Fluffy and soft on the inside, beautifully golden-brown on the outside and ready in under 3 hours! These brioche-style sourdough discard hamburger buns are made with a simple dough using sourdough discard and enriched with butter, egg and milk and lightly sweetened with honey. So much better than store-bought buns!!
Homemade sourdough discard buns are actually quite easy to make and they taste incredible! The enriched dough and sourdough discard work together to create the most soft and fluffy buns, and the best part is that they're ready in under 3 hours. There's no need to plan ahead like you would with traditional sourdough recipes. Since we'll be using sourdough discard, this recipe also uses instant yeast to help the dough quickly rise!
These buns are great with burgers, sloppy joes, breakfast sandwiches, and so much more!
Why you'll love my sourdough discard hamburger buns
- Quick and easy. In under 3 hours with only 15 minutes of hands on time, you'll have delicious homemade buns that you can feel great about serving to your family and friends!
- Soft and fluffy. Made with butter, milk and an egg, these sourdough discard buns are extra light and fluffy with a golden-brown crust. They're also lightly sweetened with honey or maple syrup giving them that delicious brioche-style bun taste!
- Freeze really well. This recipe makes 12 buns, and I like to freeze any leftovers so I have buns to use in a pinch!
What is sourdough discard?
To maintain sourdough starter and keep it active, you must feed it a combination of water and flour on a daily or weekly basis. You only need to feed a small amount of starter, so before feeding the starter, you always remove a portion of the starter and "discard" it. That’s where sourdough discard recipes like this come in, so the discard doesn't go to waste!
For this recipe, you want to use 100% hydration sourdough discard, which means your starter is fed equal parts water and water. You can use old discard that's been stored in the fridge or new discard.
Since sourdough discard is no longer active (because you're no longer feeding it), and to speed up the rise time, you will use instant yeast to make these hamburger buns.
Ingredients
- Milk. I recommend whole or 2% milk. The fat in the milk helps to create soft and fluffy buns.
- Water.
- Butter. I always use salted butter.
- Honey. You can swap for honey for maple syrup, granulated sugar or coconut sugar.
- Egg. Helps to create soft buns with good structure, while also adding moisture.
- Sourdough discard. Use 100% hydration sourdough discard, which means sourdough that's fed equal parts water and flour.
- Bread flour. Bread flour has more protein than all-purpose flour, helping with the structure of the dough and giving the buns a nice chewy texture. You can substitute all-purpose in a pinch, but you may need to add a little extra flour since all-purpose doesn't absorb quite as much liquid.
- Instant yeast. I like to use instant yeast for a quick rise. You can use active yeast, but you need to allow 12 hours for rise time.
- Salt.
Substitutions and variations
- Sweetener. In place of honey you can use maple syrup, granulated sugar or even coconut sugar. When using maple syrup, make sure you're using 100% pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup. You can swap equal parts honey for maple syrup; however, since sugar isn't quite as sweet as honey, you'll increase to ¼ cup of granulated or coconut sugar.
- Garnish. You can leave off the sesame seeds or try something different, such as everything bagel seasoning.
- Yeast. I like to use instant yeast for a quick rise, but you could use active yeast instead. Let the dough rise overnight if using active yeast.
- Flour. In a pinch, you can use all-purpose flour, but you may need to add a little extra flour since all-purpose flour doesn't absorb quite as much liquid as bread flour.
Shaping sourdough buns
When shaping sourdough buns, you want to create tension on the surface. Start by dividing the dough into 12 pieces. You can eye ball it or use a kitchen scale.
Working with one piece of dough at a time, grab the sides of the dough and pull it up towards the center. Continue doing this all around the piece of dough creating a ball and tension on the underside of the dough ball. Then flip it over and use your hands to shape into a nice circle.
Expert tips
- Use a kitchen scale. This will give you the most perfect buns! Often times, you will end up using more flour than needed if you simply use a measuring cup, creating dense buns.
- Use bread flour. Bread flour gives you beautifully soft, fluffy and chewy buns because of the higher protein content versus all-purpose flour.
- Don't add too much flour. After the dough has been kneaded, it will be a little tacky, but you don't want it unbearably sticky. You can add up to an extra ¼ cup of flour, if needed. When my kitchen is warm and humid, I tend to need more flour. But avoid adding any more than this because adding too much flour will create heavy, dense buns. Once the dough rises, it becomes easier to work with.
- Weigh the dough. For buns that are all the same size, use a kitchen scale. This number can change depending on the size of egg you use and how much flour you add. Roughly, my dough balls end up being around 88 grams. To get an exact number, weigh the dough then divide that number by 12 (the number of buns you will have).
