Sourdough Brioche Burger Buns

Adapted from DIY Natural

Soft, tender brioche buns, so wonderfully puffy and delicious–these buns are the perfect vessel to house your latest burger creation. May is National Burger Month, so I thought it would be the perfect time to share this scrumptious burger bun recipe with you … PLUS (and this is a huge bonus for all of us who have more sourdough starter than we know what to do with!), this recipe uses an entire cup of sourdough starter.

My kids both love these burger buns. My daughter wants her buns little as she is in love with all things tiny, but my son prefers the ginormous variety. Fortunately, I can easily adapt the bun size to please them both! They often eat the buns plain, straight off the pan just as soon as they cool down enough to touch, but my daughter also loves smearing peanut butter on hers, and of course, they are wonderful for burgers. I made my girl a smash burger the other day with one of the larger buns and she gobbled it up and asked for another! I couldn’t believe she ate two whole 1/4-lb. burgers in one sitting, but she was hungry (and probably making up for lost time after a stomach bug wiped out her appetite for 5 days).

I’ve made these buns several times since we started our sourdough journey and the kids still beg me to make them again! Janice (our sourdough starter) has been quite good to us and we feed her often, possibly more often than we really should. Since we started making sourdough bread and buns, it’s slashed our grocery bill too because my kids are eating more homemade bread, sandwiches, and tuna and less pre-packaged junk meals. We also make our own sourdough pizza crust, so ordering takeout pizza almost never happens anymore. I’m kinda really proud and so totally loving all the wonderful aromas in my home as our homemade bread and pizza bakes.

Why sourdough?

I think the #1 reason is: it tastes good. These buns don’t have much of a sour taste, but the sourdough adds a depth of flavor that is totally delicious.

And it’s good for you! Sourdough is full of probiotics (the good bacteria that helps your digestive system) and it’s easy on your tummy. People with sensitive stomachs and many people who are sensitive to gluten find they can eat sourdough without any issues. (Note: I am not a doctor … please consult with your doctor if you are celiac or gluten intolerant before trying sourdough with gluten.)

Your body also metabolizes sourdough differently. With most white bread, your body has a sudden sugar spike right after eating the bread and then a big energy crash, but sourdough doesn’t have that crazy see-saw effect on your blood sugar. Even white sourdough provides a more even, long-lasting source of energy. Sourdough bread has a low glycemic index and can help keep your blood sugar and insulin levels lower, which can prevent insulin resistance and diabetes. (Keep in mind, this effect can vary from person to person.)

Where to get sourdough starter?

If you want to start your own sourdough journey, you can beg some starter off a friend (most people are VERY willing to share, because starter surplus IS a thing that happens) … or you can make it yourself or purchase it. If you decide to go the homemade route, it IS quite simple, but if the recipe tells you to discard the starter, just don’t. There’s no need to throw away perfectly good starter, even in the beginning stages. Use it to make these buns! Or some crescent rolls or pizza dough … or even crackers. My friends Kathy and Aaron also make sourdough tortillas. There’s no limit to what you can do with “discard” sourdough starter!

What if I don’t want to do sourdough?

No worries! I have the perfect brioche bun recipe that requires no sourdough starter at all and can be made in the bread machine (or your stand mixer).

Do I need a stand mixer to make these buns?

A stand mixer certainly makes it easier, but you can totally make these buns without a stand mixer or bread machine. Just knead the bread by hand for about 10 minutes. It’s a great shoulder and arm workout! Sometimes I choose to knead my dough by hand just for the workout, and for the pleasure of feeling the dough in my hands. Sourdough bread has a softer, more giving feel than other doughs, and it’s very satisfying to knead it with your own hands. When you knead the dough with your hands, you’re getting up close and intimate with your food–something most of us in the modern world seldom do, and I think it’s an experience we’re really missing out on.

Can I use other flours?

If you want to substitute whole wheat, rye, flaxmeal, oatmeal or other whole grain flours for the bread flour, it will affect the rising. Your buns probably won’t rise as high and they will be more dense in texture. If you want to try this but you still want nice, light, puffy buns, I would suggest a mix of bread flour to no more than half whole grain flour.

Why yeast?

Even though the wild yeast in the sourdough will make the buns rise, I added some active dry yeast in this recipe as a kind of “insurance” to help the buns get nice and poofy and make the process go a little faster. I love watching how big they get as they rise! Some of the buns rise straight up (not up and out like most buns.) Do you have to add yeast? No, you don’t. You can skip (or greatly reduce) the active dry yeast in the recipe, but you’ll need to allow for longer rise times. Even a tiny pinch of yeast will make a big difference in rise times.

Sourdough Brioche Burger Buns

★★★★★ 4.8 from 12 reviews

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 4 hours 35 minutes
• Yield: 12 - 24 buns 1x

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Ingredients

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• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup filtered water
• 1 cup sourdough starter
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 4 – 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast (optional)

For oiling the dough and buns: about 1 – 2 Tablespoons olive oil

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Instructions

1. Melt the butter and set aside.
2. In the mixing bowl for your stand mixer, stir together the water, sourdough starter, eggs, honey, 3 1/2 cups bread flour, sea salt and yeast.
3. Put the dough hook on your stand mixer, set the mixer to speed 2 and knead for about 7 minutes. While the dough is kneading, drizzle the butter in, a bit at a time and flour, a bit at a time (alternating between butter and flour until the butter is gone). Keep adding flour, just a bit at a time, until the dough stops picking up the flour. Keep kneading until the dough picks up all the flour in the bowl.
4. Shape the dough into a ball, put a little bit of olive oil on your hands and coat the dough with oil. Set the dough back in the bowl, cover and let rise for at least an hour or up to 4 hours. (If using yeast, the dough might rise all the way to the top of the bowl!)
5. Remove the dough from the pan and cut into 3 pieces. If baking right away, cut each piece of the dough into 4 – 8 pieces (depending on how big you want your buns). 4 pieces will yield large buns suitable for 1/4 lb. burgers, 8 pieces are more slider sized buns. Alternatively, you can wrap the dough loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate at this point to be baked later.
6. Shape each piece of dough into a spherical shape by using your fingers to stretch the top of the dough down and pinching it underneath. Keep doing this, rotating as you go, until the ball of dough is nice and round. Oil each ball with olive oil and set on a baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between balls. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes (if using yeast) or 1 – 2 hours if not, until the buns are nearly doubled in size.
7. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Bake at 400 F for about 15 – 20 minutes or until the buns are golden brown on top and firm when tapped.
8. Remove from oven and brush lightly with olive oil. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting.

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Notes

The perfect warm rising spot for buns and bread is in your oven! Turn oven on to the lowest temp setting it will allow. When the oven is heated, turn it off and turn the oven light on.

Is it sourdough if you add yeast? I would contend that it IS sourdough because it contains sourdough starter, but if you’re concerned about adding yeast, then leave it out. Rise times will be longer without the yeast and your buns will taste more “sour”.

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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Stay tuned! I have an epic burger planned for Cinco de Mayo and National Burger Month … and it’s served on one of these beautiful buns. 🙂