Best Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls You Will Ever Eat

Have you jumped on the sourdough train yet? I took the plunge upon arriving home from our winter away and oh boy am I having fun. I’ve even started a cottage food business right from my kitchen. One of the biggest hits right now that I sell from my kitchen is the best sourdough discard cinnamon rolls you will ever eat. While many in my area love my sourdough breads, it’s the cinnamon rolls they keep coming back for and telling me to never stop offering them. That is something to for sure make me feel good about.

They like me, they really like me. Well, ok, maybe not me but my buns. (get it.. LOL)

These sourdough discard cinnamon rolls are easy and quick and no need to wait hours to bake and enjoy. Plus, if you bake a lot, you probably have a huge jar of discard and this is a great way to use all that up.

Enough Fluff!! I don’t babble on and on, because honestly I hate coming upon recipes and having to hear the persons life history, so I am on to get right to it. Let’s make some sourdough discard cinnamon rolls, and icing.

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Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls

I had been searching for recipes to use my discard with as I was starting to get way to much discard and just can’t throw it away. I’m not a wasteful person and I knew there had to be something I could use it for, that I could actually earn money selling. Bam.. let me introduce to you the best sourdough discard cinnamon rolls recipe. It’s a mix of a couple recipes I found online, but I tweaked them and made them mine. Tweaking recipes is my thing, because I love giving them my own spin. Plus, I added a yummy cinnamon buttercream icing recipe that just puts these cinnamon rolls over the top!

Let’s Make Some Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls

Here is what you will need for equipment, the recipe and some great tips. I’m not one for taking process pictures (sorry) but if you have questions, just comment and ask.

Equipment

I keep things simple. You will need just a few items and some of these are standard sourdough bread making items so you might want to grab them just to have on hand for future recipes. Get my full sourdough baking list here in my Amazon Shop.

• Mixing Bowl – I love a glass one like this 4 QT Mixing Bowl.
• 8×8 or 9×9 Baking Pan. I like an 8×8 as the buns stay softer that way. When I sell them I use these 8×8 disposable pans.
• Dough Scraper
• Dough Whisk
• Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer (for the icing)
• Digital Scale – if you use weight instead of measuring cups. I love this digital kitchen scale as it has a pull out display.

Ingredients

Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls Ingredients:

• 4 Cups All Purpose or Bread Flour – 560 grams My favorite is the Unbleached King Arthur Bread Flour at Walmart.
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Cup Sourdough Discard 227 grams
• 1 Cup Warm Water – Not hot, just warm from the faucet
• 1/2 Cup Butter – Salted or Unsalted, doesn’t matter. Melted, but cooled a bit
• 1/4 Cup Honey – This is my Favorite Honey

Cinnamon Roll Filling Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Butter – Melted but not hot
• 1 Cup packed Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon

Buttercream Cinnamon Icing Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Butter – Salted or Unsalted – Room Temp so it’s soft
• 3 Cups Powdered Sugar – sifted
• 3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream – adjust according to your icing creaminess

Additional Ingredients:

• Heavy Whipping Cream

Instructions

Make the Cinnamon Rolls:

1. Melt the butter and set it aside
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and put a rack in the center of the oven.
3. Grease your pans. Use either a baking spray, melted butter or an oil of choice. Make sure to grease all sides and bottom of pan.
4. In your large mixing bowl add all dry ingredients and combine (flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt)
5. Add in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well with a dough whisk (sourdough discard, water, melted (but cooled) butter, and honey)
6. Blend well until fully incorporated and a ball starts to form. You can also use your hands at this point if you choose. Continue mixing/kneading for 3-5 min until ball is smooth.
7. Place ball of dough on a lightly floured surface. Using the dough scraper, split into 2 balls. I like to weigh them so they are the same amount.
8. Take one ball and roll it out to form a rectangle and using a rolling pin roll til about 1/4 ” thick. I make my dough about 10″ wide and as long as I can.

