Julie Clark
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Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls
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Soft, gooey Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls made with unfed starter and yeast for a quicker rise. Includes our signature heavy cream soak for a caramel-like bottom.
These Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls are everything you love about our Cinnabon copycat rolls, but with a tangy twist thanks to unfed sourdough starter.
This recipe uses both yeast and discard, similar to our sourdough rolls and sourdough sandwich bread. This means you still get soft, fluffy rolls without the long overnight rise like our traditional sourdough cinnamon rolls. It’s a no-fuss, bakery-style cinnamon roll that’s ready in less time—and totally worth every minute.
About our Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls:
Ever since our heavy cream cinnamon rolls went viral, many have asked, “Can I use sourdough discard for cinnamon rolls?” Adjusting that recipe was not too tricky, I simply took out ½ cup of flour and ½ cup of milk and replaced it with 1 cup of our 100% hydration sourdough discard. It worked perfectly!
How does adding sourdough change the rolls? They’re a little bit lighter in texture than the original, thanks to the water instead of the milk. And I honestly love it. Because of the quick dough rise, you’ll get just a slightly tangy flavor rather than a strong one.
If you need ways to use sourdough discard besides sourdough pancakes, sourdough pizza dough or sourdough pie crust, this cinnamon buns recipe is going to be your new favorite.
Enjoy! – Julie
Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls
Soft, gooey Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls made with unfed starter and yeast for a quicker rise. Includes our signature heavy cream soak for a caramel-like bottom.
Servings
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 24 minutes
1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 54 minutes
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1/2 cup warm milk 115ºF
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast* I like Red Star Platinum Baking Yeast
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted or very softened, but make sure it isn't over 110ºF
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup unfed sourdough starter discard room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups bread flour divided
For the Filling:
- 3/4 cup salted butter almost melted
- 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup heavy cream*** for pouring over the risen rolls
For the Frosting:
- 6 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1/3 cup salted butter room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pour the warm milk (115ºF) in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast overtop. Allow this to sit for 3-4 minutes. The yeast will get a little frothy to show it is activated. ½ cup warm milk, 2 ½ teaspoons instant dry yeast*
- Add the room temperature eggs, butter, sugar and sourdough discard. Mix until combined. 2 large eggs, ½ cup salted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 cup unfed sourdough starter discard
- Add in salt and 3 ½ cups (save the other ½ cup and add only if you need it during kneading) of flour and mix using the beater blade just until the ingredients are barely combined. Allow the mixture to rest for 5 minutes so the flour has time to soak up the liquids. Scrape the dough off the beater blade and remove it. Attach the dough hook. 1 teaspoon salt, 4 cups bread flour
- To knead, beat the dough on medium speed for 5-7 minutes, adding in up to ½ cup more flour only if needed to form a dough. The dough should be elastic and smooth. **The dough should be tacky and will pull away from the sides of the bowl but may stick slightly to the bottom. That's ok! Don't be tempted to add more flour at this point. We generally add about 4 cups, but start with 3 ½ cups.
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Use a rubber spatula to remove the dough from the mixer bowl and place it in the greased large bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel or wax paper.
- Set the bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to rise until double. I like to turn on the oven to the lowest setting for 1-2 minutes. Then turn off the oven and place the dough to rise in there. It normally takes about 30-40 minutes for the dough to rise. Do not allow the dough to rise too much or your cinnamon rolls will be airy.
- While the dough is rising, prepare the cinnamon filling. In a medium bowl, combine the soft butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, mixing until well combined. Set aside. ¾ cup salted butter, 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar, 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- Sprinkle a pastry mat or work surface generously with flour. Turn out the dough onto the surface and sprinkle the top of the dough with additional flour.
- Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough to about a 24×15″ rectangle. (the size of the rectangle can vary…it does not have to be exact!)
- Use a rubber spatula to smooth the cinnamon filling over the whole dough rectangle. Starting on the long side, roll the dough up tightly jelly roll style.
- Using a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss, cut into 12 slices and place in a greased 9×13 baking pan.**** Cover the pan and allow the rolls to rise for 20-30 minutes while the oven is preheating.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Warm the heavy cream until the chill is off. Don't make it hot…you just don't want it cold. It should be warm to the touch. Once the rolls have risen, pour the heavy cream over the top of the rolls, allowing it to soak down in and around the rolls. ½ cup heavy cream***
- Bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until the rolls are lightly golden brown and the center rolls are cooked through. Note…the time will vary based on how big the rolls are, what type of baking dish, how close the rolls are packed, etc. They could take up to 30 minutes. Check the rolls at 20 minutes. If they are getting too browned, cover loosely with foil for the remaining baking time.
