Sourdough Saturday – Mini Sandwich Buns

Since most of the family will be working on Wednesday, we had our 4th of July celebration last night. I served the traditional menu, just no burgers, no hot dogs, no watermelon and no apple pie. In other words, it was our traditional menu; potluck pasta salad, sandwich fixings that included deli meat, pesto, hummus, fresh mozzarella, pickles, olives, avocado, a beautiful purple lettuce that I got from the Farmer’s Market, and homemade chocolate-raspberry sherbert for dessert.

There was a variety of bread options (the toddlers prefer hot dog buns) and I made these mini sourdough honey-whole wheat buns. They were nice and light, just sour enough to really perk up the most basic sandwich, and small enough so we could indulge in two sandwiches without feeling guilty. The photo above shows a pesto-lettuce-tomato-fresh mozzarella sandwich and a turkey-cheddar-tomato-lettuce-pickle-mustard sandwich. Best of all, they were really easy to make.

Recipe:

• 2 cups sourdough starter (find out how to make your own starter here)
• 3 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 – 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt

In a large bowl or the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, combine the starter, butter, milk, eggs, and honey until well combined. Add the flours and salt. Stir until mixed and then knead until smooth and shiny; about 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes using a stand mixer.

On a floured board, roll or pat dough in a square about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into buns using a 3 inch biscuit cutter.

Place cut buns on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise 2 – 4 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 15 – 18 minutes or until the bottoms are browned. Cool on a wire rack. Split horizontally with a sharp knife. Makes 20 – 24 mini buns.

Note: These buns would also be great with burgers if your 4th of July menu is a little more traditional than mine! This recipe makes 8 – 10 larger buns.

Note: I was inspired by a Hamburger Buns recipe found in World Sourdoughs From Antiquity by Ed Wood. Check out his very informative site here. You can find lots of sandwich/hamburger bun recipes on the Yeastspotting site too. You might never go back to store bought rolls again!