Soft Sourdough Bun

A soft bun, akin to a roll, using sourdough starter as a levener.

See my sourdough starter recipe for instructions on how to make and maintain a sourdough starter.

Roughly 65% hydration dough. Works well with inclusions like rosemary, garlic or cranberries.

• 326g milk, warm
• 43g butter, melted
• 1 egg
• Active sourdough starter. 100g in winter, 75g in summer.
• 512g flour
• 20g sugar
• 7g salt

1. Mix milk, butter, egg, sugar. Combine until homogenous. The milk should be warm so that the butter does not re-solidify. Don’t make it too hot, or else yeast in starter will die.
2. Add starter to mix. Whisk until dissolved/dispersed.
3. In a second bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Add to wet ingredients.
4. Stir until roughly together. Kneed until smooth, no clumps.
5. Cover and let rise for 6 hours.
6. Lightly flower the counter and the top of dough exposed in the bowl. Using a bench scraper or dough scraper, dump onto the counter.
7. Separate into parts as large as you want your buns to be ~10-24.
8. Shape into taut buns.
   1. Gently hold the top of the bun with your hand while pushing/scraping the bun with the bench scraper. The goal is to make the dough on the outside tight by pulling it around the “front” of the bun, opposite the side pushed by the scraper. Some traction between the bun and the counter is required for this maneuver. You are balancing:
      • Hand pressure down into the counter
      • Scraper angle. More ‘flat’, parallel to the counter, will lift the dough up more, sticking less, whereas a steeper angle helps it stick more. 45° is a good start.
      • Amount of loose flour on counter and bun. Less flower, more traction.
9. Rise for 2 hours.
10. Bake in 350°F pre-heated oven for ~25 minutes, or until golden brown, or 190°F internal temperature as desired.