Sourdough Brioche Buns
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These sourdough brioche buns are airy, soft and just a little sweet. Buns are a great addition to any sandwich. Made with a sourdough starter I let the slow-rising dough rest overnight in the refrigerator, making it an easy and delicious way to start the day.
While most bakers rely on yeasted bread, a few of us love our sourdough. Despite its name, sourdough starter contains very little acid.
When making sourdough, the yeast or bacteria breaks down the starch and sugar in the flour into acids and carbon dioxide. This expanding gas forms bubbles in the dough and releases carbon dioxide, making the dough rise. Sourdough can be a healthier substitute for bread with yeast and store-bought bread.
Why make this recipe
- A sourdough brioche bun with a golden crust yet tender and fluffy inside. The recipe includes a video showing how easy it is to make these buns.
- These nice soft buns are perfect for juicy burgers, and they make a great substitute for hamburger buns. And they are fantastic with braised shredded beef and sandwiches.
- Almost all the ingredients in this recipe are simple pantry staples plus a sourdough starter.
- I use a simple method that uses shorter fermentation time and longer proofing time after shaping the loaf. In fact, this method makes shaping so much easier! Try it.
- Of course, this recipe presumes you have a sourdough starter already on hand to make the levain.
Bakers schedule
Below is how I organized my schedule for this sourdough brioche. Follow this timeline (the hours are just my personal schedule).
| Hour | Activity | Time |
| 9 am | Levain | 3 to 5 hours |
| 12 noon | Autolyse | 1 hour |
| 1. 00 pm | Knead | 10 – 15 mins |
| 1. 30 pm | Bulk Ferment | 6 to 8 hours |
| 9 pm | Shape | 20 mins |
| 9.30 pm | Proof | 6 hrs – overnight |
| 9 am | Preheat oven | 15 mins (next morning) |
| 9.15 am | Bake | 15 to 20 mins |
Ingredients and substitutes
- Flour – I highly recommend bread flour if you love a chewy texture to your sourdough bread. And if you want to make whole wheat sourdough buns, replace half the flour in the recipe with whole wheat flour.
- Water – Since we use a long and slow process of fermentation for this bread room temperature water works just fine.
- Salt – You can use coarse salt, but I prefer to use fine kosher salt to help the dough absorb it well.
- Sugar – Brioche is a sweet bread but you can certainly reduce the sugar by half.
- Butter – Is the star of the show. So using good quality butter with high-fat content is recommended. I like to use good quality European butter.
- Eggs – Adds a lot of flavor to the bread, gives a tender crumb, and strengthens the texture. I’m using whole eggs but you can also use a combination of whole eggs and egg yolks.
- Milk – Enhances the flavor, and tenderizes the dough giving it a soft texture. The temperature of the liquid milk is an important factor in bread making. It has to be warm, not hot. Usually about 110 F.
- Levain – Levain is a larger amount of wild yeast that is made from a small quantity of sourdough starter.
Sourdough brioche buns
Levain
- Levain – In a medium bowl, combine the sourdough starter, water, and flour. Stir well to combine. Cover and leave to rise for 3 to 5 hours at room temperature.
Pro tip – You can also make the levain for up to 5 days in advance and leave it in the fridge.
Sourdough brioche dough
- Autolyse – In a large bowl of a stand mixer add the milk, sourdough starter, eggs, and flour. Stir well with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cover the bowl and leave to rest for an hour.
Pro tip – Autolyze will help strengthen the gluten formation on the dough. - Knead – Next, add the sugar, salt, and butter. Knead the dough with a dough hook attachment on medium speed for 10 to 15 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
Pro tip – The dough will still be very very soft and slightly sticky, yet smooth, shiny, and very elastic with you do the windowpane test. - Bulk ferment – Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Leave the dough to rise in the refrigerator (38°F / 3°C) for 6 to 8 hours.
Pro tip – The dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours. The highly enriched dough will rise very slowly.
Shape
- Divide – Transfer the dough to a clean work surface. Divide the dough into 2 and then each portion into 6 equal portions to make a total of 10 buns about 100 grams each.
Pro tip – You can also make 12 smaller buns of about 80 grams each. - Shape each portion into a tight ball. To do this correctly, roll into a ball tucking all the seams under tightly. Then, roll the ball on an un-floured surface. The un-floured surface creates the tension we need in the dough.
