Sourdough Discard Burger Buns {Easy Hamburger Recipe}
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Once you’ve tasted a burger these homemade sourdough discard burger buns, grocery store versions just don’t hit the same.
In this same-day recipe, the dough mixes up easily in your stand mixer, then rises twice for buns that come out soft, golden brown, and full of flavor.
Just like my fully-fermented, 100% Sourdough Burger Buns, these buns are rich, sturdy enough for a loaded burger, and finished with a shiny top that makes them look as good as they taste.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
Soft, sturdy buns that don’t fall apart mid-bite:
Most store-bought buns turn to mush once the burger juice hits, but these homemade sourdough discard burger buns stay strong the whole time. The enriched dough and thorough mixing in the bowl of a stand mixer give you soft and fluffy buns with just the right amount of chew. They’re great for burgers, but you can also use the same dough for sourdough hot dog buns, dinner rolls, or cinnamon rolls.
You get to use your discard in a dough that’s ready fast:
This isn’t one of those all-day rise recipes. Thanks to instant yeast, the dough rises quickly, even if your kitchen is on the cooler side. You’ll be shaping it in about an hour. It’s one of the fastest sourdough discard recipes I’ve tested. And if you’re not up for longer bakes like English muffins or artisan loaves, this easy recipe is a solid alternative.
Perfect rise every time, no matter your kitchen’s temperature:
This yeasted recipe delivers consistent, fluffy sourdough buns that rise beautifully whether your kitchen is cool or warm. No guesswork or long waits. Just soft, springy buns every time you bake.
Ingredients & Substitutions
* To find precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card*
- Milk – The milk and butter should be warmed, but it shouldn’t be hotter than 110°F. Too much heat can kill the instant yeast and discard and prevent your dough from rising properly. I used whole milk in this easy homemade burger bun recipe, but non-dairy options like almond milk work just fine.
- Sourdough discard – I use fresh, room temperature sourdough discard that’s no more than 1-2 days old. If using discard straight from the fridge, it’ll slow down the rise time. By the way, you can swap in the same amount of active starter (grams).
- Sugar – If you’d prefer a natural sweetener, you can use the same amount of honey by weight.
- Flour– You can use all-purpose flour for these buns, but I highly recommend bread flour. Its higher protein content results in softer, fluffier buns that hold up better.
- Instant yeast – I used instant yeast for this recipe, not active dry yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in liquid to activate and takes longer to rise dough. Instant yeast, in contrast , can be added directly to dry ingredients, and it works much faster.
Baking Time For
|
Time |
Process |
|---|---|
|
3:30 PM |
Mix and knead the dough |
|
3:40 PM |
Shape the burger buns |
|
4:25 PM |
Second rise |
|
5:10 PM |
Bake |
How to Make Sourdough Discard Burger Buns
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the milk, discard, egg, egg yolk, melted butter, and sugar. Mix until smooth.
- To the wet ingredients, add the flour, instant yeast, and salt. Mix again on low speed, then knead the dough on medium speed for 6-8 minutes.
- Remove the dough and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and wait until it doubles in size.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to remove all the air bubbles. Then, place the dough on a lightly floured work surface.
- Gently stretch the dough into a rough rectangle. Use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 8-10 equal pieces.
- Pull the corners of each piece toward the center, flip, and then roll each piece of dough into a tight, round dough ball. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and continue until all the balls turn into nicely shaped buns.
- Cover the baking sheet with this plastic cover and let the dough rest for its second rise. The final proof is complete when the burger buns have grown and look puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the top of each bun with the egg wash and sesame seeds.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the buns are golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190°F to 200°F.
- Remove the buns from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature with a juicy grilled burger and toppings of your choice.
How to Store:
After the sourdough discard burger buns cool, store them at room temperature, in the fridge, or freeze them.
They’ll last for 3 days on the counter in an airtight container or bag. Just keep them in a cool, dry spot. In the fridge, they’ll last about 5 days but might dry out a bit. Warm them up in the microwave or toaster oven to soften.
Freeze them wrapped tightly in plastic or parchment, then placed in a freezer bag. They keep for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter or microwave for 30-45 seconds. Warm in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes to make them taste fresh-baked again.
