These glossy sourdough hamburger buns have a rich, buttery crumb - perfect for creating your favorite burger at home. The best thing is they are super fast - taking less than 3 hours to make!
Combine the warm milk, yeast and sugar together in a stand mixer bowl and gently incorporate so that the yeast and sugar are dissolved in the milk.
Add the flour, sourdough discard, egg yolks, butter and salt to the bowl and bring together to form a shaggy dough. You may need a silicon spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Use a dough hook and/or knead function for this step.Knead the dough for 6 to 8 minutes using a stand mixer (see notes for hand kneading below).The dough will be silky and completely come away from the sides of the bowl when it's done. There should be no stickiness at all.
Cover the bowl with a plastic bag or wrap and set aside for around an hour to rise. The time it takes depends on the temperature in your home.
Once the dough has doubled, transfer it to your kitchen counter for shaping. If you are able to, weigh your dough. Divide the weight of the dough by the number of buns you want. Then you'll know how big to make each bun.I make 8 from this recipe and each bun is around 137g. For smaller buns, divide into 12 pieces of approx. 90g each.
Divide the dough into 8 perfectly even pieces (weighing them for accuracy).
Shape each piece into a bun. Pull the edges into the centre to form a rounded top and then place each piece on the counter and roll to shape (like you'd shape a boule).
Place your buns on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and cover with a plastic bag or wrap. Set aside to rise for around 30 minutes. They will be plump and round when they're ready to bake.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
Brush each bun with egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional).
Bake for around 22 minutes or until glossy and hollow when you tap the base. They burn very easily so keep an eye on them.
Cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Notes on Kneading: The easiest and quickest way to make this dough is in a stand mixer or Thermomix. This will allow you to knead the dough easily. The eggs and butter need a lot of work to combine in so if you are going to knead by hand, you will really have to work the dough to incorporate them.