Sourdough Whole Wheat Buns

This recipe for sourdough whole wheat buns uses a homemade starter and 6 other simple ingredients. They’re deliciously soft, subtly sour with a hint of earthy goodness. Perfect as a side to your favourite soups, stews, and chilis and can hold up to any of your favourite sandwich fillings!

whole wheat buns in a blue basket.

Like so many good quality, homemade bread recipes on my site, you’ll notice that none of them are complicated. All use simple basic ingredients that really celebrate homestyle baking. The catch, however, is that you need a little patience for longer rise times.

What’s great about that is you can take a weekend, set yourself up for an easy 20-minute prep then go about your day while you’re waiting for your dough to rise. It really is that easy!

Whether you’ve made an easy sourdough starter with yeast or a traditional starter, this is still considered whole wheat bread because of the added whole wheat flour. So go ahead and use whatever starter you’d like.

starter before and after rising.
Sourdough starter fed and ready for use.

This sourdough recipe requires maybe 20 seconds of kneading and otherwise very little else. It’s great for beginner bakers, especially when you’re wanting to impress a crowd.

Having a basket of these deliciously flavourful buns on your table may very well become the star of the meal. Whether you’re using them as burger buns, sandwich buns, or breaking off pieces bit by bit to enjoy with soup or sauce, these buns are a true fan favourite!

a whole wheat bun broken in half.

How to Make Them

Mix the starter dough with water, milk, and sugar until combined. Use a fork or danish whisk. Then, add the flour and salt and mix again, either by hand or whisk.

mixing the starter and water in a glass bowl and the flour added.

Cover the bowl and let it rest. Then, knead the dough by hand in the bowl to form a smooth ball. This should take no more than 20 seconds.

The flour mixed in a glass bowl.
Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rise 8-10 hours at room temperature. The dough can also be chilled overnight after that if you’ll be finishing the rest tomorrow. You’ll just need to bring it back to room temperature for a couple of hours before continuing on.
 
The dough before and after resting in a glass bowl.
 
On a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet sprinkle with cornmeal, semolina flour, or rice flour. Form the dough into 5 round balls, place on the cookie sheet, cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm draft-free area until doubled in size.
 
forming the dough into balls and placing on a cookie sheet.
 
Pre-heat oven, sprinkle the buns with cornmeal, semolina, or rice flour, and score the buns. Bake buns, then remove and transfer to a wire rack immediately to cool.
 
The buns after rising and baked on a cookie sheet.
 
What is your favourite way to eat a bun? Let me know what you end up doing with yours!

Do sourdough buns have a sour taste?

Yes, it does have a slightly sour taste. Although not in the way you might think! It’s more of a subtle tang, and it is so good. Because of its fermentation process, the longer it ferments the stronger its flavour.

whole wheat buns in a basket on a white napkin.

Is sourdough good for you?

Yes! Again, it’s thanks to the fermentation process. As with many fermented foods, sourdough is great for digestion and gut health and has benefits do your bones, skin, and teeth. But really and truly, it’s just delicious!

More delicious Sourdough Recipes

Easy Sourdough Focaccia

Sourdough Lemon Ricotta Cookies

So if you are looking for a new Sourdough recipe to try I hope you give these Sourdough Whole Wheat Buns a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

sourdough whole wheat buns in a blue basket.
sourdough whole wheat buns in a blue basket.

Sourdough Whole Wheat Buns

Rosemary Molloy
These sourdough whole wheat buns are made with a homemade starter and 6 other simple ingredients. The perfect bun, lunch bread or dinner roll.
5 from 6 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Resting Time 9 hours
Total Time 9 hours 45 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 5 buns
Calories 264 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • ¼ cup + ½ tablespoon active sourdough starter (65 grams)
  • â…” cup water (lukewarm) (160 grams)
  • ¼ cup milk (lukewarm) I used 2% (53 grams)
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (14 grams)
  • 1¼ cups whole wheat flour (150 grams)
  • 1½ cups + 1 tablespoon bread flour (183 grams)
  • ¾-1 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl mix together with a fork or danish whisk the starter dough, water, milk and sugar until combined, then add the flours and salt, again mix either by hand or whisk. Cover the bowl and let rest 30 minutes.
  • Knead the dough for about 20 seconds by hand in the bowl to form a smooth ball. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rise 8-10 hours at room temperature. The dough can be chilled overnight after the 8-10 hours.
  • On a parchment paper lined cookie sheet sprinkle with corn meal, semolina flour or rice flour, (If the dough is chilled bring it to room temperature for about 1-2 hours). Form the dough into 5 round balls, place on the cookie sheet, cover with a clean towel and let rise 1-2 hours in a warm draft free area until doubled in bulk.
  • Pre-heat oven to 400F (200C).
  • Sprinkle the buns with cornmeal, semolina or rice flour and score the buns. Bake for approximately 20-30 minutes. Move immediately to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 264kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 9gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 356mgPotassium: 163mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 15IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg
Keyword sourdough whole wheat bread, sourdough whole wheat buns, whole wheat buns
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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