What I Learned From Making Dense Sourdough Burger Buns

Yesterday I made sourdough discard hamburger buns.

They were a little dense.

Not light and fluffy like bakery buns.

But still warm, nourishing, and happily eaten by my boys — which honestly matters most.

And like all good sourdough moments, they taught me something.

I used Amy Bakes Bread’s One Hour Sourdough Discard Burger Buns as inspiration.

It’s designed to be quick and accessible — perfect for real life.

However, I made a few adjustments based on what I had available:

• I scaled the recipe down to around 40% because that’s how much active sourdough discard I had

• I kept a whole egg, even though everything else was reduced

• I didn’t have butter, so I substituted with margarine and a little honey

• I hand mixed the dough and did three sets of stretch and folds, about 30 minutes apart

• Because we wanted buns the same day, I shortened the rise time

All reasonable choices in the moment — and all helpful clues afterward.

Dense sourdough usually isn’t a mistake.

It’s information.

Here’s what likely contributed:

1. The egg wasn’t scaled down
Eggs add structure, richness, and weight.
Using a full egg in a reduced recipe can tighten the crumb and limit rise.

2. Butter substitution changed the dough behaviour
Butter provides structure and tenderness.
Margarine and honey add moisture, but behave differently in dough.

3. Short fermentation time
Even “quick” sourdough benefits from enough time to build gas and strength.
Less rise = less air = denser crumb.

4. Speed over patience
This wasn’t wrong — it was a choice.

But sourdough always responds to time.

This is where the learning really settles in.

Next time, I would:

• Use half an egg (or whisk and weigh it) when scaling down recipes

• Keep fats simpler, or reduce honey when substituting

• Allow a longer rise, even if the recipe says “one hour”

• Trust that sourdough rewards patience more than precision

• Do they recipe word for word (including right ingredients and amounts) or find another recipe. Plus: You don't know until you try, and I'm OK with trying and failing than never having tried at all.

This is something I really want to normalise.

Homemade bread doesn’t have to be perfect to be:

• nourishing

• satisfying

• deeply valuable

Every bake teaches you how your dough behaves in your kitchen, with your ingredients.

That’s how confidence grows.

If you’d like to bake your own sourdough — starting with a healthy, resilient starter — I’ve created a step-by-step sourdough starter course to guide you gently through the process.

It’s designed for:

• beginners

• busy households

• people who want to work with sourdough, not feel intimidated by it

👉 You can grab the course here and start your sourdough journey with confidence.

Because sourdough isn’t about perfection.

It’s about learning, observing, and feeding more than just your body 🌱