Perfectly sized for standard quarter-pound hamburger patties! These sourdough discard buns use exact portions to ensure every burger has the ideal meat-to-bun ratio. No guesswork, no oversized buns that dwarf your burger.
Pulled pork is my go-to for family gatherings, and I realized that homemade buns would take it from good to absolutely impressive. There's something about fresh-baked bread that makes guests feel special and elevates the whole meal.
I spent months testing different sizes until I landed on these 76-80g portions. They're sturdy enough for pulled pork, perfectly sized for standard quarter-pound burgers. Plus they make everything taste better and always get compliments.
Why This Recipe is a "Keeper"
- Beginner-friendly - Uses active dry yeast for faster, more reliable rising than starter-only recipes.
- Same-day baking - From mixing to fresh buns in under 3 hours.
- Foolproof sizing - Exact gram weights eliminate guesswork for perfect results.
- Versatile - Works for burgers, sandwiches, or dinner rolls.
- Uses up discard - Turn your sourdough waste into something delicious, just like my Discard Dinner Rolls and Sourdough Discard Garlic Knots.
Jump to:
- Why This Recipe is a "Keeper"
- Ingredients You'll Need
- Essential Tools for Sourdough
- Tools that Make Bread Baking Easier
- Pro Sourdough Tip!
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How to Make Sourdough Discard Buns
- Burger Bun Troubleshooting
- The Poke Test
- Storing Sourdough Buns
- Sourdough Discard Hamburger Buns Recipe
- Related
Ingredients You'll Need
For the Dough
- 1½ teaspoon active dry yeast
- ½ cup (118g) warm milk - 100-110°F for proper yeast activation
- 1 tablespoon (12g) sugar
- 2 large eggs + 1 for egg wash
- 3½ tablespoon (47g) neutral oil - avocado, olive, or melted butter
- 1 cup (240g) sourdough discard - unfed/inactive starter
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
- 3½ cups (435g) bread flour - creates sturdy buns perfect for burgers, though all-purpose works great, too.
For Topping
- 1 egg for wash
- Sesame seeds (optional)
Essential Tools for Sourdough
Kitchen Scale - More precise measuring + fewer dirty dishes. Just add ingredients directly to the bowl! I use it for all my baking recipes, like my sourdough sandwich bread and sourdough cornbread.
Dough Scraper - Makes removing sticky dough easy from any bowl
Tools that Make Bread Baking Easier
Stand Mixer with Dough Hook - Let the machine do all the kneading work for you
Instant-Read Thermometer - Ensures perfect doneness (buns are ready at 185-190°F)
Pro Sourdough Tip!
Scale technique: Place your mixing bowl on a digital kitchen scale, hit "tare," add ingredients until you hit the target weight listed in the ingredients.
No measuring cups to wash when you use a scale!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but your buns will be softer and less sturdy. Bread flour contains more protein and develops more gluten, making buns that can "stand up to the juiciest burger".
Yes, the cups and spoons measurements are included, but using a scale is the most effective method because it's precise. If using cups, fluff flour first, spoon into cup, and level off.
Discard is the portion of starter you remove during routine maintenance before adding fresh flour and water. It's unfed starter that adds tangy flavor without strong leavening power. Read more about starter maintenence.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Buns
Let's make some sourdough discard buns!
- Step 1: Prepare the dough and let it rest covered in a bowl until doubled in size.
- Step 2: Once it's doubled, punch it down and remove the dough with a dough scraper.
- Step 3: Weigh your dough to determine the full weight. Then divide by 12 (the number of rolls) to determine how much each roll should weigh.
- Step 4: Cut down the dough using a bench scraper or knife into individual pieces based on the weight from your previous step.
- Step 5: Create a roll out of each dough ball by folding up the sides of the dough ball together, creating surface tension on the underside, then do the same with the opposite sides of the ball so you get a nice taught surface on the underside.
- Step 6: Place the dough ball seam side down on your work surface and roll in circular motion continuing to round out the dough ball and maintain nice tension on the top of the roll, pressing it against the countertop.
- Step 7: Place the dough ball on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, silicone sheets or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and repeat rolling each remaining dough ball, placing them so that there's plenty of space for the rolls to expand when they rise and bake.
