Sourdough Honey Buns
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer with dough hook (or large mixing bowl)
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 9x13 inch baking pan
- 1 Silicone spatula
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 pastry brush
- 1 sharp knife or bench scraper
- 1 plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel
- 1 wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 120 gram active sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 240 gram whole milk warm
- 80 gram honey
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 75 gram unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 500 gram all-purpose flour
- 8 gram fine sea salt
- 80 gram unsalted butter very soft
- 80 gram honey
- 80 gram light brown sugar packed
- 5 gram ground cinnamon
- 2 gram fine sea salt
- 40 gram unsalted butter
- 60 gram honey
- 60 gram powdered sugar sifted
- 15 gram whole milk
- 2 gram vanilla extract
- 1 gram fine sea salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the sourdough starter, warm milk, honey, egg, and melted butter until smooth.
- Add the flour and salt to the wet mixture and stir with a spatula until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead with the dough hook on medium-low speed (or by hand) for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticky.
- Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let ferment at room temperature for 3–4 hours until slightly puffy.
- Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and cold-proof the dough for 6–8 hours or overnight to develop flavor and make rolling easier.
- When ready to shape, lightly flour your work surface and roll the chilled dough into a rectangle about 12x18 inches (30x45 cm).
- In a small bowl, mix the softened butter, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until you have a smooth, spreadable paste.
- Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch (2.5 cm) border along one long edge.
- Starting from the opposite long edge, roll the dough up tightly into a log, pinching the seam to seal.
- Trim the ends if uneven, then cut the log into 12 equal pieces with a sharp knife or bench scraper.
- Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and arrange the buns in the pan with a little space between each.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let the buns proof at warm room temperature for 2–3 hours, until noticeably puffy and nearly touching.
- About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Bake the buns for 22–25 minutes, until lightly golden on top and the centers register about 190–195°F (88–90°C).
- While the buns bake, make the glaze by gently heating the butter and honey in a small saucepan until melted, then whisking in powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
- Let the buns cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then brush or drizzle generously with the warm honey glaze.
- Serve the sourdough honey buns warm or at room temperature, optionally adding an extra light drizzle of honey on top.
Notes
For best flavor, ensure your starter is bubbly and recently fed before mixing the dough, and adjust proofing times to your kitchen temperature—cool rooms will slow everything down, while warm rooms speed it up. The dough should feel soft but not overly sticky; add a tablespoon of flour at a time only if it’s too wet to handle. When rolling, keep the rectangle even so the buns bake uniformly, and use a gentle sawing motion with your knife to avoid squashing the spirals. If the tops brown too quickly, tent the pan loosely with foil for the last 5–10 minutes of baking. These buns are best the day they’re baked but reheat beautifully in a low oven for a few minutes, and you can prepare them the night before, proof them in the fridge, and bake them straight from cold with just a slightly longer bake time.
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