Ingredients

Scale

2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup filtered water
1 cup sourdough starter
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons honey
4 – 4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast (optional)

For oiling the dough and buns: about 1 – 2 Tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Melt the butter and set aside.
In the mixing bowl for your stand mixer, stir together the water, sourdough starter, eggs, honey, 3 1/2 cups bread flour, sea salt and yeast.
Put the dough hook on your stand mixer, set the mixer to speed 2 and knead for about 7 minutes. While the dough is kneading, drizzle the butter in, a bit at a time and flour, a bit at a time (alternating between butter and flour until the butter is gone). Keep adding flour, just a bit at a time, until the dough stops picking up the flour. Keep kneading until the dough picks up all the flour in the bowl.
Shape the dough into a ball, put a little bit of olive oil on your hands and coat the dough with oil. Set the dough back in the bowl, cover and let rise for at least an hour or up to 4 hours. (If using yeast, the dough might rise all the way to the top of the bowl!)
Remove the dough from the pan and cut into 3 pieces. If baking right away, cut each piece of the dough into 4 – 8 pieces (depending on how big you want your buns). 4 pieces will yield large buns suitable for 1/4 lb. burgers, 8 pieces are more slider sized buns. Alternatively, you can wrap the dough loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate at this point to be baked later.
Shape each piece of dough into a spherical shape by using your fingers to stretch the top of the dough down and pinching it underneath. Keep doing this, rotating as you go, until the ball of dough is nice and round. Oil each ball with olive oil and set on a baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between balls. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes (if using yeast) or 1 – 2 hours if not, until the buns are nearly doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Bake at 400 F for about 15 – 20 minutes or until the buns are golden brown on top and firm when tapped.
Remove from oven and brush lightly with olive oil. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting.

Notes

The perfect warm rising spot for buns and bread is in your oven! Turn oven on to the lowest temp setting it will allow. When the oven is heated, turn it off and turn the oven light on.

Is it sourdough if you add yeast? I would contend that it IS sourdough because it contains sourdough starter, but if you’re concerned about adding yeast, then leave it out. Rise times will be longer without the yeast and your buns will taste more “sour”.

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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