FAQs
After kneading for 6 to 8 minutes, the dough should feel smooth and springy, not sticky or rough. Use the windowpane test to check if the dough is ready. Take a small piece and gently stretch it. If it stretches thin enough that light shines through without tearing, you’re good to go. That’s a sign that the gluten has developed and the dough will rise without issues.
After the first rise, gently punch down the dough to get rid of any big air bubbles. Then, cut it into even pieces. Take each piece, pull the edges toward the center, flip it over, and roll it into a tight, smooth ball. Doing this traps air inside the dough, which helps the sourdough buns rise up soft and fluffy. Cover them loosely for the second rise so they don’t dry out but still get nice and puffy.
Rise time depends on the temperature of the dough and kitchen. If your kitchen is cooler, it might take an hour or more for the dough to double in size. I suggest placing the dough (in a bowl) in a warm spot like near the stove or on top of the fridge. Cover it with a warm towel or use a proofing box. Just watch for the dough to double no matter how long it takes.
Warming the milk and butter helps wake up the yeast, so your dough rises like it should. Aim for a temperature between 110°F and 120°F. Any hotter, and you risk killing the yeast or sourdough discard, and your dough won’t rise. If it gets too hot, just let it cool a little before using. I go with whole milk and it doesn’t disappoint. Almond milk or other non-dairy options work, too.
Sourdough Discard Burger Buns
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Ingredients
- 240 grams milk, warm 1 cup
- 100 grams sourdough discard scant 1/2 cup
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 57 grams unsalted butter, melted 4 Tablespoons
- 24 grams sugar *see notes 2 Tablespoons
- 500 grams bread flour 3 1/2 cups
- 10 grams instant yeast 3 1/3 teaspoons
- 11 grams salt 1 3/4 teaspoons
- egg wash
Instructions
Mix Dough
- To a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the warm milk, room temperature sourdough discard, egg, egg yolk, melted butter and sugar. Mix on low speed until smooth.You can mix and knead this dough by hand.My milk was 110 degrees F. I love using this instant read thermometer to check that the milk isn't hotter than that, otherwise this can kill the instant yeast, which will prevent your dough from rising. If you are using discard from the fridge, add it to the warm milk. Reheat the milk until it reaches 110 degrees F.240 grams milk, warm, 57 grams unsalted butter, melted, 100 grams sourdough discard, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 24 grams sugar *see notes
- To the wet ingredients, add the flour, instant yeast and salt. With the hook attachment, mix again on low speed. Stop to scrap the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the dry ingredients and then continue to mix on low for 1-2 minutes.500 grams bread flour, 10 grams instant yeast, 11 grams salt
- Continue to knead the dough on medium speed for 6-8 minutes.You’ll know the dough has been kneaded completely when it is smooth and elastic. The dough will completely pull away from the sides of the bowl and it will pass the windowpane test. You can also knead this dough by hand, but will most likely need to extend the kneading time to 10-12 minutes.
- McKenna's Tip: What is the Windowpane Test? This means when you stretch a small section of dough into a thin film, the light will be able to pass through without the dough tearing. If this is accomplished, the dough has been properly kneaded.
- Remove the dough and place it in a lightly greased bowl and cover.
FIRST RISE:
- Place the dough in a warm place in your kitchen and allow the dough to double in size.In my 70 degree proofing box, this took about 30-45 minutes. The bulk rise greatly depends on the temperature of your dough and kitchen. If you have a colder kitchen or used cooler ingredients, the rise time will take longer. If your kitchen runs warm, the first rise will take less time.
SHAPE:
- Once the dough has at least doubled in size, punch the top of the dough to remove all the air bubbles. Then, place the dough on a lightly floured work surface.
- Gently stretch the dough into a rough rectangle shape. With a bench scraper, divide the dough into 10 equal pieces (about 100g each).
- Pull the corners of the dough towards the center, flip, and then roll each piece of dough into a round, tight ball. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Slightly flatten them. Repeat until all the rolls are shaped.
SECOND RISE
- Once shaped, cover the baking sheet with this plastic cover and let the dough rest for its second rise. The final proof is complete when the burger buns have almost doubled in size and look puffy. This took about 45-60 minutes.
