Sourdough Buns/Dinner Rolls
These sourdough bread buns hold layers of flavour that's been developed over a long fermentation. When shaped into small rolls, they make the perfect artisan dinner rolls or buns. You can also shape them into larger rolls to make hamburger buns.
Servings: 20 medium buns
Cost: $5
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Mixing Cups and Spoons or Volume Scale
Ingredients
Feed Sourdough Starter
- 400 grams White Flour
- 100 grams Whole Wheat Flour
- 400 grams Water 90-95°F
Dough
- 800 grams White Flour
- 50 grams Whole Wheat
- 30 grams Other Whole Flour Rye, Einkorn, etc
- 680 grams Water 90-95°F
- 20 grams Salt
Instructions
Feed Sourdough Starter
- Roughly 12-24 hours after your previous feeding, discard all but 100g of the sourdough starter
- Add 400g of white flour and 100g of whole wheat flour
- Measure in 400g of lukewarm water (between 90-95°F)
- Mix the flour and water with your hands (see note below)
- Cover mixture and let it feed until it gets bubbly (7 to 9 hours depending on the temperature in your kitchen)
Mix Dough/Fold
- When your sourdough starter is bubbly (active), in a clean bowl - mix 800g of white flour, 50g of whole wheat flour, and 30g of other whole flour.
- Mix in 680g of lukewarm water (between 90-95°F)
- Cover and let the flour and water autolyse for approximately 30 minutes (see autolyse note below)
- After 30 minutes, add 20g of salt and wet your hand to scoop in 215g of active sourdough starter
- With the wet hand, mix the sourdough and salt into the dough by pulling the edges of the dough upward and folding over top of the dough. Do this a 3 or 4 around the entire dough to mix it well.
- Then pinch/slice the dough with your hand in about 4 to 5 equal parts, and repeat the pulling/folding. Pinch another time and fold a few more times. Do this for about 5-7 minutes with care.
- Then leave the dough to rest until its doubled in size (roughly 15-24 hours depending on the temperate of your house)
- While the dough is rising, fold it 3-4 more times. This will help build the gluten structures and gas needed for the bread to rise in the final baking stage.
Divide Dough/Proof Time
- Flour a cookies sheet or sheet pan where the dinner rolls will rest for an hour or so
- Flour a countertop area large enough for your dough to lay on
- With your hands floured, help the dough carefully onto the countertop
- With your dough scraper divide the dough into quarters
- One by one, cut and shape your dinner rolls (or hamburger buns). Cut roughly 3inch dough sizes for dinner rolls, and 5inch dough sizes for hamburger buns (remember the dough will rise approximately 1.5 half times)
- After each dough cut, stretch the edge of the dough ball upwards and fold overtop of the dough. Do this until all the way around the dough ball
- Gently pick up the dough and place on another part of the counter that is not floured
- Witth floured hands, nudge the dough toward you about 3 inches and twist it a quarter. Do this a few times until you feel the dough firm up and tighten into a ball
- Place dough onto a floured sheet or pan to rest, and repeat steps above with until the dough is all formed into dinner rolls
- Rest the dinner rolls for about an hour (depending on the temperature of your house)
- Use the finger dent test to determine when the rolls are ready to be baked (see note below).
Bake Rolls/Buns
- Once the finger dent test proves that the dough is nearly ready to be baked, preheat the oven to 475°F
- Once oven is preheated, add rolls to the oven and bake for 30 minutes depending on the size of the rolls. When they are medium brown on the outside, they are usually ready.
Video
Notes
Tips:
1 Mixing your sourdough starter with your hands is a good thing. It it says to introduce an array of new "good bacteria" in with your feeding. Dirty hands are not the desired effect, but standardly clean hands will do the trick!
2. "Autolyse" is the period where the flour and water have a time to combine and preform necessary chemical reactions before the sourdough starter and salt are added. This will affect the outcome of your bread, so do not skip this step. If you are in a pinch for time, you can autolyse for 20-30 minutes but do not skip it.
3. If you need to speed up the sourdough feeding, place the bowl in a warmer area of your house. If you need to slow it down, place it in a cooler area (although not the fridge, because that will slow it too much).