Last Updated on May 3, 2025

By Bake with Paws

There’s something incredibly satisfying about baking your own burger buns—and when they’re made with sourdough and mashed potato, the results are on a whole new level.

These Soft Sourdough Potato Burger Buns are naturally leavened, enriched with mashed potato, and have an incredibly tender crumb. The addition of potato not only improves softness and moisture but also gives the buns a slightly sweet, earthy depth. If you’ve been looking for a way to make fluffy sourdough buns that don’t dry out quickly, this is it.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Soft and fluffy texture – The combination of mashed potato, milk, and sourdough creates a light yet rich crumb.
Mild or no sourdough tang – Thanks to the use of a sweet stiff starter, the buns have a gentle flavor without the typical sour notes.
Long shelf life – Thanks to the starches in the potato, these buns stay fresh longer than regular sourdough.
Perfect for burgers, sandwiches, or sliders – Sturdy yet soft enough to complement any filling

Behind the Recipe: Personal Notes

I developed this recipe after experimenting with combining the richness of traditional burger buns and the natural fermentation of sourdough. Mashed potato turned out to be the game changer. It helps the buns retain moisture, making them soft even a day or two after baking.

This recipe also uses a sweet stiff starter, which I’ve found helps reduce tanginess and improve oven spring. The dough is enriched with milk, egg, butter, and sugar—ingredients that add softness and structure, which can sometimes be tricky to achieve with sourdough alone.

How To Make Sourdough Potato Burger Buns

INGREDIENTS (Yields: 6 Burger Buns - 10cm diameter):

Sweet Stiff Starter:

60g sourdough starter (100% Hydration), use at its peak

180g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)

75g water or 90g milk

30g sugar (I used light brown sugar)

Main Dough:

140g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)
120g mashed potato (I used 1 big russet potato around 180g)

All the sweet stiff starter
10g - 15g light brown sugar

1 tsp salt

20g milk powder (omit if SST is fed with milk)

15g water (Add 5g/1 tsp first and slowly add in the balance if you feel needed. I used only 5g) The amount of liquid depend on the hydration of mashed potatoes and also the flour type)

50g whisked egg (from 1 large egg)

50g butter, room temperature (Can be reduced to 35g but the buns will be slightly dry)

Egg Wash:

1 egg + 1 tbsp water, whisked

Utensils:

6 pieces - Round Burger Ring ( 10 cm X 3 cm), greased or lined the inner ring with parchment paper

Baking tray

STEP-BY-STEM INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Sweet Stiff Starter:

In a bowl of stand mixer, dilute starter with water, stir in sugar and add in bread flour. Mix with paddle attachment until well mixed and all come together. It can be done by hand mixing too.
Place the starter back in the same mixing bowl or can also be proofed in a jar.
Cover and let it ferment until tripled. I prepared a night before and leave it in aircond room (approximately 24 - 25C room temperature) overnight until tripled. It took about 8 - 9 hours depending on your starter. It should take around 4 - 6 hours to get triple at room temperature at 28C - 30C.

The Sweet Stiff Starter can also be proofed in a jar as below:

2. Mashed Potato:

Wash, peel and cut the potato.
Steam for 15 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
Mash the potato with a potato ricer or masher. Set aside to cool.

3. Kneading Dough:

Put all ingredients (except butter) into a bowl of stand mixer. I usually slightly torn the stiff starter dough first.
Slightly combine the mixture by hand with the paddle attachment before turning on the machine so that the flour will not splash out. Using the paddle attachment, mix until all incorporated. This step is critical to prevent an uneven mixed dough as the stiff starter is rather hard and a dough hook may not be able to mix it well enough.
Change to hook attachment and knead for about 2 minutes or until the dough comes together. Add in butter and continue knead for 10 - 12 minutes or until reach window pane stage. During the whole kneading process, I stopped few times to scrape down the dough from the hook to be sure it is evenly kneaded and also to prevent the motor from overheating.

4. First Proofing/Resting The Dough:

In the same bowl, let the dough rest for 45 minutes. Keep it covered with clingfilm or use a lid. This dough I rested for 45 minutes at 29C room temperature and the dough did not rise alot.

5. Shaping:

Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface then divide dough into 6 equal portions (about 122g each for mine) for 10 cm ring or 8 equal portions for 9 cm ring (about 90 - 91g each). Please use a kitchen scale if you want to be exact.
Preshape each dough into a ball. Rest for 10 - 15 minutes.
Flatten each dough and shape into a ball.
Place bun onto the baking pan. Make sure they are about 2 inches apart.
Place the prepared round burger ring on each bun.

6. Final Proofing:

Let the buns proof at a warm place until the dough rise double in size. I let the buns proof in oven with door closed, light on and without heat. This one took approximately 2 hours at at room temperature of 29C - 30C. The duration of proofing depends on your ambient temperature and starter.

7. Baking:

Preheat oven at 190C - 200C (top & bottom heat) or 180C (fan-forced) for 15 minutes.
Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with some sesame seeds.
Bake in a preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove tray from oven. Then remove the rings and let the buns cool on rack.