Make and Spread the Filling:

1. In separate bowl combine the softened (melted but cooled) butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir until well combined.
2. Divide this mixture in half.
3. Spread half the mixture evenly over the rolled out dough. Make sure to spread to the edges as well.
4. Start rolling the dough up to make a log. It should be approximately 10″ long.
5. I use a ruler and cut the dough into 4 equal sized rolls. They are each 2.5″ thick.
6. Pick each cut roll up, set in pan and smash down a bit.
7. Once all 4 rolls are in a pan and smashed down a bit, do the next ball of dough the same way.
8. Pour about 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream over rolls, bake at 375 degrees F for about 25-35 min or until the rolls are a nice golden brown.
9. Remove from oven when done and cool in pan on wire rack. Start the icing when the rolls are cooling.

These are the dough balls. Each ball makes 4 Cinnamon Rolls in an 8×8″ pan.

Dough rolled out into a 10″ wide rectangle and spread with the filling.

Cinnamon Roll Icing Recipe

1. Using either a stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth. This takes a bit of time and requires continued scraping of bowl and beaters.
2. Once the butter is a nice consistency, add in 1/2 cup at a time the powdered sugar and just a bit of the whipping cream. Continue mixing until incorporated and smooth.
3. Repeat set 2 until all the powdered sugar and whipping cream is incorporated and to the consistency you like.
4. Add the vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Sometimes you might have to add a bit more whipping cream or softened butter. This icing varies depending on your kitchens temperature, the softness of the butter and how well the powdered sugar is sifted. Also, do a few taste tests to make sure it’s to your liking.
5. I add 1/2 Tablespoon of ground cinnamon to mine, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. This is just an option.
6. This icing will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Yield: 8

Best Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

If you have sourdough discard taking up space in your fridge and want a quick, easy, and totally mouthwatering recipe, this sourdough discard cinnamon roll recipe is perfect for you.

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Ingredients

• **Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls Ingredients:
• 4 Cups All Purpose or Bread Flour – 560 grams My favorite is the Unbleached King Arthur Bread Flour at Walmart.
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Cup Sourdough Discard 227 grams
• 1 Cup Warm Water – Not hot, just warm from the faucet
• 1/2 Cup Butter – Salted or Unsalted, doesn’t matter. Melted, but cooled a bit
• 1/4 Cup Honey – This is my Favorite Honey
• **Cinnamon Roll Filling Ingredients:
• 1/2 Cup Butter – Melted but not hot
• 1 Cup packed Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
• **Buttercream Cinnamon Icing Ingredients:
• 1/2 Cup Butter – Salted or Unsalted – Room Temp so it’s soft
• 3 Cups Powdered Sugar – sifted
• 3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream – adjust according to your icing creaminess
• **Additional Ingredients:
• Heavy Whipping Cream

Instructions

Make the Cinnamon Rolls:

1. Melt the butter and set it aside
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and put a rack in the center of the oven.
3. Grease your pans. Use either a baking spray, melted butter or an oil of choice. Make sure to grease all sides and bottom of pan.
4. In your large mixing bowl add all dry ingredients and combine (flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt)
5. Add in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well with a dough whisk (sourdough discard, water, melted (but cooled) butter, and honey)
6. Blend well until fully incorporated and a ball starts to form. You can also use your hands at this point if you choose. Continue mixing/kneading for 3-5 min until ball is smooth.
7. Place ball of dough on a lightly floured surface. Using the dough scraper, split into 2 balls. I like to weigh them so they are the same amount.
8. Take one ball and roll it out to form a rectangle and using a rolling pin roll til about 1/4 ” thick. I make my dough about 10″ wide and as long as I can.