- Step 8: Cover the rolls with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel for a second rise for 30 to 45 minutes until puffed up. You can test if they're ready if when you gently press your finger dusted with a bit of flour into the top, the dough very slowly rises back. If it bounces back fast, then they can proof for a bit longer. While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350F.
- Step 9: Brush then with egg wash.
- Step 10: Top with sesame seeds if you like.
- Step 11: Bake at 350F for 15 - 20 minutes until golden on tops and a thermometer inserted into the center reads 185F to 190F.
Burger Bun Troubleshooting
- Buns too dense? - Don't overknead the dough, ensure the yeast is active (don't skip the blooming step in the recipe card)
- Splitting on bottom? - Proof a bit longer next time
- Not rising? - Check the milk temperature (100-110°F is crucial)
The Poke Test
The secret for knowing if your buns are proofed and ready to bake. Dust your finger with some flour and then press it gently into one of the rolls. If it springs back quickly the rolls aren't quite ready and need more time to proof. But if it slowly smooths out from where you poked it, they're ready to pop in the oven.
Storing Sourdough Buns
Keep the burger buns in an airtight container or bag at room temperature to stay fresh the longest.
Putting them in the fridge dries them out faster by pulling out moisture!
Sourdough Discard Hamburger Buns Recipe
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 buns
- Category: bread
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Light, fluffy and easy to make, sourdough discard hamburger buns will upgrade your next cookout. Perfectly sized for standard burger patties!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tsp (5g) dry active yeast
- ½ cup (118g) warm milk (100F to 110F)
- 1 Tbs (12g) sugar
- 2 large eggs plus 1 for an egg wash
- 3 ½ Tbs (47g) neutral flavored oil (avocado, vegetable or extra virgin olive oil all work great)
- 1 cup (240g) sourdough discard
- 1 tsp (6g) salt
- 3 ½ cups (435g) bread flour
- Sesame seeds *optional
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add 1 ½ teaspoon (5g) of active dry yeast and ½ cup (118g) of warm milk (100F to 110F) and let it sit for five minutes until the yeast has bloomed / gotten foamy.
- To the bowl add 1 Tbs (12 g) granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 3 ½ Tbs (47g) oil, 1 cup (240g) sourdough discard, 1 teaspoon (6g) of fine salt, and 3 ½ cups (435g) of all-purpose flour.
- Mix together the ingredients with the dough hook on a stand mixer or by hand. Once a dough ball has formed, proceed to knead for 8 minutes. If using a stand mixer, I use the medium speed. The dough will be a bit sticky and will cling to the bottom of the bowl, but pull away from the sides of the bowl. You know kneading is complete when the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Take out the dough hook and keep the dough in the bowl and cover it with plastic or a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise for 45 to 60 minutes until the dough has doubled in size. The warmer your room, the faster the dough will rise. The cooler, the slower it will rise.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl using a silicone dough scraper or your hands and place it on a lightly floured surface.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (approximately 76-80g each).
- Create a bun out of each dough ball by folding up the sides of the dough ball together, creating surface tension on the underside, then do the same with the opposite sides of the ball so you get a nice taught surface on the underside. *see photo in post above for visual reference
- Then, place the dough ball seam side down on your work surface and roll in circular motion continuing to round out the dough ball and maintain nice tension on the top of the bun, pressing it against the countertop.
- Place the dough ball on a sheet pan lined with parchment or a silicone mat and repeat rolling each remaining dough ball, placing the dough balls far enough apart from each other to accommodate the rolls continuing to rise and expand. I fill half a sheet pan with six buns.
- Cover the buns with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel for a second rise for 30 to 45 minutes until puffed up and when you gently press your finger dusted with a bit of flour into the top, the dough very slowly rises back. If it bounces back fast, then they can proof for a bit longer.
- While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350F.
- Once your buns are proofed and ready, if you want to add the egg wash, whisk one egg and then brush it lightly across the tops of all of your rolls using a pastry brush. Sprinkle on sesame seeds if you like.
- Bake the rolls at 350F for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown on top. A way to verify that they are done is that an instant-read thermometer reads between 185F and 190F when inserted into the center of a roll.
- Allow the rolls to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 221
- Sugar: 1.7 g
- Sodium: 211.1 mg
- Fat: 5.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 34.9 g
- Fiber: 1.2 g
- Protein: 7.1 g
- Cholesterol: 31.2 mg
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