter would be wonderful in these hamburger buns!

Honey:

Honey is optional, however, if you are using freshly milled flour, the honey really lightens the stronger flavor of the whole wheat flour.

In the morning, mix the ingredients in your stand mixer and knead for about 15 minutes or until it passes the window pane test, which means when you take a small piece of the dough in your hands, you can stretch it until you can see through it without it breaking.

This is the stand mixer I use: https://collabs.shop/xmipvy

Place the dough in a large bowl, cover, and allow to rise for 4-8 hours.

Turn the dough onto a work surface and divide into 8 equal portions.

Shape the dough by rolling the dough into a ball shape.

Place the balls of dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, cover, and allow to rise for an additional 1-2 hours.

Alternatively, you can mix the dough the evening before and place in the fridge before bed. Divide and shape the dough the next morning and allow to rise for 1-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the buns with an egg wash and sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds. This is optional, but, really gives the buns a fancy feel!

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until lightly golden brown.