Main Dough

Tips for Perfect Burger Buns

Sourdough Starter:

A healthy starter is essential for successful bread baking. To ensure your bread rises well, it's important to feed your starter regularly and use it (the levain) at its peak. A consistently fed starter will be more active and reliable. If the mother starter isn’t strong, the dough may still struggle to rise properly, even if the levain is used at its peak. For more information, click the links: "How To Make Sourdough Starter" and "Sourdough Maintenance".

Gluten Development:

Essential for soft, airy bread, gluten is created when flour hydrates. To develop it, use techniques like autolyse or kneading. The windowpane test checks readiness—dough should stretch thin without tearing. From my experience, high hydration dough with high percentage of fat will be easy to stretch and achieve a paper thin windowpane stage.

Kneading:

Please regard the timing provided as an indication only. It is only meant as a guide. Times vary by flour and mixer type. For higher fat dough, knead longer (18–20 minutes).

Flour & Hydration:

Use high-gluten flour for optimal texture. Always reserve some liquid to adjust dough consistency for best results. If dough is too dry, add the reserve liquid one tablespoon at a time until the right consistency.

Dough Temperature:

Maintaining the right dough temperature during kneading is crucial for a fine crumb. If the dough becomes too warm, the crumb will become too big and uneven. To prevent this, use cold water, milk, or eggs, and chill your mixing bowl or hook attachment in the freezer. Knead at low speeds, and if your kitchen is warm, rest the dough in a cooler spot. Proper dough temperature ensures a soft, fluffy bread with a fine, even crumb.

Proofing:

Proofing time depends on your environment. Use the finger poke test to gauge readiness. To check dough readiness, lightly press the side with your finger:

If it bounces back instantly, it’s under-proofed and needs more time.
If the indentation stays, it’s over-proofed.
If the indentation slowly bounces back, it’s ready to bake.
There’s also a final rise called oven spring when the dough bakes, which adds to the bread’s height.

Wrinkle Top or Shrinking:

If your bread collapses or develops wrinkles on top after baking, it might be over-proofed during the second rise. Aim for the dough to rise to 80-90% of its final size or just below the rim of the pan to prevent this. Over-proofing leads to weaker structure, causing the bread to lose shape.

Baking & Oven Temperarate:

Do also note that the baking temperature and timing provided are what works for my oven and should also be regarded as a guide only. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven.

Variations & Substitutions

Whole Wheat Version: Substitute 50g of bread flour with whole wheat. Increase hydration slightly.
No Egg Option: Replace egg with 50g whole milk yogurt or 3 tbsp mashed potato.
Vegan Option: Replace egg with a flax egg and use plant-based milk and vegan butter.

Common Mistakes & Troubleshooting

My buns turned out dense.

This is often due to under-proofing or using a starter that isn’t fully active. Make sure your sourdough starter is at its peak before mixing, and allow enough time for the dough to properly rise during final proofing.

The dough was too sticky to handle.

Mashed potatoes add moisture to the dough, so if your potato is wetter than usual, it can make the dough too soft. Start with less milk and only add more if needed. You should end up with a soft but manageable dough.

The buns spread too much and lost their shape.

This usually happens when the dough is over-proofed or lacks gluten strength. Make sure to knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic, and avoid over-proofing during the final rise. The buns should be puffy but still hold their shape.

My buns didn’t rise well in the oven.

If the oven spring is weak, your dough may have been too cold, or the starter wasn’t strong enough. Let the dough come to room temperature before baking and always check that your starter is bubbly and active before use.

The crust is too pale or soft.

This could be due to under-baking or skipping the egg wash. Make sure to bake at the correct temperature and apply a light egg wash for a shiny, golden finish.

Storage & Freezing

Store buns in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
For longer storage, freeze buns after they cool. Wrap individually and place in a freezer-safe bag. To reheat, thaw and warm in a 160°C oven for 5–8 minutes.

Final Thoughts

These Sourdough Potato Burger Buns are one of my most treasured bakes—soft, naturally leavened, and full of flavor. They’re worth the overnight process and are perfect for anyone wanting to combine sourdough baking with everyday practicality.

If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear your feedback! Tag @Bakewithpaws or leave a comment below if you have any questions regarding this recipe.

Happy baking!

Related Recipes You May Enjoy

Potato Burger Buns (Yeast)

Demi Brioche Burger Buns (Yeast)

Sourdough Shokupan Burger Buns

Sourdough Bagels

Comments

Anonymous16 July 2022 at 09:08
sorry, but did you forget the water?!
Anonymous10 July 2023 at 19:18
Anyway to make it vegan?
Mary3 October 2023 at 20:07
Hello, thank you for sharing the recipe!! Can you give an advice about the ring size ? with diameter 10cm what height size i should use
Thank you in adv :)
Anonymous23 October 2024 at 05:23
Can I do this in loaf ?

BAKE WITH PAWS

Soft Sourdough Potato Burger Buns – Fluffy, Moist, and Naturally Leavened