September 2, 2024September 2, 2024 AdminAdmin 0 Comment

Ultimate Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls – Easy Overnight

Homemade sourdough cinnamon rolls recipe that is SO downright delicious. Filled with delicious cinnamon brown sugar swirl and topped with cream cheese frosting. These cinnamon rolls are so good that you and your entire family will come back for seconds.

cinnamon rolls in a baking dish. They are covered in cream cheese frosting.

Today, we are making homemade sourdough discard cinnamon rolls! Scared? Don’t be! I am here to walk you through the process of this entire from-scratch sourdough recipe. So, put on your apron, roll up your sleeves, and break out that jar of sourdough discard.

A tray of freshly baked sourdough discard cinnamon rolls. Someone is holding a cinnamon roll in their hands.

These Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Are:

  • Filled with cinnamon sugar and that delicious sourdough tang we all love.
  • Made completely from scratch. You can impress your friends and family with these.
  • Soft, springy, and fluffy in texture!
  • Smells AMAZING. Seriously! My husband could not stop walking into the kitchen just to smell them.

Ingredients and Why

  • Sourdough Discard: Adds a delicious sourdough tang which tastes oh so good in cinnamon rolls!
  • Active Dry Yeast: Or Instant Yeast. I highly recommend adding yeast instead of relying on an active sourdough starter for this recipe.
  • All-Purpose Flour or Bread Flour: I use all-purpose flour because that’s what I have. However, if you have bread flour, use that. The finished product will be slightly more chewy.
  • Whole Milk: Adds fat, which the dough needs. It makes the dough rich and delicious.
  • White Sugar: For sweetness.
  • Unsalted Butter: The fat makes these cinnamon rolls soft and rich.
  • Eggs: Makes for softer cinnamon rolls.
  • Salt: Flavor enhancer. No, these aren’t salty and you won’t notice that there is salt in the dough. However, you WILL notice if there is no salt in the dough.
  • Cinnamon and Brown Sugar: These wouldn’t be cinnamon rolls without the cinnamon sugar swirl!
  • Cream Cheese Icing: A MUST for cinnamon rolls.
A sourdough discard cinnamon roll on a white plate. There is a gold fork on it. There is icing on it too.

Overview: How to Make Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

  1. Make the dough: Best to use a stand mixer for this sourdough discard recipe. You can knead this dough by hand. However, since it is an enriched dough with a good amount of butter, it will be quite the workout.
  2. Let it rise: The dough should double in size.
  3. Shape the dough: Shape it into a log! No need to rush this step. Check out my video to see how to shape the dough.
  4. Second rise: Don’t skip this. Don’t rush this. This part is IMPORTANT. If you rush the second rise and get the cinnamon buns into the oven before they’ve doubled, they will be dense.
  5. Bake: If they brown too quickly, then cover the pan with aluminum foil
  6. Top with cream cheese frosting: Enjoy!
A plate with one cinnamon roll. There is a tray of freshly baked cinnamon rolls in the background.

Tips To Make The BEST Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls

  1. Let the dough double during the first rise and second rise. Very important and I cannot stress this enough! If the dough doesn’t double, you’ll end up with dense cinnamon rolls.
  2. Use a sharp knife, a string, or dental floss to cut the cinnamon rolls. Make sure not to press down on them.
  3. Use A 9×13-inch baking pan. The rolls need an adequate amount of space to rise properly. Do not attempt to jam all the rolls into a smaller baking pan.
  4. Cover the cinnamon rolls with foil halfway through baking. Covering with aluminum foil ensures that the cinnamon rolls do not get too dark.
Freshly baked cinnamon buns on a table.

Baker’s Schedules

The good news is that this sourdough cinnamon roll recipe can fit anyone’s busy schedule. You can make this recipe all in one day. Or, you can turn this into an overnight recipe.

One Day Option

Follow the recipe as written down. It’s best to start the recipe by 1:00 pm if you want cinnamon rolls in time for dinner.

Overnight Option One

Make the dough and let it rise at room temperature. Shape them into rolls, cover, and place into the refrigerator to rise overnight. The following morning, take the cinnamon rolls out and let them double on the counter (if it has doubled, go straight to baking). Follow the rest of the recipe.

Overnight Option Two

Make the dough in the evening. Cover and let rise overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, take the dough out and let it double on the counter (if it has doubled, proceed to shape). Shape into rolls and follow the rest of the recipe.

homemade cinnamon rolls on a table.

No Yeast Option?