Make and Spread the Filling:

1. In separate bowl combine the softened (melted but cooled) butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir until well combined.
2. Divide this mixture in half.
3. Spread half the mixture evenly over the rolled out dough. Make sure to spread to the edges as well.
4. Start rolling the dough up to make a log. It should be approximately 10″ long.
5. I use a ruler and cut the dough into 4 equal sized rolls. They are each 2.5″ thick.
6. Pick each cut roll up, set in pan and smash down a bit.
7. Once all 4 rolls are in a pan and smashed down a bit, do the next ball of dough the same way.
8. Pour about 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream over rolls, bake at 375 degrees F for about 25-35 min or until the rolls are a nice golden brown.
9. Remove from oven when done and cool in pan on wire rack. Start the icing when the rolls are cooling

Cinnamon Roll Icing Recipe

1. Using either a stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth. This takes a bit of time and requires continued scraping of bowl and beaters.
2. Once the butter is a nice consistency, add in 1/2 cup at a time the powdered sugar and just a bit of the whipping cream. Continue mixing until incorporated and smooth.
3. Repeat set 2 until all the powdered sugar and whipping cream is incorporated and to the consistency you like.
4. Add the vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Sometimes you might have to add a bit more whipping cream or softened butter. This icing varies depending on your kitchens temperature, the softness of the butter and how well the powdered sugar is sifted. Also, do a few taste tests to make sure it’s to your liking.
5. I add 1/2 Tablespoon of ground cinnamon to mine, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. This is just an option.
6. This icing will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Notes

Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls Recipe Notes

Everyone is different on how they like their cinnamon rolls iced, so I don’t ice mine. I keep the icing in a container in the fridge and each person ices to their liking. When selling my rolls, the icing is put in a container so the customer can use as much or as little as they like. This recipe will be enough icing for all 8 rolls.

If you are wanting more cinnamon rolls you could use a bigger pan and cut the rolls smaller. Adjust your baking time to less if the rolls are cut smaller. Rolls placed closer together will produce a softer exterior. If placed further apart in a pan they will have a firmer crust. Doing them 4 to a pan like I do gives them more of a square look than a round one.

For more cinnamon swirls, roll the dough thinner before spreading the filling on it and rolling it up. This is the same amount of filling and dough, just makes them have more layers.

Sourdough is very heavy, and these are NOT like a store bought cinnamon roll. They will last on the counter in an air tight container for about 4 days. You can wrap individually and freeze for up to 3 months. To heat up, place on a plate in the microwave for no more than 30 seconds. If you are eating frozen rolls, let them thaw completely before heating them up.

Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls Recipe Notes

Everyone is different on how they like their cinnamon rolls iced, so I don’t ice mine. I keep the icing in a container in the fridge and each person ices to their liking. When selling my rolls, the icing is put in a container so the customer can use as much or as little as they like. This recipe will be enough icing for all 8 rolls.

If you are wanting more cinnamon rolls you could use a bigger pan and cut the rolls smaller. Adjust your baking time to less if the rolls are cut smaller. Rolls placed closer together will produce a softer exterior. If placed further apart in a pan they will have a firmer crust. Doing them 4 to a pan like I do gives them more of a square look than a round one.

For more cinnamon swirls, roll the dough thinner before spreading the filling on it and rolling it up. This is the same amount of filling and dough, just makes them have more layers.

Sourdough is very heavy, and these are NOT like a store bought cinnamon roll. They will last on the counter in an air tight container for about 4 days. You can wrap individually and freeze for up to 3 months. To heat up, place on a plate in the microwave for no more than 30 seconds. If you are eating frozen rolls, let them thaw completely before heating them up.

Final Thoughts on Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

As with all my recipes I love to hear feedback when others make them. Please let me know your thoughts. This is the recipe I actually make weekly (many orders) and sell locally. If you are local to the Duluth, MN. area, you can order from me. Check out my Sheila’s Kitchen page.

If you want a recipe that uses active sourdough check out my Best Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls recipe on TikTok.

For all my sourdough baking my favorite baking dishes come from Lodge Cast Iron. Check them out – Click the banner below.