Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls

Sourdough discard cinnamon rolls combine a gooey brown sugar filling with a homemade caramel drizzle for a cozy and easy breakfast!

Who doesn’t love cinnamon rolls? There’s something so comforting and lovely about the combination of cinnamon, brown sugar, and sweet bread that’s simply irresistible. Plus, they make the kitchen smell AMAZING – nothing beats waking up to cinnamon wafting through the house. 🙂

If making your own cinnamon rolls sounds intimidating, then this is just the recipe for you! With step by step pictures and instructions, you can easily follow along with this recipe and make beautiful cinnamon rolls at home. By using sourdough discard in combination with baking powder, this recipe eliminates the need for letting the dough proof, which can be the trickiest step. And as a bonus, this means you can mix the dough, shape the rolls, and bake them in about an hour!

Why you’ll love Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls?

• These rolls use sourdough discard, which means you don’t have to let the dough proof for hours or wonder whether it’s fully risen.
• Believe it or not, these rolls are dairy-free! Coconut milk and coconut oil add richness to the dough without all the dairy, making these a great option if you’re lactose intolerant.
• You can make these cinnamon rolls in about an hour – perfect for breakfast on the weekend or for serving guests.
• You don’t need any yeast for this recipe! Baking powder is enough to make the rolls rise and sourdough discard adds an extra special flavor.

What is Sourdough Discard?

Sourdough discard is the starter that you normally get rid of every time you feed your starter. If you bake regularly with your starter, you might not need to discard because you’re using so much of your starter. However, if at the end of the week you have a cup of starter left, you should discard at least half of it (if not more) when you feed it. 

How do you use Sourdough Discard?

While you can just through the discard away, it’s much more fun to bake with it! You can add it to nearly any baked recipe – muffins, cakes, cookies, brownies. It will give your baked goods a unique and tangy flavor impossible to achieve otherwise. You can find sourdough discard recipes from the blog here!

Tips for making Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls:

• In this recipe, I used coconut milk and coconut oil to keep the cinnamon rolls dairy-free. However, feel free to use regular milk and butter instead if dairy doesn’t bother you!
• Want breakfast in a snap? Make the cinnamon rolls the night before and store in the fridge overnight. Bake them in the morning for an easy breakfast.
• You can also freeze these cinnamon rolls before baking them. De-thaw them in the fridge overnight before baking for best results.
• These cinnamon rolls are best if you eat them within 2-3 days. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Tools you will need

To make these cinnamon rolls, you’ll need two mixing bowls, a smaller bowl for making the filling, a rolling pin, and a cast-iron skillet or 9″ circular baking pan.

Ingredients you will need

Don’t let the long list scare you – these are all just common baking supplies!

Cinnamon Roll Dough:

• 2 cups flour – All-purpose or bread flour works best.
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter – can be active or discard.
• 1/4 cup coconut milk – You can also use regular milk, or your favorite dairy-alternative (oat milk, almond milk, etc).
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil – You can also substitute melted butter.
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg – Room temperature is best if you can think ahead to leave the egg out for a few hours. 🙂
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp baking powder

Filling:

• 1/4 cup brown sugar – You could also use white sugar if you prefer.
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp coconut oil – This time make sure it’s softened but not melted! (If it’s melted, the filling will spill out of the cinnamon rolls.)

Icing:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tbsp coconut milk – Again, feel free to substitute milk or your favorite dairy-alternative.

Optional Caramel Drizzle:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut milk – Feel free to substitute regular milk or another dairy-alternative here too.
• 1 tsp vanilla

How to make Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, coconut milk, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and sourdough starter until it forms a smooth batter.

In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir together until a lump of dough forms. It will be sticky and shaggy, but this is ok!

To make the filling, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1 tbsp coconut oil in a small bowl.

Sprinkle some flour on your work surface, and then roll out the cinnamon roll dough into a rectangle about 9″ by 12″.

Use a spoon to spread the cinnamon filling over the surface of the dough, leaving about 1/2″ margins on each edge.

Starting at the 12″ side, roll the dough into a log lengthwise. Try to keep the roll tight so that you’ll have lots of coils in your cinnamon rolls.

Carefully use a knife to slice the roll of dough into 1″ thick cinnamon rolls. I like to mark the dough at 1″ intervals with a knife before cutting the cinnamon rolls to make sure they’re even.

Place the cinnamon rolls in a greased 9″ baking pan or cast iron skillet.

Bake the rolls for 20 minutes, until lightly golden brown.

While the cinnamon rolls cool, make the icing by mixing together the powdered sugar and coconut milk. Drizzle over the cinnamon rolls once they’ve cooled for at least 10 minutes.

Optional Caramel Drizzle:

In a small pot, combine the brown sugar, vanilla, and coconut milk over medium heat. Whisk occasionally and let the caramel thicken; this will take about 10 minutes. Drizzle over the cinnamon rolls and enjoy!

Looking for more fun ways to use sourdough discard?

If so, make sure to check out the Kitchen Counter for lots of sourdough recipes! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Sourdough Scones
• Sourdough Coffee Cake
• Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
• Sourdough Carrot Cake Muffins
• Sourdough Biscuits
• Sourdough Discard Bagels

If you make these this recipe and enjoy it, let me know in the comments section below! You can also tag me on instagram @oldfashionedinspiration with a picture of your creation.