Honey Whole Wheat Sourdough Burger Buns
With honey sweetness, sourdough tang, and nutty whole wheat goodness, these buns are a flavorful complement to burgers and sandwiches. They are sturdy enough to accommodate saucy fillings, but soft enough to give you a good bite. Topping with sesame seeds is optional but makes for a very appealing package.
Ingredients
Dough
- 125 grams (½ cup) active sourdough starter (see note)
- 300 grams (1¼ cup) water
- 42 grams (2 tbsp) honey
- 25 grams (2 tbsp) olive oil
- 234 grams (1½ cup) whole wheat flour
- 213 grams (1½ cup) all-purpose or bread flour
- 9 grams (1½ tsp) salt
Topping
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp heavy cream or milk
- Sesame seeds (optional) for topping
Instructions
- In a medium bowl whisk together starter, water, honey, and olive oil until starter and honey have dissolved and mixture is bubbly.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer whisk together flours and salt. Add wet ingredient mixture to dry ingredients and mix to form a shaggy dough.
- Knead dough until soft, supple, and slightly tacky (but not sticky). This may take about 6-8 minutes by hand or 5-6 minutes in a mixer with dough hook on medium-low speed.
- Transfer dough to a clear container or bowl. Mark the doughs position on the side the container with a washable maker or rubber band and cover.
- Leave dough to rise at room temperature until it has increased in volume by about 50-100%. This may take around 4-6 hours (see note).
- Line a half sheet pan (13x18 inches) with parchment. Fill a small bowl with water and use it to wet your hands. Punch down dough then gently release from the sides of the container and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Divide dough into 8 equal portions with a knife or bench scraper (for best results, weigh portions for accuracy).
- Pinch and pull the edges of each portion of dough into the center until taut balls form.
- Arrange buns evenly spaced on sheet pan. Cover and allow to rise until about doubled in volume, this may take around 3-6 hours (see note).
- When ready to bake preheat to 350°. In a small bowl whisk together egg and heavy cream. Brush top of buns with egg wash. Top generously with sesame seeds if desired. Bake 25-35 minutes until golden brown and internal temperature is at least 200°F.
- Leave on the pan for 10 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Notes
For best results your sourdough starter should be active and recently fed. This means it should at least double within 8-12 hours of feeding. If you are using a young starter, or if it has not been fed within 24 hours of using, you may consider adding a pinch of bakers yeast to the dough, or increasing the amount of starter.
If your room temperature is below 70°F (21°C) consider proofing in an empty oven with the light on (but leave yourself a note so you don’t accidentally heat the oven while it is in there).