My Turmeric Corn Sourdough Buns are happy, bright and buttery pillows. They’re a gorgeous, zingy yellow. They are show-stopper buns. Thank you, turmeric and corn, thank you.
These are the buns you want to serve at a dinner party. They’re the buns you show off to your neighbors (does anyone do that?). They’re fluffy, light, and slightly sweet. Also, the smell they emanate while baking is luxurious.
I started creating this recipe by really wanting to make a naturally-leavened bun recipe with a cornmeal soaker. Very specific recipe craving, right? I’m just weird that way, I guess.
I’ve also never worked with cornmeal super extensively before. But have I even worked with it extensively now? Considering it’s just in the soaker, and this bun does not have a super corn-y cornmeal flavor, then I guess not.
But…this recipe creation craving led to something very exciting – the cornmeal made the dough look yellow. I was surprised and I probably shouldn’t have been (considering all cornbread is yellow???) but it was an exhilarating and very happy “oh my gosh!” when I started mixing the dough.
So, I got even more excited...I grabbed some ground turmeric and threw that in as well. The more yellow, the merrier, right? Right? Right. Because it's exciting to mix a brightly colored dough! Plus, the earthy flavor of turmeric and the rich flavor of butter is pure yumminess. It's impossible not to love these.
Turmeric Corn Sourdough Buns: Little details
I find that even though sourdough-leavened recipes take much longer to make than yeasted recipes, they are so worth it! The depth of flavor is so lovely and hard to beat. Besides, I think the work that goes into sourdough recipes is therapeutic and a comforting process during tough times.
So, the process moves like this:
- The night before, you make your levain & soaker
- In the morning, mix the dough ingredients together and let it rest for 30 minutes
- Bulk fermentation: Three stretch & folds + 1 hour rests (2 hours)
- 3 hour rest (with no action on your part)
- Shape + proof for 1-2 hours
- Bake for 30-35 minutes
And that's that! If you're new to sourdough baking, stretch & folds are when you pull up & stretch a side of the dough and place it over itself, doing so on all four sides.
If you make this recipe, please comment and rate the recipe below! I love hearing from you all. Also, you can tag me on Instagram @higheralchemybaking with your bake!
Turmeric Corn Sourdough Buns
Equipment
- 9-inch circular cake pan or pie pan
Ingredients
Levain
- 80g mature sourdough starter
- 100g water
- 100g bread flour
Soaker
- 80g cornmeal
- 140g water
- 14g salt
Dough
- all the levain
- all the soaker
- 90g water
- 110g all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 60g brown sugar
- 70g or 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
Egg wash
- 1 egg
Instructions
- The night before, combine the levain by mixing thoroughly with a fork, then cover it lightly. Combine the soaker separately by stirring, then cover it. Let sit overnight (10-12 hours) at room temperature.
- Place all the dough ingredients except for the butter in a large glass bowl or container. Combine with your hands by squeezing until only a few dry streaks are left. Slice the butter into a bunch of thin squares and add them to the dough. Squeeze the dough together with your hands, pinching the butter into the dough until the dough comes together thoroughly. There may be some small noticeable yellow butter patches but they can be left alone. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel. Let rest for 30 minutes in a warm place.
- Stretch & fold the dough, pulling all four sides over itself. Let sit for one hour.
- Stretch & fold the dough again. Repeat twice more (stretching & folding again in another hour and also in 2 hours). Let sit for 3 hours after the third stretch & fold.
- Lightly grease a 9-inch circular cake pan or pie pan. Oil your hands as well as a surface to work on. Divide the dough into 7 sections (around 160 grams each) and roll into balls. I do this by folding the dough’s corners over themselves, pinching the ends together and gently rolling the bottom on the work surface. Place the rougher side down in the pan, laying out one in the center and six surrounding it. They will have a little space between them that will fill out when they rise.
- Let proof for 1-2 hours, preheating the oven to 350°F when they’re nearing the top of the pan. When the oven is preheated and the buns are puffy and close to the top of the pan, whisk the egg in a small bowl. Brush the tops of the buns gently with egg wash, being careful not to over-wash the outer sides of the buns (so egg wash doesn’t drip down into the inner edges of the pan).
- Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 195°F.
- Let cool for 20 minutes in the pan then serve.