- While the rolls are cooling, prepare the cream cheese frosting. In a large bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and butter using a hand mixer. Blend well. 6 ounces cream cheese, ⅓ cup salted butter
- Add in the vanilla extract and the powdered sugar. Beat until combined. Spread the frosting over the cooled rolls. ½ tablespoon vanilla extract, 2 cups powdered sugar
Notes
About the starter: If your starter is not 100% hydration (equal parts flour and water), you may need to add more water or more flour to the dough as you knead.
*One packet of yeast is 2 ¼ teaspoons. If you have packets rather than bulk yeast, it is completely fine to just use one packet of yeast. Different yeast calls for slightly different proofing methods. We follow Red Star Platinum’s temperature guidelines. Please check your yeast packet to see what temperature the milk should be at.
***If you don’t have cream, use half and half, coffee creamer, evaporated milk, whole milk or coconut cream. Any of these will work. Even 2% milk will work, but we prefer a higher fat milk.
****For smaller rolls, cut the dough into 15 slices and use a 10×15″ baking pan. The larger pan will also allow the rolls to rise more evenly.
Overnight Instructions
We often make the cinnamon rolls and get them to the point of the second rise (when they are rolled out, cut up and put in the pan). Cover and refrigerate until morning.
The morning you want to bake them, pull them out of the refrigerator. They may have doubled in size in the fridge overnight. If they have, let them sit for 30 minutes to get the chill off, then bake.
If they did not rise in the fridge overnight, allow them to rise at room temperature. Plan about at least an hour for this. Then pour on the cream and let them bake.
*The Calorie count shows the amount with ALL of the frosting used. There will be less calories in the rolls if you don’t use all of the frosting at once. Calories are per roll with the recipe making 12 frosted rolls.
Nutrition
Calories: 613kcal | Carbohydrates: 83g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 406mg | Potassium: 133mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 954IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 1mg
Key Ingredients
- Bread flour. By using bread flour, you achieve the structure and “sturdiness” that bakery rolls often have. All-purpose flour works as well, the cinnamon roll dough will be slightly softer with the regular flour.
- Heavy cream. Do you have to pour heavy cream over cinnamon rolls before baking? No. This recipe will work without it. But if you want them to be soft and gooey as ever, use the cream.
- Cinnamon-sugar mixture. For more cinnamon filling, I made 1.5X the amount that I used in my original recipe. It creates a sticky sweet caramel sauce on the bottom of the rolls. So good!
- Sourdough starter. You do not need an active starter for this recipe. If it is active, that’s ok, but unfed starter is what works best. The unfed starter plus baking yeast is what makes easy sourdough cinnamon rolls.
See the recipe card for full ingredients and amounts.
Tips for Making Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls
- The right baking dish. My favorite cinnamon roll pan is my 9×13″ deep dish baking pan. This gives room for the rolls to rise during baking, and there’s a cover to help keep them fresh.
- Don’t add too much flour. Mix the dough with a stand mixer or by hand, but whatever you choose, don’t add too much flour. Start with 3 ½ cups and add the last ½ cup a tablespoon at a time as you need. The dough should feel slightly tacky to the touch, not floury or dry.
- Cut even rolls. If you like precise, even rolls, use a measuring tape to make 12 equal cuts. Unflavored dental floss makes a clean cut without squishing the rolls.
- Rise time. The exact rise time may vary based on your house temperature, yeast activity and weather outside. In general, the first rise takes about 40 minutes, and the second rise about 25 minutes. Even if the rolls aren’t doubled on the second rise, still bake them. They’ll poof up in the oven!
- Baking time. Check the rolls at 20 minutes. If they are getting too brown on top, cover the rolls and continue baking. For a 9×13″ glass pan, they’ll take about 30 minutes to bake. In a metal pan they may bake more quickly.
Is there a make ahead option?
Wanting to keep the morning mess out of the kitchen and prepare the rolls the night before? Here’s how to do it!
- Make the cinnamon rolls and get them to the point of the second rise, when they are rolled out, cut up and put in the dish.
- Cover and refrigerate until morning.
- The next morning, pull them out of the refrigerator. Allow the rolls to sit at room temperature for 1 hour, then bake as the recipe suggests.
Another option is to freeze cinnamon rolls after rolling and cutting. Freeze for up to 2 months in an airtight container. Pull out the rolls as you’d like, place them in a pan, cover and let thaw at room temperature or in the fridge overnight. Then bake as the recipe suggests.
All of these instructions are in our Cinnamon Rolls for Every Season cookbook!
Storage
The rolls are safe to store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 24 hours. After that, store them in the fridge.
Because of the butter and milk content, the rolls will firm up after they cool off. To soften the rolls, simply warm them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.
Other Sourdough Discard Recipes
If you’re having trouble with your active sourdough starter, you can still make delicious sourdough recipes! Try one of these discard favorites:
