The perfect accompaniment to a good hamburger is a good bun: soft and flavorful, with enough body to stand up to condiments. These sourdough buns are fast and easy to make.
Now that your Cultures For Health Sourdough Kit or Starter is on it's way to you, bookmark this recipe so you can reference it later! Please note that you can use any style of our Sourdough Starter with this recipe. The whole wheat comes from the flour you use.
Quick Look:
Prep: 1 hour 30 minutes
Bake: 18-20 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Yield: Makes 8-10 buns.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh sourdough starter
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. softened butter
- 1/4 cup lukewarm milk
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup white flour or bread flour
- Sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions:
- Stir together sourdough starter, butter, milk, egg, and salt. Don’t worry if there are still some chunks of butter in the mixture.
- Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing with a spoon until it comes together enough to turn out onto a bread board or clean countertop.
- Knead the dough until it is smooth and satiny, about 10-20 minutes.
- (Optional) Refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours to get a more flavorful bun. Bring it back to room temperature before continuing.
- Let the dough rest at room temperature 15-20 minutes, then roll it out 1/2 inch thick.
- Use a 3- or 4-inch biscuit cutter to cut bun shapes and transfer them to an ungreased baking sheet. Re-roll the dough and cut more shapes until all the dough has been used.
- (Optional) Press a light layer of sesame seeds gently into the buns.
- Cover the buns lightly and let rise until doubled in bulk – between 1 and 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake buns 18-20 minutes.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Cool completely before slicing in half horizontally.
Tips:
- Because of its fermentation process, the longer it ferments the stronger its flavor.
- By not adding too much flour, over-kneading, and not over-baking you will achieve the soft sourdough rolls you are after. Brushing the finished rolls with melted butter will give them a soft exterior as well.
- When forming your rolls, weigh each piece of dough to ensure your rolls are the same size. This way they will bake up evenly.
