Sourdough Discard Challah Buns are made with your sourdough starter discard. These super soft buns are studded with dark chocolate chips. With just a slight sourdough tang, these beautiful buns are perfect for breakfast, or for an afternoon coffee break.
It is not easy to say what I love most about these buns. Could it be the sourdough meets challah super tender bread, every bite has a dark chocolate surprise, or that they’re small and super fun?
Big confession, I may have eaten two as soon as they were baked! They were so hard to resist. The scent of fresh challah and dark chocolate were totally irresistible.
You may be just as sad as I am when you have to toss out some sourdough discard. There should be no reason to throw the discard away!
Instead of wasting it, make these gorgeous challah buns with dark chocolate chips!
What ingredients are in a sourdough discard challah buns?
dough
- active dry yeast (I used Red Star Yeast Platinum for this recipe)
- sugar
- bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
- salt
- eggs
- oil
- sourdough discard
- dark chocolate chips (optional)
egg wash
- egg
- sugar
The sourdough starter:
Here is a photo of my faithful sourdough starter. This starter has never let me down! Even when I have had no choice but to leave it alone for weeks (even 2-3 months), the starter didn’t let me down.
Before we get onto this recipe, I want to show you some more inspirations.
There are so many ways to use up that sourdough discard! Here are some sourdough discard starter recipes we recently shared:
- Sourdough Discard Apple Galette
- Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread
- Sourdough Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Sourdough Pizza Margherita
- Sourdough Banana Bread
- Blueberry Limoncello Pie with Sourdough Crust
What can you make with sourdough discard?
Honestly, the possibilities are endless! The discard could be used in pancakes, brownies, waffles, pizza dough (yes, pizza dough!). Sweet or savory recipe, the discard works wonderful!
How long can I keep sourdough discard fresh?
I would store the sourdough discard for up to a week in a closed jar in the refrigerator. As the days pass, the flavor may get more sour, so just use it in a savory recipe.
How long can you keep sourdough discard?
Sourdough discard can last for a week or two in the fridge, but for best results you should use it up within that time frame.
What is a challah bread?
A challah is a Jewish bread that is traditionally part of the sabbath and even any important Jewish holiday. It is a dairy-free bread, and when it’s made the right way, it could be considered kosher.
Do sourdough discard challah buns taste sour?
Since you are making these buns with the sourdough discard (and some yeast), it does not have a very sour flavor (the flavor is subtle). But the texture will be outstanding!
Some challah bread FAQ’s
Which is the best flour to use to make challah bread?
You could use bread flour or all-purpose flour. I often run out of bread flour, so then I’ll use my all-purpose. Keep in mind that any high in gluten flour will give you a dough with a nice stretch. From all the challahs I’ve baked, either bread or all-purpose flour will work for this recipe.
How to store challah bread buns
Let the buns cool down and place them in large zipped lock bag. You could keep in the counter and they'll still be nice for up to 2 days. Or, place them in the freezer (in the zipped lock freezer bag)for up to 2 months.
Also, once the bread has completely cooled, store in zipped lock freezer bags in the freezer for up to 2 months.
How long does sourdough discard last
You can store sourdough discard in the fridge for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to six months. When you're ready to use it, just thaw it out and give it a good stir before using.
Some other bread recipes to enjoy:
Sourdough Discard Challah Buns
Ingredients
- The Dough:
- 1 package 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast I used Red Star Yeast Platinum for this recipe
- 1 cup warm water no more than 110°F [43°C]
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 4 ½ to 5 cups bread flour or 5 ½ to 6 cups bleached all-purpose flour depending on brand of flour, you may need less or more
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup peanut corn or canola oil
- 1 cup sourdough discard unfed sourdough starter
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- For the egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 Tablespoon water
Instructions
- In a mixer, with a dough hook attachment, add the warm water, yeast and a teaspoon of sugar. Mix until blended. Let the yeast bloom (could take up to 5 minutes). Once it has bloomed, slowly mix in 1 cup of the flour until combined.
- Mix in the eggs one at a time until they are combined. Add in the rest of the sugar and the oil. Mix until combined.
- Add in the sourdough discard.
- Slowly add the rest of the flour with the mixer on medium-low speed, and mix until combined. Stop the machine as you add each cup of the flour to scrape the sides of the bowl and incorporate the flour.
- Mix on low speed for 12 minutes until dough is incorporated. Be sure to give your mixer a break and as you don’t want to burn it out. Add flour, if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. The dough will be a little sticky but also firm.
- Take dough out of mixer bowl, and place it on a clean counter or work space. Knead the dough a minute or so on the counter. Knead in the chocolate chips.
- Check the dough and if it is still too sticky to work with, add a tablespoon of flour to make it pliable. If dough is still too sticky, add another tablespoon of flour at a time until it is smooth, yet slightly sticky.
- Form the dough into a ball and place into an oiled bowl (when I put the dough in the bowl I swish the dough around the bottom of the bowl and then flip it over so all of the dough is covered in a light film of oil). Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size (about 1-1 1/2 hours).
- When the dough has risen, punch down the dough.
- Divide the dough into 18 equal pieces. Shape into balls and place on 2 parchment lined baking sheets.
- Loosely cover with plastic wrap (or a clean kitchen towel) and let rise in a draft free place for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- When ready to bake, brush with egg wash (egg wash is the egg, a tablespoon of water, and sugar whisked together in a small bowl).
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until buns are golden brown and have an internal temperature of 190°.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Bobbi says
What are we supposed to do with the 2tsp of salt? There is no where in the recipe for what to do with it. Is it supposed to be mixed in with the dough? Sprinkled on top? This might be a stupid question, but I’m a new baker and have no idea what I’m doing and have the salt left over.
Lora says
Hi Bobbi-You must have missed it on Step 4: Slowly add the rest of the flour (and the salt) with the mixer on medium-low speed, and mix until combined. Stop the machine as you add each cup of the flour to scrape the sides of the bowl and incorporate the flour.
I explain to add the flour along with the salt right in that step. Maybe you re-read the recipe and figured it out and added it in!
Hope that helps!