Sourdough hamburger buns bring a rich, tangy flavor and soft texture that elevate any homemade sandwich or burger. These buns are made with sourdough discard or an active starter and bake up beautifully golden with just the right amount of chew. Perfect for summer grilling or casual family meals, they’re a delicious way to put your starter to good use—no commercial yeast required.
Using sourdough discard hamburger buns is a smart and flavorful way to avoid waste and create something truly satisfying at the same time. Because this recipe relies on discard rather than a bubbly, just-fed starter, it’s perfect for bakers who want to stretch their sourdough routine without the pressure of peak timing. The slow overnight rise develops depth of flavor and gives each bun a soft, airy crumb with a golden crust.
One of the best things about this sourdough hamburger buns recipe is how easy it is to customize. You can top the buns with sesame seeds or poppy seeds before baking, or mix herbs into the dough for added character. These buns also freeze well, making them a great make-ahead option for busy weeks. Simply thaw and warm them before serving with burgers, pulled pork, or your favorite sandwich fillings. Their sturdy yet tender texture makes them just right for holding up to saucy toppings and hearty ingredients.
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Why We Love These Sourdough Discard Hamburger Buns
- Customize them!
We prefer a soft and fluffy sesame seed bun, but add any toppings you like poppy seeds, garlic salt, or everything bagel seasoning. Or, leave the tops plain – it’s your preference! - Uses your discard!
With sourdough discard recipes like this, there’s no waste when it is time to feed your sourdough bread starter! No starter? No problem, we have an amazing homemade hamburger bun recipe that uses yeast instead! - They are versatile!
Use them for sourdough rolls, this hot italian sandwiches recipe, or other sandwiches. Just cut the dough into 14–16 pieces and use them for leftover chicken, turkey tenderloin crock pot, pork roast, or ham from the holidays. See recipe notes for baking times.
Do you love sourdough?
Check out our other sourdough discard recipes, like our popular no knead sourdough bread. You will also enjoy unforgettable sourdough breakfast recipes like sourdough french toast, sourdough banana bread, sourdough focaccia bread recipe, and banana muffins. They are easy to make and SO good!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Active sourdough starter: Fed 12-24 hours before starting the sourdough hamburger buns recipe.
When we say active, we mean a mature starter that is at least a week old and always doubles in size within 4-6 hours of feeding. It doesn’t mean you need to use it at the peak activity after a feeding. - Warm water: The water needs to be just the right temperature to make the starter work properly. See tips for more information.
- Granulated sugar: We only use granulated cane sugar. Granulated sugar substitutes don’t always work, so we don’t recommend making any changes to the sweetener.
- Bread flour: There needs to be enough protein in the dough for it to hold up properly. As a result, you shouldn’t use regular all-purpose flour or another substitute.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: The oil helps create fluffy sourdough discard hamburger buns that are also dense enough to hold its shape.
- Sea salt: Fine table salt or fine sea salt. If you use Kosher salt, use about 25% more as Kosher salt is less “salty.”
- Egg: Egg wash is used to achieve the shiny, golden appearance that we all recognize as a hamburger bun.
Recipe Variations
- Buttery brioche-style buns: For a richer flavor and softer crumb, swap out the olive oil for melted butter (unsalted butter) in the dough. This simple change creates a slightly sweet, pillowy bun that’s perfect for upscale burgers or sandwich sliders.
- Whole wheat buns: Substitute half of the bread flour with whole wheat flour to give your buns a heartier texture and earthy taste. This variation pairs beautifully with grilled vegetables or turkey burgers.
- Classic sourdough hot dog buns: Shape the piece of dough into longer ovals instead of rounds to create your own sourdough hotdog buns. They’re just as easy to make and a great way to enjoy sourdough with bratwurst or sausages.
- Golden slider buns with egg wash: After shaping your buns on a floured work-surface, brush the tops with egg wash and bake until golden brown. These mini versions are great for appetizers or party trays.
Equipment Used in this Recipe
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper (optional)
- Mixing bowl
- Dough whisk
- Kitchen scale: We recommend using a scale to weigh your ingredients prior to mixing and use it for weighing the dough for equal-sized dough balls.
How to Make Sourdough Hamburger Buns Recipe
- An active sourdough starter is essential.
Use an established starter that is active, bubbly, and doubles in size within 6 hours of feeding. Use starter that was fed at least 12 hours ago and up to 24 hours ago. - Use warm water to activate fermentation.
For this sourdough hamburger buns dough, the water should be between 110-115° F.
- Use plastic wrap to cover your dough for the fermentation (bulk) rise if you live in a dry climate. This keeps the top from hardening and drying out which slows down fermentation. If this happens to your dough, just stretch and fold the dough again in the morning and let rise for 2-3 hours.
- Flour your hands to prevent the dough sticking when rolling your dough balls. Then press down lightly to flatten them.
- Use egg wash to increase browning and to help any seeds or herbs stick.
Use a pastry brush to cover the top and sides of each sourdough hamburger bun with egg wash, then sprinkle on the sesame seeds (if using).
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
Technically, you can make sourdough hamburger buns in one day if you start the process early. Still, we think it’s much easier to make the dough and let it rise overnight.
Tips for Shaping the Buns
- Weigh portions of dough on a kitchen scale. This is the best way to ensure that you have equal-sized buns.
