Okay, admit it. Burgers are awesome, especially the bun that the burger comes in is super important. There are different schools of thought, some like a big hefty bun, some like a little small soft one. Personally, I love a burger bun with butter in it; the smell and taste of butter are so amazing. It should be a soft and fluffy bun in texture, but still with some taste in it. This is my recipe for sourdough brioche burger buns.
I’ve previously posted a recipe for yeasted brioche buns, but I’ve always wanted to show you how to make them leavened with sourdough starter. It’s really not very much harder but does require quite a lot of extra time for proofing.
If you are just here for the recipe, you can press the button underneath to be automagically transported to the recipe:
The dough in this sourdough brioche burger buns recipe
Vitals
Total weight
775 grams
Pre-fermented flour
7.9%
Hydration
58.5%
Yield
8 burger buns
The dough
The dough is made with 100% bread flour, but if you want a more tasty bun you can add up to 20% whole grain flour of your choice. The dough is enriched with eggs, sugar, whole milk, and, of course, butter.
The amount of butter is lower than you’d find in your typical brioche bread, because the texture becomes very cakey, which wouldn’t suit a burger bun. It still has more than enough butter to give a rich mouth feel and that amazing smell.
The hydration is kept relatively low to make the shaping easier.
Weight
Ingredient
Baker's Percentage
350g
bread flour
100%
90g
egg, whole
25.7%
125g
whole milk (3.5%)
35.7%
100g
butter, salted
28.6%
40g
sugar
11.4%
60g
starter (100% hydration)
17.1%
10g
salt
2.9%
As always you can play around with the formula: change hydration, quantity, or anything else here in my Bread Calculator.
The conclusion of this recipe for sourdough brioche burger buns
When these buns come out of the oven, the delicious smell of browned butter permeates your kitchen. The buns are so incredibly soft, that you have to be careful when you handle them.
The addition of sesame seeds gives these amazing nutty notes, and the long fermentation and the sourdough starter give it such an amazing taste. Not sour at all, but wonderfully broad, bready, and nutty.
I’d recommend baking a large portion and freezing the ones you don’t need. They’re just as good when they come out of the freezer.
I usually toast mine before serving them, but they’re great just warmed, or fried on the pan where you prepared your patties. Soaking up some of those delicious juices. It’s up to you.
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This is my recipe for artisan sourdough bread. If you like the recipe please consider sharing it with like-minded bread lovers on social media.
If you make it and post it on Instagram, please tag me as @foodgeek.dk so I can see it. That would make me very happy.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
These burger buns are objectively the best burger buns I have ever tried. They're soft and fluffy, have a fantastic smell and taste of butter, and because they use a slow-fermented sourdough-leavened dough, they have the most exquisite taste that makes them more than just a holder for your patty.
Cut all the butter into cubes and leave it to soften.
Add all ingredients except the butter into the bowl of your stand mixer.
Mix the ingredients using the dough hook in your hand, then run the machine on medium-low (three on a KitchenAid) until you have a cohesive dough.
While continuing the mixing, add cubes of butter and let them get incorporated. After adding all the butter, mix until you have a firm dough with good gluten development.
Then put the dough in a proofing container and let it proof for 2 hours at room temperature. It might not rise at all.
Shape burger buns
Then it's time to shape the buns. Get a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Divide the dough into 90g/3.2oz pieces. Then grab a piece of dough and fold the sides towards the middle while turning it. Keep going til you have a tight ball.
Place your dough ball onto your unfloured counter. Make a claw with your hand and place it over the ball.
While pushing down, gently move in a circular motion to create a perfect ball.
Place the ball on the sheet and continue with the rest of the dough pieces.
Oil your hands and press the balls flat in a burger bun shape.
Let them proof until doubled. It can take a long time; it took over 8 hours for my buns.
Bake
Heat your oven to 180°C/350°F.
Make an egg wash with an egg yolk and a tablespoon of water. Grab the sheet of buns and brush all the buns.
Add any toppings that you want. Put the sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.
Take them out and place them on a wire rack. Let cool slightly, then brush with melted butter.
They are best served toasted or fried on the frying pan.
