Feed your starter. You’ll need 1/2 cup of active, bubbly starter for this recipe. I suggest feeding 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water to 2 tablespoons of starter. This will make more than enough active starter (leaven) but you can add the leftover to your discard jar or double your recipe.

Once your starter has doubled, add all of the ingredients except for the egg (it’s used for the egg wash)to the bowl of a stand mixer. Knead with your dough hook attachment for 5 minutes.

Remove your dough and place it in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature for 8 hours.

At this point, you have 2 options…

OPTION 1: Divide dough using a bench scraper, shape your sourdough hamburger buns, and place them on a baking sheet. Cover your shaped buns and allow a second rise on your pan for 1-2 hours. Rise time may vary based on the temperature of your kitchen.

Then add egg wash and sesame seeds if you like and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. They are done when the tops are a golden brown color.

OPTION 2: Place your dough in the fridge and long ferment overnight.

If you long ferment…

Take your dough out of the fridge the next day and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Shape your buns.

Place your buns on a baking sheet and cover until they have doubled.

Add a little egg wash and sesame seeds if you like.

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.