Pro tip – Do not over-roll these for too long or you will rupture the top smooth skin. - Tray – Place the buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper leaving enough room for them to rise. Flatten each bun so they bake like flat buns rather than balls.
Pro tip – Flattening the buns make a better base for the hamburgers. They also don’t topple so easily. - Proof – Cover with a plastic wrap or clean kitchen cloth and let them proof until double in size. These can be kept for 3 hours on the counter or for 8 to 10 hours in the fridge.
Pro tip – Spray the plastic wrap with oil to prevent it from sticking to the rolls.
Bake (next day)
- Preheat oven – Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C / Gas mark 5.
- Brush – Brush each bun with an egg wash. You can even sprinkle the buns with some sesame seeds or sugar pearls.
Pro tip – Egg wash is a full egg with 2 tbsp of water. An egg wash will give a nice golden color. And if you can’t use egg, milk or cream will work just as well. Do not use oil or butter as it will create a crust. - Bake small buns for 15 to 20 mins and larger buns for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Pro tip – When baked, the internal temperature of the hamburger buns should be about 195 F. The bread will have a hollow sound on the bottom when tapped. - Keeping them soft – As soon as you take the buns out of the oven cover them with a clean kitchen cloth to keep them soft.
Pro tip – Do not leave the buns on the tray for too long, transfer them to a cooling rack. Otherwise, the steam will make the bread soggy on the bottom. Covering the buns with a cloth will help them retain moisture and prevent it from drying out.
Variations
- Sourdough brioche loaf – This dough is a basic sourdough brioche dough. If you don’t want to make buns, you can also shape the dough into loaves and bake it in a loaf pan. This dough will make 2 x 8-inch sourdough loaves.
- You can also make a classic sourdough brioche a tete shaping the dough into a classic brioche as shown in my classic brioche recipe using.
Tips for Success
- The timeline for bulk fermentation and proofing is quite large 8 to 16 hours from counter to refrigerator. This means you can start the process 24 hours ahead and not be overwhelmed with the process.
- The timeline is a guide to use and can be adjusted to your own convenience.
- Use a kitchen scale when baking with sourdough because that will give you an accurate measure.
- A brioche dough with 63% hydration means the dough is not very loose. However, the high-fat content in the dough means the dough is very soft to work with. Chilling the dough makes it easier to work. Similarly, the bench scraper is your best working tool.
- Hydration refers to the ratio of liquid to flour. More water means a more open crumb.
- For the best rise, make sure to preheat your home oven for no less than 10 minutes before baking.
- Cool the buns on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving. This will prevent them from drying out.
How long will these brioche buns keep?
These buns will keep at room temperature for 2 days. You can even freeze them for a month.
Can I substitute sourdough starter with yeast?
If you want to make brioche without sourdough use my classic brioche buns recipe. It uses instant yeast and has a video and tutorial.
Can I use other flour to make these buns?
Yes, I’ve only tested this with whole wheat flour by replacing 50% of the bread flour with whole wheat flour.
Sourdough Brioche Buns
Print Pin Rate Share by Email Share on FB Save Grow Coooking Temperature: 190°F / 375°C / Gas mark 5
Calories: 166kcal
Adjust Servings Here: 10 slices
Description
These sourdough brioche buns are airy, soft and just a little sweet. Buns are a great addition to any sandwich. Made with a sourdough starter I let the slow-rising dough rest overnight in the refrigerator, making it an easy and delicious way to start the day.
Video
Ingredients
Total dough weight 980 (10 buns of 98 g each )
Levain 150 grams
- 50 grams (3 tbsp) Sourdough starter
- 50 ml (3 tbsp) Water
- 50 grams (3 tbsp) Bread flour
Brioche dough (70% Hydration)
- 240 ml (1 cup) Milk (room temperature)
- 100 grams (2 large) Eggs (room temperature )
- 140 grams (½ cups) Levain (above )
- 113 grams (½ cup) Unsalted butter
- 50 grams (3 tbsp) Sugar
- 500 grams (4 cups) Bread flour
- 9 grams (1 tsp) Kosher salt
Instructions
- Levain – In a medium bowl, combine the sourdough starter, water, and flour. Stir well to combine. Cover and leave to rise for 3 to 5 hours at room temperature. Pro tip – You can also make the levain for up to 5 days in advance and leave it in the fridge.50 grams Sourdough starter, 50 ml Water, 50 grams Bread flour
- Autolyze – In a large bowl of a stand mixer add the milk, eggs, levain, and flour. Stir well with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave to rest for an hour. Pro tip – Autolyze will help strengthen the gluten formation on the dough.240 ml Milk, 100 grams Eggs, 140 grams Levain, 500 grams Bread flour
- Knead – Next, add the sugar, salt, and butter. Knead the dough with a dough hook attachment on medium speed for 10 to 15 minutes or until smooth and elastic.Pro tip – The dough will still be very very soft, yet smooth, shiny, and very elastic with you do the windowpane test.113 grams Unsalted butter, 50 grams Sugar, 9 grams Kosher salt
- Bulk ferment – Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Leave the dough to rise in the refrigerator (38°F / 3°C) for 6 to 8 hours.Pro tip – the dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours. The highly enriched dough will rise very slowly.
