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sourdough hamburger buns with fresh milled flour

Sourdough Hamburger Buns with Fresh Milled Flour

Sara Borgeson
These light and airy sourdough hamburger buns are made with 100% fresh milled flour! You won't be able to tell they are whole wheat with those beautiful air holes. Get ready to try the best, healthiest buns you've ever had!
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Rising Time 6 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 12 buns

Equipment

  • Kitchen Aid Mixer
  • Baking Sheets
  • Parchment Paper

Ingredients
  

For the Levain:

  • 100 g filtered water
  • 100 g fresh milled flour hard white wheat
  • 25 g active starter
  • 20 g Maple syrup

For the Tangzhong:

  • 1 cup milk 260 grams
  • 1/2 cup fresh milled flour 62 grams

For the Dough:

  • 500 g fresh milled flour hard white wheat
  • 300 g filtered water
  • 12 g salt
  • 20 g maple syrup
  • Levain
  • Tangzhong
  • 1 stick butter, softened 113 grams

Instructions
 

Mix the Levain (the night before)

  • In a quart jar or weck jar, combine 100g fresh milled flour, 100g filtered water, 25g active sourdough starter, and 20g maple syrup. Stir well and cover with a breathable lid.
  • Set aside overnight, about 12 hours

Prepare the Butter:

  • In the morning, cut 1 stick of butter into small cubes and set aside on a plate to soften to room temperature.

Prepare the Tangzhong:

  • In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup fresh milled flour
  • Set over medium-high heat and whisk constantly until the mixture becomes a thick paste, about 4-6 minutes.
  • As you whisk, you will feel it start to thicken, and it may even start to get lumpy. Keep whisking briskly and it will smooth out again and become a very thick paste
  • Set the tangzhong aside to cool to room temperature.

Mix the Dough:

  • In the bowl of a kitchen aid mixer, combine 500g flour, 300g water, the tangzhong, the ripe levain, salt, and maple syrup.
  • Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and set to STIR for 1-2 minutes.
  • Scrape down the sides of the dough with a rubber spatula (the dough will be pretty wet), and switch to the dough hook attachment.
  • Using the dough hook, mix on low or medium low (I set it between 2 and 4 on my mixer) speed for 7 minutes. Pause once more in the first couple minutes to scrape down the sides one more time. The dough should start to come together and cling to the dough hook rather than sticking to the sides of the bowl
  • Turn off the mixer and let the dough rest for 10-20 minutes in the bowl
  • In the meantime, check that your butter is nice and soft and your finger can easily leave an indent in one of the pieces. If it's still a bit firm, you can put it in a microwave for a couple seconds.
  • Once the dough has rested in the bowl and the butter is ready, turn the mixer back to a low speed and slowly add the butter one piece at a time, allowing several seconds between pieces so that each piece has time to incorporate into the dough. This should take about 5-7 minutes.
  • When the butter is fully incorporated, turn up the speed slightly and continue mixing for 1-2 more minutes.
  • Transfer the dough to a separate bowl for bulk fermentation (or leave it in the mixer bowl).
  • Cover the bowl and allow the dough to bulk ferment for 3-4 hours until double in size.

Shape the Hamburger Buns:

  • Once the dough has risen for 3-4 hours, turn it out onto a smooth work surface and using a bench knife, cut it into 12 pieces, about 117 grams each.
  • Use a little fresh milled flour to dust your work surface and fingers as needed.
  • Take each piece of dough and hold it in your palm while using your fingers to wrap the dough inward on itself on all sides, creating tension across the top of the bun.
  • Continue to fold the sides in and pinch, and once you have a nice round shape, set it down on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper, pinched side down.
  • If you don't like a super round bun, use your fingers to slightly flatten out the balls of dough on the pan.
  • Repeat with all the buns.
  • Cover the baking sheets lightly with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for another 2-3 hours.
  • When they are ready to bake, they should feel like a fluffy marshmallow to the touch, as if you can feel the bubbles just below the surface.
  • Check after 2 hours, and if they still feel kind of firm to the touch, let rise another 30 min to 1 hour.

Bake the buns:

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • If desired, whisk 1 egg with a little splash of milk and brush the tops of the buns lightly with the mixture. This gives the a nice shiny golden color. Try not to let the egg pool down under the bun or it can cause the underside to burn.
  • Sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional)
  • Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
  • Next, rotate the pans in the oven, reduce the heat to 425 degrees, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until golden brown (7 minutes was perfect for a softer bun. 10 minutes makes the exterior crisp up just a bit more.)
  • Transfer the buns to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
  • Once cool, slice them and serve, or slice them and place in a freezer ziplock bag and freeze for whenever they are needed.
Keyword sourdough