Sourdough Brioche Hamburger Buns

Great hamburger buns can really elevate an average burger to distinction! These soft Sourdough Brioche Hamburger Buns do just that.

They’re sturdy enough to hold a burger and have many toppings and condiments but light and fluffy enough not to weigh a burger down too much.

What I like about this brioche dough is its simplicity. Yet, the recipe is versatile, rich, and extremely tender. Enriched with butter, milk, eggs, and a small amount of sugar, the sourdough hamburger buns rise tall in the oven and have an oh-so-soft texture.

The timings for the recipe are very flexible, and I have included a sample baking schedule for an evening bake below. However, it’s easy to adjust to fit your needs if you’re doing an afternoon grilling cookout.

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👨‍🏫 Baker’s Percentage Chart

I include a baker’s percentage chart to easily scale a recipe up or down. With baker’s percentages, the total weight of all flour in the recipe is 100%.

I also include the prefermented flour from the levain in this flour weight. Finally, I note the ingredients proportionally to the total weight of flour (in this case, 534g, which includes 54g from the levain). That’s why the total percentages below will add up to over 100%.

If you want to learn more, the King Arthur website has a more detailed reference page on why and how baker’s percentages are calculated.

Ingredients	Weight	Baker’s Percentage
Bread Flour	534 grams (includes 54g for levain*)	100%
Sourdough Starter	54 grams (all for levain)	10.1%
Water	54 grams (all for levain)	10.1%
Granulated Sugar	27 grams	5.1%
Salt	10 grams	1.9%
Whole Milk	133 grams	24.9%
Eggs	3 large (165 grams)	30.9%
Unsalted Butter	113 grams (8 TBS, one stick)	21.2%

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🛠 Tools Needed

• Half Sheet Pans
  • This recipe makes 10 large burger buns. I proof them on two silicone or parchment-lined baking sheets with five buns on each pan.
• Baking Scale
  • Measuring your ingredients by weight instead of volume is important so you get a more consistent and accurate bake.
  • For equal-sized buns, you’ll also need to weigh the dough at the end of bulk fermentation and divide by 10 to get equal-sized hamburger buns.
• Bench Scraper
  • Assists with easily dividing the dough.
• Pastry Brush
  • I recommend using a pastry brush (or an unused paint brush) to brush an egg wash on the buns for a shiny, brown crust.
• Stand Mixer with Dough Hook Attachment
  • I recommend mixing brioche dough with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Brioche dough is highly enriched, and a stand mixer will make mixing much easier. However, you can mix by hand in a large mixing bowl- know that you may need to extend the mixing time by another 5 minutes or so.
• Optional: Brød and Taylor Folding Bread Proofer
  • This folding proofing box by Brød & Taylor is a game changer to keep your sourdough starter and doughs at the perfect temperature while proofing.
  • The proofer folds up easily, includes a humidity tray, is multifunctional, and can even be a slow cooker.

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🛒 Ingredients Needed

See below for more information and possible substitutes.

• Bread Flour
  • With its higher protein and gluten content, bread flour helps these hamburger buns rise tall and have a chewy texture. However, you can also substitute all-purpose flour.
  • To make whole wheat hamburger buns, I recommend starting by substituting about 25-30% of the flour with whole wheat flour. You may need to increase the hydration slightly with more milk, as whole wheat absorbs more liquid.
• Sourdough Starter
  • It’s best to use an active sourdough starter for this recipe to get fluffy buns with the highest rise. If you use sourdough discard, add a pinch of instant yeast to help with the rise.
  • The percentage of the preferment, or levain, is about 30% in this recipe. While it’s a larger percentage than most breads, it helps the dough proof a bit faster.
  • Don’t have a sourdough starter? Learn How to Make a Sourdough Starter and make a stronger sourdough starter with my top sourdough starter tips and why I maintain a small sourdough starter.
• Salt
  • Needed to balance and bring out the flavors and to strengthen the gluten in the dough.
• Granulated Sugar
  • Brioche typically has a small amount of sugar for a light sweetness.
  • For enriched doughs, sugar also helps feed the yeast with some added sugar so fermentation moves along faster as the added milk, butter, and eggs can slow down fermentation some.
  • You can omit it completely if you don’t want to use it.
• Whole Milk
  • Full-fat whole milk gives these buns the most richness and flavor. The fat helps tenderize the buns, leading to a softer dough and a darker crust.
• Unsalted Butter, softened
  • There’s a whole stick of butter in this recipe (!) but that’s what makes them so tasty.
  • The butter must be softened to room temperature so it incorporates into the dough easily. If it’s too cold, the dough will take much longer to mix, and if it’s melted, the dough will be too sticky and wet.
• Eggs
  • In addition to the sourdough starter, the eggs in brioche are a leavener, leading to a taller bun. Eggs also add richness and tenderness, just like in my fluffy Sourdough Challah Recipe.
• Sesame Seeds, for topping (optional)
  • They’re optional, but I like the classic hamburger aesthetic of sesame seeds on top. It gives them that Big Mac McDonald’s bun feel and a bit of crunchy texture and sesame flavor (which I love like in my Black Sesame Sourdough Bread or Sourdough Tahini Honey Cookies).
  • You can leave the sesame seeds off completely or sub with another small, crunchy seed like poppy seeds, everything bagel seeds, oats, or flax seeds.