- Divide – Transfer the dough to a clean work surface. Divide the dough into 2 and then each portion into 6 to make a total of 10 buns about 100 grams each.Pro tip – You can also make 12 smaller buns of about 80 grams each.
- Shape each portion into a tight ball. To do this correctly, roll into a ball tucking all the seams under tightly. Then, roll the ball on an unfloured surface. The unfloured surface creates the tension we need in the dough Pro tip – Do not over roll these for too long or you will rupture the top smooth skin.
- Tray – Place the buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper leaving enough room for them to rise. Flatten each bun so they bake like flat buns rather than balls. Pro tip – flatten the buns make a better base for the hamburgers. They don't topple so easily too.
- Proof – Cover with a plastic wrap or clean kitchen cloth and let them proof until double in size. These can be kept for 3 hours on the counter or for 8 to 10 hours in the fridge.Pro tip – Spray the plastic wrap with oil to prevent it from sticking to the rolls.
- Preheat oven – Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C / Gas mark 5.
- Brush – Brush each bun with an egg wash. You can even sprinkle the buns with some sesame seeds or sugar pearlsPro tip – Egg wash is a full egg with 2 tbsp of water. An egg wash will give a nice golden color. If you can't use egg, milk or cream will work just as well. Do not use oil or butter as it will create a crust.
- Bake small buns for 15 to 20 mins and larger buns for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.Pro tip – When baked, the internal temperature of the hamburgers buns should be about 195 F. The bread will have a hollow sound on the bottom when tapped.
- Keeping them soft – As soon as you take the buns out of the oven cover them with a clean kitchen cloth to keep them soft.Pro tip – Do not leave the buns on the tray for too long, transfer them to a cooling rack. Otherwise, the steam will make the bread soggy on the bottom. Covering the buns with a cloth will help them retain moisture and prevent it from drying out.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- The timeline for bulk fermentation and proofing is quite large 8 to 16 hours from counter to refrigerator. This means you can start the process 24 hours ahead and not be overwhelmed with the process.
- The timeline is a guide to use and can be adjusted to your own convenience.
- Use a kitchen scale when baking with sourdough because that will give you an accurate measure.
- A brioche dough with 63% hydration means the dough is not very loose. However, the high-fat content in the dough means the dough is very soft to work with. Chilling the dough makes it easier to work. Similarly, the bench scraper is your best working tool.
- Hydration refers to the ratio of liquid to flour. More water means a more open crumb.
- For the best rise, make sure to preheat your home oven for no less than 10 minutes before baking.
- Cool the buns on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving. This will prevent them from drying out.
Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Nutrition Information
Calories: 166– kcalCarbohydrates: 33– gProtein: 5– gFat: 1– gSaturated Fat: 1– gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1– gMonounsaturated Fat: 1– gSodium: 352– mgPotassium: 43– mgFiber: 1– gSugar: 1– gVitamin A: 1– IUCalcium: 8– mgIron: 1– mg
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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This dough was an absolute dream. I used my stand mixture, and then dumped it into a bulk container to ferment. Never refrigerated it. Doubled in 4 hours, shaped tge buns and let them rise for 2 1/2 hours. Gorgeous!
Thank you Shauna
Check your temperatures. F vs C. I think you got it backwards.
Got it. Thanks Sever
is this how the reviews work? they only post the good ones?
Hey Samuel, All comments are posted but only after they are checked by me. This helps me sort the spam as well as ensure that every comment that needs to be replied, gets the attention it needs.
I do this at least once a day (mostly sooner) so I request that you wait at least 24 hours. I appreciate your understanding.