I highly do NOT recommend omitting yeast in this recipe. I’ve tried this recipe both ways: with yeast and without yeast.
Without yeast, the dough rises slowly. It will need to rise on the counter at room temperature for 12+ hours. My kitchen is a whopping 80 degrees and it still took an overnight rise to double. There is egg and milk in this recipe. I do not like the idea of leaving a dough that contains eggs and dairy out overnight on the counter.
With yeast: The dough rises much faster. Plus, the cinnamon rolls are packed with that delicious sourdough tang since we’re using a lot of sourdough discard (300 grams total).
Still want to try the no-yeast option? Go ahead, be my guest.

Freshly baked homemade sourdough cinnamon rolls in a glass baking dish.

Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls

Ultimate Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls that are BURSTING with flavor! Buttery, soft, and fluffy. Make this discard recipe in one day or overnight.
 Prep Time: 30minutes 
 Cook Time: 25minutes 
 Rise Time 3hours 
 Total Time: 3hours  55minutes 
 Servings: 12 Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

Sourdough Discard Dough

  • ⅓ Cup Milk 90 grams. Warmed to about 110 F degrees
  • 2 ¼ Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast or Instant Yeast
  • ⅔ Cup Granulated White Sugar 135 grams
  • ½ Cup Unsalted Butter 113 grams. Room temperature.
  • 2 Large Eggs room temperature
  • 1 Cup and 1 tablespoon Sourdough Discard 300 grams
  • ½ Teaspoon Salt
  • 3 ⅓ Cups All-Purpose Flour or Bread Flour 416 grams

Cinnamon Filling

  • 1 ½ Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
  • ⅔ Cup Brown Sugar 135 grams
  • ½ Cup Unsalted Butter 113 grams. Room temperature.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 ounces Cream Cheese 226 grams. Room temperature
  • 2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • ¼ Teaspoon Salt
  • 2 Cups Powdered Sugar 240 grams

Instructions

  • Make Yeast Mixture: In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the warmed milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and active dry yeast. Let sit until the mixture is foamy (roughly 5 minutes).
  • Make The Dough: Add the rest of the white sugar, softened butter, two large eggs, and sourdough discard. With the dough hook attachment, mix on medium speed for about five minutes. The butter won’t fully incorporate into the mixture and that’s okay. Then, add the salt. Put the stand mixer on low speed and add one cup of flour at a time. Make sure the flour is fully incorporated before adding the next cup of flour. After you add the last cup of flour, knead for about five minutes.
  • Knead The Dough: Continue to knead the dough in the stand mixer on medium-low speed for an additional five minutes. This will develop the gluten in the flour. The dough should feel soft to the touch and slightly sticky (but easy to handle).
  • First Rise: Place the dough in a greased container and cover. Let rise at room temperature for 1.5 to 2 hours or until double in size.
  • Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
  • Cinnamon Sugar: In a small bowl, combine the ground cinnamon and brown sugar. Set aside.
  • Roll Out The Dough: Punch the dough down to release the air. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a 12×18-inch rectangle. Make sure it is even (this can be imperfect). Cover the dough and let it relax for 5 minutes if it keeps shrinking. Then continue to roll it out.
  • Spread The Filling: Spread the softened butter all over the top of the dough. Then, evenly sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top.
  • Shape The Dough: Tightly roll up the dough to form an 18-inch log. With a sharp knife (or piece of string), cut into 12 even rolls. Arrange them on the baking pan.
  • Second Rise: Cover the rolls and allow them to rise for an hour and a half. The rolls should be puffy.
  • Preheat: Preheat the oven to 350°F
  • Bake: Bake for 25 minutes or until the cinnamon rolls are light golden brown. After 12 minutes if they are too dark, cover them with aluminum foil. Once they are done, remove them from the oven and let the baking pan sit on a wire rack.
  • Make The Icing: In the bowl of your stand mixer with your whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until creamy (roughly 2 minutes). Then, add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, salt, and powdered sugar. Beat on medium speed for one minute. Spread the icing on top of the warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!

Notes

  1. Overnight Options: Make the dough and refrigerate overnight, or shape and then refrigerate overnight. Check out my blog post section called “Baker’s Schedules” to read the detailed overnight options.
  2. Yeast: Use active dry yeast or instant yeast. I recommend adding yeast and not relying on an active sourdough starter for this recipe. I go into detail on this topic on my blog post.
  3. Baking Dish: I highly recommend using a 9×13-inch glass baking dish. This dish fits all of the cinnamon rolls perfectly. Do not try to pack the rolls into a smaller dish. They need room to properly rise and will be dense if they don’t have that room.
  4. Shaping: Use a sharp knife, string, or dental floss to cut the cinnamon rolls. It’s important not to smush them down.
  5. Tools (Affiliate Links): Stand Mixer | Cambra Food Container (for proofing) | Rolling Pin | 9×13-inch Glass Baking Pan
  6. Store Leftover Cinnamon Rolls: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Need to store them for longer? Freeze them for up to three months.

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