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⏰ Sample Baking Schedule

This is a sample baking schedule for these hamburger buns. This schedule works well for a weekend bake so you have fresh buns for dinner. However, most steps are flexible, depending on your own schedule.

For example, you can make the levain the night before (use a smaller amount of starter and more flour/water to rise slower overnight) and mix in the morning. You can also proof the dough overnight in the refrigerator for up to a couple of days to bake on your own time.

For an afternoon grilling session, divide, shape, and proof the buns in the morning so they’ll be ready to bake in the afternoon.

Steps	Time
1. Make the Levain	9:00am
2. Mix Dough	2:00pm
3. Bulk Fermentation	2:30-7:30pm (depends on temperature)
4. Overnight Proof	7:30pm-next day
5. Divide and Shape	12:00pm
6. Final Proof	12:00-5:00pm (depends on temperature)
7. Bake	5:00pm-5:22pm

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🍔 How to Make Sourdough Brioche Hamburger Buns

Follow this visual and detailed guide to help you make these soft sourdough hamburger buns and use my easy Sourdough Hot Dog Buns recipe for your other summer grilling needs.

1. Make the Levain

Mix 54 grams of sourdough starter, 54 grams of bread flour, and 54 grams of water in an empty jar.

Cover and set it in a warm location (between 75-80ºF) for about 5 hours until it’s bubbly and doubled in size.

2. Mix the Brioche Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the bread flour, salt, sugar, eggs, whole milk, and all of the levain.

Mix on medium-low speed for a couple of minutes until the flour is completed incorporated. Then, cover with a towel and let the dough rest for at least 10 minutes so the ingredients can fully hydrate. It’ll still be a sticky and shaggy dough at this point.

Continue mixing on medium speed for a few more minutes. While mixing, slowly add 1 TBS of softened butter at a time until each piece is fully incorporated into the dough, about 30 seconds in between each addition.

After adding all of the butter, continue mixing the brioche dough for about 7-10 more minutes until the dough is tacky but strong and passes the windowpane test.

The dough passes the windowpane test if you can pull a piece of it and it stretches into a thin, see-through membrane without tearing.

3. Bulk Fermentation

Transfer the brioche dough to a large mixing bowl, cover, and place in a warm location for bulk fermentation.

Bulk fermentation, or the first proof, takes about 5 hours in a warm location (75-80ºF).

Enriched doughs like this can take longer to proof, so extend fermentation if needed. At the end of bulk fermentation, the dough will double in size, be smooth, rounded, feel full of air.

4. Overnight Proof

Transfer the dough to the refrigerator to proof overnight and for up to two days.

The overnight proof will slow down fermentation so you can bake on your own schedule and improve flavor. Plus, shaping the cold dough will be easier.

If you want to skip the overnight proof, you can. Just know that the dough may be stickier when you shape it and that the final proof may not take as long.

5. Divide and Shape

On baking day, punch down the dough and turn it out onto a baking scale to weigh it.

Then, divide the total weight by 10 to get 10 equal-sized hamburger buns. I typically get 105-110g buns.

Use a bench scraper and scale to divide and weigh the dough into 10 equal-sized portions.

Then, use the palm of your hand and friction of the clean work surface to roll the portions into perfect rounds. If the dough is sticky, lightly flour the work surface.

6. Final Proof:

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and place five buns on each sheet.

Cover lightly with plastic wrap and proof in a warm location (ideally 75-80ºF) for about 5 hours until the hamburger buns are full of air, wobble when you shake the pan, and at least double in size.

7. Egg Wash and Bake:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF (191ºC) with racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven.

In a small bowl, beat an egg and a teaspoon of water or milk. If you prefer a darker crust, beat an egg yolk and a teaspoon of milk or heavy cream.

Use a pastry brush to gently paint the egg wash on the buns, and sprinkle the tops with optional sesame seeds.

Bake the buns for 12 minutes, then rotate and switch the pans in the racks so they bake evenly, and bake for another 10-12 minutes until the tops are golden to dark brown (depending on your preference). The total baking time is about 22-24 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool completely on wire cooling racks. Split the buns in half with a serrated bread knife.

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How to Store Sourdough Hamburger Buns

These soft hamburger buns are best fresh in the first couple of days but can be stored at room temperature or frozen.

To store at room temperature, don’t slice the buns until you’re ready to serve them so they don’t lose moisture. They can be stored in an airtight container for about 4 days. If they lose their softness, gently reheat them in an oven or toaster oven before serving.

Finally, to freeze the hamburger buns, slice them in half and place the buns in a freezer safe bag for up to three months. Before serving, simply reheat in an oven or toaster oven until the buns are warmed through!

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❓FAQs:

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