- Brush the tops with egg wash. To get that beautiful, shiny golden-brown top, make sure you brush the tops and sides of the dough balls with egg wash.
Commonly asked questions
Milk
Water
Butter
Honey
Egg
Sourdough discard
Bread flour
Instant yeast
Salt
Sourdough bread is naturally leavened using sourdough starter which is a living culture of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. This wild yeast and healthy bacteria makes sourdough bread easier to digest and less likely to spike blood sugar levels because of its lower glycemic index compared to standard white bread.
Also, sourdough bread is made with 3 simple ingredients: flour, water and salt. Normal white bread that you buy at the grocery store is made using commercial yeast and often has a very long ingredient list.
Sourdough bread is naturally leavened using sourdough starter which is a living culture of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. This wild yeast and healthy bacteria makes sourdough bread easier to digest and less likely to spike blood sugar levels because of its lower glycemic index compared to standard white bread.
Furthermore, sourdough bread is made with 3 simple ingredients: flour, water and salt. Normal white bread that you buy at the grocery store is made using commercial yeast and often has a very long ingredient list.
Since this is a sourdough discard recipe, I use instant yeast to help the buns rise and drastically shorten the rise time. Since the addition of sourdough discard still adds gut-friendly bacteria to the dough, I feel as though this recipe is still healthier than buns made without sourdough discard!
While these sourdough discard buns are inspired by brioche, they are not the same. Brioche describes a type of dough that is enriched with butter and eggs and typically sweetened with honey or sugar. Sourdough is a bread made by the fermentation of dough.
Make ahead
- Fridge method: Once you divide and shape the dough into balls, place the dough balls in a baking dish and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Chilling the dough slows the rising process. Before baking, remove the dough and place evenly spaced out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Let sit at room temperature until doubled in size. This will take at least 1 hour, then bake as directed.
- Freezer method: Divide and shape the dough into balls, then place the dough balls in a baking dish and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place in the freezer until solid. At this point, you can leave them in the baking dish or transfer the frozen dough balls into an airtight container or plastic ziplock bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and let rise until doubled in size, then bake as directed.
Storing
- Room temperature. While these buns are best enjoyed within 24 hours, you can store the cooled buns in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. After that, they start to get a bit dry.
- Freezing. Store the cooled buns in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Brioche Sourdough Discard Hamburger Buns
Equipment
- stand mixer optional
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole milk 120g (or 2% milk)
- ½ cup water 112 g
- 4 tablespoons salted butter 56 g
- 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup 63 g (or ¼ cup granulated sugar)
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup 100% hydration sourdough discard 132 g
- 4 cups bread flour 480 g
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast 7 g
- ½ tablespoon salt 10 g
Egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon whole milk or water
- Sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Add the milk, water, butter and honey to a small bowl and microwave until warm and the butter is melted, about 110-120 degrees. Alternatively, you can do this on the stove in a small pot.
- Pour the milk mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl), then add in the yeast, egg and sourdough discard. Mix on low with the paddle attachment until everything is combined. Alternatively, you can do this all by hand.
- Add the flour and salt. Mix again until a shaggy dough forms.
- Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead on medium-low for 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth but a little tacky. If your kitchen is warm or humid, you may need to add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of flour. You don't want the dough super sticky, but avoid adding too much extra flour, which will create heavy, dense buns. Once the dough rises, it'll be easier to work with.
- Rub a little olive oil all over the dough ball in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30-60 minutes, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Punch down the dough to release the air, then divide into 12 pieces (each about 86 g). Shape each piece into a ball, creating surface tension, and place on two parchment lined baking sheets, about 2-3 inches apart. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl whisk together the egg and milk. Brush the top and sides of the dough with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool.
Notes
- Cutting recipe in half: This recipe makes 12 buns. To half the recipe, simply use ½ of each ingredient and 1 small egg.
- Active yeast: If using active yeast, do the first rise overnight.
- Adding extra flour: Depending on the climate of your kitchen, y0u may need to adjust the flour. During the summer, when my kitchen is warm or humid, I find that I need to add a little extra flour. BUT, the dough will still remain a little sticky after kneading. It's better to have sticky dough than dense buns. Once the dough rises, it becomes easier to work with.
- All-purpose flour: While I recommend bread flour for the best texture and structure, you can use all-purpose in a pinch. All-purpose doesn't absorb as much liquid as bread flour, so you may need to add extra flour.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated by a third party software and is only an estimate, not a guarantee. This information is provided as a courtesy, and you are solely responsible for all decisions related to your health.
Isabel
Really good! Thank you
Rachel Kochlin
Isabel, I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for leaving a review!