Sourdough Hamburger Buns

Ingredients

• 2 cups sourdough starter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups lukewarm water
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 cup to feed starter
• 1/4 cup dry milk powder

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, then lightly grease two cookie sheets. In a large bowl, combine the sourdough, 1 cup water, the sugar, oil, egg, and salt. Stir in the flour 1 cup at a time, stopping when the dough is too firm to keep mixing with a spoon. Move it to a lightly floured surface and knead until it feels smooth, working in more flour only as needed.
2. Shape the dough into a ball and set it in a greased bowl. Turn it over once so the surface gets a light coating, then cover the bowl with a clean cotton cloth. Leave it to rise until it has doubled in size.
3. After the dough has risen, press it down to deflate it, then let it sit for 15 minutes.
4. Pull off pieces roughly the size of golf balls, then shape, smooth, and press each one until it is about 3/4-inch thick. Arrange the buns on the cookie sheets with 2 inches between them, and let them rise until they are nearly as large as you want them.
5. Bake the buns until the tops and edges are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
6. For Sourdough Starter No.1 "Yogi," whisk the water and yogurt together, then mix in the 2 cups flour and the dry milk powder until the mixture is smooth. Spoon it into a 1-quart bowl, ceramic crock, or plastic container. Cover the container with a double layer of cheesecloth and set it in a draft-free indoor spot for 48 hours. Once it is bubbly and a gray or yellow liquid appears on top, stir that liquid back into the starter. If the liquid is red or green, discard the starter and begin again.
7. After you have stirred the liquid back in for 2 days, feed the starter with 1 cup flour.
8. For Sourdough Started No. 2 "Cheater," if you are impatient, or if nothing has fermented after 2 days, be a "Cheater" and stir in a pinch of active dry yeast on the second day.