Homemade buttery sourdough buns are a perfect side dish. This easy recipe is made with starter from King Arthur Flour.
I’ve had a sourdough starter in my refrigerator for months now, leftover from a bread-baking workshop I assisted in the fall. Â Every week on Friday I feed it flour and water and then put it away. Â It’s a habit. Â Sometimes habits create blind spots and make us forget about doing obvious things, such as actually making some sourdough bread. Â On Friday I was going through the motions, feeding my starter when I swear the thing looked at me and said “Are you ever going to bake me?!” Â Oh… right.
My starter came from King Arthur Flour, so I decided to see what new and unusual sourdough recipes they had so I could try something new. I came upon a recipe for buttery sourdough buns, which were clearly the right answer.  I made them on Friday but found them to be slightly dry and lacking in salt.  I made them again last night with a few tweaks and they were perfection.  They’re soft but the swirl layers add a touch of crunch.  The dough has just the right amount of sour (disclaimer: I like my sourdough to be noticeably sour.  If that’s not your thing cut the quantity of starter down to 1/2 cup).  There’s a touch of cocoa powder in the swirls, but it’s just for color.  You could swap this out with paprika, which is how the recipe is originally written.    I appreciate that these buns contain standard yeast in addition to the starter.  Often times sourdough bread can be a multi-day process since the natural yeasts take longer to rise.  It’s a time commitment which is why I probably don’t make sourdough regularly.  But this recipe provides all of the rewards without the long wait.
Buttery Sourdough Buns
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup sourdough starter, fed or unfed (I used unfed)
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 5 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup lukewarm water
Topping:
- 5 tablespoons melted butter, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder, for color
Instructions
- Place the sourdough starter in the bowl of a stand mixer fixed with the dough hook attachment.
- In a small bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
- Add the dry ingredients, egg, butter and lukewarm water to the stand mixer and turn it on low speed. After a minute or two increase the speed to medium.
- Allow the mixture to kneed for several minutes until a smooth dough has formed.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased container and cover it with a towel or plastic wrap. Allow it to rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, preferably in a warm, dark place (I use the attic or the laundry room on top of the dryer).
- Once the dough has roughly doubled in size, turn it out onto a clean, lightly greased work area. Gently punch down the dough and then roll it into a large rectangle.
- Combine the cocoa powder with 3 tablespoons of melted butter and brush it evenly onto the dough.
- Roll the long side of the rectangle evenly and tightly until you have one log. Using a bench scraper or knife, divide the log in half. Continue dividing evenly until there are 16 pieces.
- Place the buns swirl-side up into two greased cake pans, 8 buns per pan.
- Cover and allow to rise for an additional 60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Brush the buns with most of the remaining butter and allow them to bake for 22-25 minutes.
- Brush with the remaining butter and carefully turn out onto a cooling rack. Serve hot or warm.
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
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sweetlab says
I can imagine these are just delicious. The hint of cocoa powder and the sourness of the buttery bread seem like a very attractive and intriguing flavor combination that I must try!
ceciliag says
These do look good, i have only just started to add yeast to the sourdough or rater add sourdough to my yeast bread and it has elevated our loaves amazingly, Plus like you say, i can make them in a day as opposed to two! and we only eat home baked bread .. lovely recipe!! c
Mad Dog says
Great shapes and they look brilliant when baked (I looked at King Arthur)!
The Domestic Rebel says
I would like 800 of these, hot and smothered in butter please!! Man, my mouth is watering. California girls love our sourdough bread! :)
handmadebytracie says
These sound delicious! I will have to try the recipe (probably this Fall). Thanks for sharing!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
These buns look so delicious! I have yet to bake with a starter, but now I’m inspired!
TheWeeklySpoonful says
Seriously inspired and hungry!!
wickednoodle says
I’m soooo bummed that I don’t have one of those right now! They look a-ma-zing!
Christine says
Haha — this reminds me of school, where we’d make our own GIANT BUCKET of starter and give it a name (my class called ours “Herbert”)! Using a real starter really does give bread a beautiful, complex flavour — these buns are making my mouth water! :D
Donkey Whisperer Farm says
Looks really good thank you for sharing :)
frugalfeeding says
I totally need to get my self a starter… I’d love to do some sourdough baking. These look absolutely wonderful :)
Lauren says
When I first saw the photo, I thought, meh, cinnamon rolls. This looks SO much better.
Savory Simple says
I briefly thought about turning them into cinnamon rolls. But yes, what you said!
Amy (Savory Moments) says
I love that these are made from sourdough. They look absolutely delicious.
Cakelaw says
These buns look absolutely delish! I would love some for brekky tomorrow.
Jo says
I love to bake and I bake a lot but I’ve never used a starter. These buns look great and will have to try them. Thanks.