BAKE
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk together an egg and a splash of water, then brush the top of each bun with the egg wash with a pastry brush. Top with sesame seeds, if desired.egg wash
- Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the buns are beautifully golden brown and the internal temperature is 190 – 200 degrees F. If the buns are starting to brown too quickly, cover them with aluminum foil and continue to bake.
- Remove the Sourdough Buns from the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack. Serve the Sourdough Burger Buns at room temperature with your favorite grilled meat and toppings of choice. Enjoy!
Notes
- Milk – The milk and butter should be warmed, but it shouldn’t be hotter than 120°F. Too much heat can kill the instant yeast and discard and prevent your dough from rising properly. I used whole milk in this easy homemade burger bun recipe, but non-dairy options like almond milk work just fine.
- Sourdough discard – I use fresh, room temperature sourdough discard that’s no more than 1-2 days old. If using discard straight from the fridge, it’ll slow down the rise time. By the way, you can swap in the same amount of active starter (grams).
- Sugar – You can use the same amount of honey by weight if you’d prefer a natural sweetener.
- Flour– You can use all-purpose flour for these buns, but I highly recommend bread flour. Its higher protein content results in softer, fluffier buns that hold up better.
- Instant yeast – I used instant yeast for this recipe, not active dry yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in liquid to activate and takes longer to rise dough. Instant yeast, in contrast , can be added directly to dry ingredients, and it works much faster.
This is the perfect recipe to have whenever you need sourdough burger buns in a pinch! My family couldn’t get over how pillowy soft they were.
Trying to figure out what I am doing wrong with this recipe. My wet ingredients were at 108F when I added the dry ingredients. I’ve mix 2 separate batches now and after 1 hour on one it’s still as dense as when it started and my batch is 3 hours in and the same.
I used Instant yeast as suggested and I even placed one of the batches on a proofing mat to see if that would help. Any suggestions?
Thanks so much for trying the recipe — I know how frustrating that can be when dough just won’t rise! It sounds like your yeast may not be active, especially since you’ve tried two batches with no luck. Instant yeast should still give you some rise within an hour, especially with warm ingredients and a proofing mat. I’d recommend checking the expiration date on the yeast, and if you’re unsure, you can test it by mixing a little yeast with warm water and a pinch of sugar to see if it bubbles after 5–10 minutes.
Let me know what you find — I’m happy to help troubleshoot further!
Question – what if unused only a packet of yeast and not the additional to get to 3+ teaspoons? Would it just mean longer rise times?
Great question! Yes—if you only use one packet of yeast (about 2 ¼ teaspoons) instead of the full amount in the recipe, it will still work, but you’ll likely need a longer rise time to get the same lift. Just keep an eye on the dough and go by volume—you’re looking for it to double in size during the bulk ferment and rise nicely after shaping.
The flavor may even develop a little more with the slower rise! 😊 Let me know how it goes if you try it with the reduced yeast—I’d love to hear!
This is my go to bread roll recipe now! It was a big hit at our last bbq and I even love it for lunchboxes.
Do you think the dough would work as a sandwich loaf? Trying to figure out how long I would bake it for.
That makes me so happy to hear—thank you! I’m thrilled it’s become your go-to for BBQs and lunchboxes!
Yes, this dough should absolutely work as a sandwich loaf! Just shape it and place it in a greased 9×5″ loaf pan after the first rise. For baking, I’d suggest:
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 30–35 minutes, or until the top is golden and the internal temp reaches 190–195°F.
Let it cool before slicing so it holds its shape—and enjoy! Let me know how it turns out if you try it as a loaf!
These hamburger buns were a huge hit with my family – thank you!
Do you think I could use this in a bread loaf tin and use for slice bread?
I’m so happy to hear your family loved the burger buns—thank you for sharing!
I personally haven’t tried this, but if I were too, I recommend shaping it and placing it in a 9×5” loaf pan after the first rise. Let it rise again until puffy and just above the rim, then bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 30–35 minutes, or until golden on top and it sounds hollow when tapped (or reaches an internal temp of 190–195°F).
Let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!