- After dividing the dough, roll each piece into a ball in your hand. Then, pinch the bottom to smooth the top.
- Before baking, gently press your palm over the sourdough hamburger buns to flatten them slightly to give them an oval shape.
Serving Suggestions
These sourdough hamburger buns are a delicious upgrade for any juicy burger, but they’re also perfect for more than just patties off the grill. We especially enjoy them with our favorite grilled turkey burger, where their sturdy texture holds up to every bite. They’re also fantastic for sandwiches—try them piled high with shredded beef or chicken tenders. Once they’re cool, slice them in half with a serrated knife for clean, even cuts.
Recipe FAQs
Let them cool before cutting and serving. Store buns in an air-tight container at room temperature.
If your sourdough burger buns are dense it would be because your starter was not active enough, or too much flour was added. For the best results, use an established, active starter that doubles in size within 6 hours of feeding. Also, weigh ingredients with a kitchen scale, or use the spoon and level method of measuring.
Fresh bread is best consumed within the first few days, but these buns will keep for up to a week. For storage options, check out our post on how to store sourdough bread.
If you want to extend their shelf life, you can freeze them for up to two months. Just thaw completely and reheat before serving.
To reheat, wrap them in a paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds. Or, place a few in a toaster oven or conventional oven at 350º for a few minutes until warmed through.
Here Are More Quick Bread Recipes To Love…
- Bisquick Cornbread without Cornmeal
- Banana Bread with Self Rising Flour
- Braided Lemon Bread
- Cranberry Almond Scones
If you tried this sourdough hamburger bun recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Sourdough Hamburger Buns
Equipment
- parchment lined baking sheet
- mixing bowl
- dough whisk
- kitchen scale
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (65 grams) sourdough starter discard or fed 12-24 hours prior *see notes below
- 1 ½ cups (300 grams) warm water, filtered 95º to 100º F
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar
- 4 cups (480 grams) bread flour I prefer King Arthur flour
- 1½ tablespoons (20 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons (9 grams) sea salt
- 1 egg for egg wash
optional
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Add the starter to a large bowl. Mix in warm water and sugar, stirring until dissolved. Add bread flour, oil, and salt. Stir with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until a thick, shaggy dough forms.
- Flour your hands, and finish mixing dough by hand until all the flour has been absorbed. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Add a light dusting of flour on your counter, then place the dough on top Use the stretch and fold method (instead of kneading) by stretching it one end of the dough straight up about 4 inches, then press it down the middle and rotate it 1/4 turn. Repeat this process until you make a complete circle and the dough had tightened.
- Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature overnight (or at least 8-10 hours) until double in size.
- Cut dough in 10-12 equal pieces (depending on the size of bun you prefer). Roll the dough into a smooth ball in your hand, then pinch the dough underneath until it is a smooth round ball. Place it on an oiled baking sheet, then flatten it slightly with your palm (into a bun shape). Cover and let rise for 2 hours, or until dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven to 425ºF. In a small bowl, crack and stir egg with 1 tablespoon of water until mixed completely. Use a pastry brush to brush on egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds (if using).
- Bake hamburger buns in the center of the oven for 8-10 minutes. The top of the burger buns should be golden in color. Let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting in half.
Notes
- This recipe uses a discard or unfed sourdough starter, which means one that was fed 12-24 hours before starting the recipe. Our recipe does not use a starter that’s at its peak when mixing the dough. A 100% hydration sourdough starter works best for this recipe.
- How do you keep sourdough hamburger buns soft?
- Let them cool before cutting and serving. Store buns in an air-tight container at room temperature.
- Why are my homemade sourdough buns so dense?
- If your sourdough burger buns are dense it would be because your starter was not active enough, or too much flour was added. For the best results, use an established, active starter that doubles in size within 6 hours of feeding. Also, weigh ingredients with a kitchen scale, or use the spoon and level method of measuring.
- Buttery brioche-style buns: For a richer flavor and softer crumb, swap out the olive oil for melted butter (unsalted butter) in the dough. This simple change creates a slightly sweet, pillowy bun that’s perfect for upscale burgers or sandwich sliders.
- Whole wheat buns: Substitute half of the bread flour with whole wheat flour to give your buns a heartier texture and earthy taste. This variation pairs beautifully with grilled vegetables or turkey burgers.
- Classic sourdough hot dog buns: Shape the piece of dough into longer ovals instead of rounds to create your own sourdough hotdog buns. They’re just as easy to make and a great way to enjoy sourdough with bratwurst or sausages.
- Golden slider buns with egg wash: After shaping your buns on a floured work-surface, brush the tops with egg wash and bake until golden brown. These mini versions are great for appetizers or party trays.
- Fresh bread is best consumed within the first few days, but these buns will keep for up to a week.
- For storage options, check out our post on how to store sourdough bread.
- If you want to extend their shelf life, you can freeze them for up to two months. Just thaw completely and reheat before serving.
- To reheat, wrap them in a paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds. Or, place a few in a toaster oven or conventional oven at 350º for a few minutes until warmed through.
Nutrition
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Kim Parent says
After shaping can you do a cold ferment on the hamburger buns? If so would you bring them out and bake them cold or let sit for 30 minutes before baking?
Gianne - TFN Team Member says
We haven’t tried it with this recipe, but I think it would work.