Sourdough Hamburger Buns Recipe

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The next time you grill up a juicy burger, enjoy it with these homemade burger buns! This sourdough hamburger buns recipe is so tasty and is the perfect way to complement a favorite summertime meal. Follow these step-by-step instructions to make your own fluffy sourdough buns for your next cookout!

I love to bake as much bread as possible using my sourdough starter. Some of our family’s favorites include sandwich bread, pita pockets, french bread, brioche, and more. And homemade burger (or hot dog!) buns are at the top of the list.

This recipe is fairly hands-off once you get the dough made. Let it proof all day then bake in the late afternoon or evening. They’ll be ready for a quick, healthy supper such as hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, sloppy joes, and any other meal that you need a bun for.

If you’re new to sourdough, learn all about how to care for a starter, store your homemade bread, and find more sourdough recipes here.

Ditch the grocery store hamburger buns with too many ingredients and make your own! This sourdough burger buns recipe makes soft buns using natural yeast. Just start the recipe the night before and by supper time you’ll have warm, fresh buns!

Ingredients for Sourdough Hamburger Buns Recipe

• Active Sourdough Starter- Feed your starter the day before you want to make this sourdough hamburger bun recipe so that it’s nice and bubbly and active when you make the dough. You can read more about caring for a sourdough starter in this post here.
• Butter- Softened and unsalted. Try these instructions for homemade butter!
• Honey- We use raw honey from our own honeybees.
• Salt- Fine sea salt or your favorite salt.
• Warm water
• Flour- I use all-purpose flour for this recipe but feel free to use whole wheat flour or your other favorite flour.

Tools You Will Need

• Stand mixer or large mixing bowl- I like to whip up this dough in my mixer but you can also do it by hand in a large mixing bowl.
• Non-metal bowl for proofing- It’s always best to avoid using metal bowls when working with sourdough so always proof in a glass bowl.
• Sheet pan or baking sheet- A cookie sheet or sheet pan is all you’ll need to bake these burger buns! I line mine with a reusable baking mat or parchment paper.
• Pastry brush and small bowl- For the optional egg wash that gives a nice shine to the buns.

Timeline for Sourdough Hamburger Buns

I like to start my sourdough hamburger buns the night before I want to serve them. Here’s the timeline that I use:

• Feed starter in the morning the day before baking.
• Mix up dough the night before baking and allow to proof all night.
• Divide dough and form buns the next morning and allow to rise.
• Bake buns later in the morning or early afternoon and allow to cool until supper in the evening.

You can also start the dough very early in the morning on the day you want to bake the buns. They can have a shorter rise time of only 6-8 hours and they can be ready in time for dinner. They might not have as much time to cool and won’t be as easy to slice but they’ll still be delicious!

How to Make Sourdough Hamburger Buns

To the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if doing by hand) add the active sourdough starter, softened butter, honey, salt, and water. Mix to combine.

Add in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Place the dough into a non-metal bowl and cover. Allow to rise for at least 6 to 8 hours or even better, 10 to 12 hours, in a warm spot.

Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. You can use a bench scraper to do this or your hands.

Use your hands to roll each piece of dough into a ball. Set the dough balls onto the parchment or baking mat-lined sheet pan. 

Press down on each ball of dough with your hand to flatten slightly, into the shape of a hamburger bun. The buns will rise more so don’t worry if they look small!

Cover with a tea towel and set aside in a warm place to rise for another 1-2 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush on the optional egg wash.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool baked buns on a cooling rack before slicing. 

Tips for Homemade Hamburger Buns

• This recipe can easily be doubled to either make more hamburger buns or a loaf of bread! I like to double the recipe then divide the dough in half. With one half I make the buns as described above. With the other half, I use a standard loaf pan to make a perfect loaf of sourdough sandwich bread! Bake at the same temperature for about 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly brown on top. Then I have buns and a loaf of bread with just a little extra effort and time!
• Slice buns in half for serving but lightly toast the sliced side for extra crunch with your hamburgers! Either toast them on the grill, in a toaster, or on a skillet with some melted butter. 
• These buns are best when enjoyed the day you bake them. However, you can make them a day or two ahead of time. Just leave them unsliced and store them in an airtight container until ready to enjoy. If I’m serving them a day or two after baking, I prefer to toast them.
• These buns can be frozen in an airtight bag for up to 6 months. Have homemade sourdough hamburger buns anytime! Just pull them out in the morning and allow them to thaw at room temperature and they’ll be ready for dinner!
• If you choose to add an egg wash prior to baking, you can also sprinkle sesame seeds or poppy seeds on top.
• Make hot dog buns! Follow the recipe but shape the dough into long oblongs for hot dog buns.
• Not just for hamburgers! Use these buns for other dishes including egg or chicken salad sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, sloppy joes, pulled pork sandwiches, and more!

​Your family is sure to ask you to make these sourdough hamburger buns at every cookout! Enjoy!