We have this Christmas morning tradition at our house. Cinnamon Rolls are typically on the menu for Christmas morning, along with some homemade hot chocolate and maybe some scrambled eggs if we’re feeling ambitious. These homemade sourdough cinnamon rolls will be making an appearance on my table this year, and I cannot WAIT for you guys to try this mouthwatering pan o’ goodness. Please don’t let the word “sourdough” scare you away! First, let me tell you all about my sourdough starter.
I’d like to introduce you guys to the newest member of our family, Buzz. Buzz is our sourdough starter, which Garrett named after a certain Toy Story character. Buzz has to be fed and cared for much like a pet. He is bubbly and active, and gives us LOADS of yumminess nowadays.
Getting him to this stage took a while, though. It has been literally months of trial and error, figuring out his feeding schedule and trying to understand his little quirks. I’m starting to get a feel for it though, and here lately Buzz and I have been churning out some amazing sourdough breads together. I have gotten him on a once-a-week feeding schedule now, where I refrigerate a cup of starter during the week, then feed it and activate it only on the weekends when I do my backing, then back in the fridge it goes for another week. It’s not as hard as it sounds, I promise! Just takes some practice. I bought my New England Sourdough starter at Cultures for Health. I also bought the Traditional Cooking School e-course and have been learning all sorts of things about fermentation and cultured foods. I have started making my own kefir at home, too, which you’ll see me use in this recipe. I have my reasons for making my own kefir and bread at home, but I will save that for another post. The thing about sourdough starter is all of the discarded starter you have to toss out. The reason for this is that the starter double/triples/quadruples in size as it gets more active and if you didn’t discard some you’d literally have dough blowing the roof off of your house in a few days if you just kept building up the starter without every discarding any. Today I want to share with you guys the best thing I have ever made with the discarded starter. This recipe makes up for the fact that you have to throw away all that bubbly goodness after caring for it for so long…
Today we’re gonna be making homemade sourdough cinnamon rolls. These rolls. Oh my goodness gracious. BEST things ever.
Here is the recipe that I used from Cultures for Health website.
4.0 from 4 reviews
Sourdough CINNAMON ROLLS
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Amazing homemade cinnamon rolls using discarded sourdough starter. These are SO delicious.
Author: Beth Bryan
Recipe type: bread
Serves: About 13 rolls
Ingredients
- ½ cup cold butter
- 2½ cups white all-purpose flour ( I use King Arthur unbleached)
- ½ cup active sourdough starter (a great way to use up discarded starter)
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup milk (I used milk kefir, you could also sub in buttermilk)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Filling:
- ½ cup brown sugar or turbinado sugar
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 6-8 tablespoons of butter, melted
Instructions
- For long-fermented rolls, prepare the dough at least 7 hours before baking. Overnight is best for Christmas morning.
- Cut the butter into the flour until it looks like fine sand. Mix in the starter, sugar and milk until a soft dough ball just comes together. Cover and put in a warm spot overnight.
- Preheat oven 400 degrees F.
- Combine salt, baking powder and baking soda in a small bowl and sprinkle over the dough.
- Knead the salt/baking powder/soda gently into the dough ball along with a little more flour until a smooth dough ball is formed. Be careful not to over knead the dough.
- Roll out the dough until it is about ¼" to ½" thick in a large rectangle.
- Spread filling evenly over the dough.
- Starting along the long edge, roll up the dough tightly into a long roll. Use both your hands to roll it evenly and as tightly as possible.
- Cut the roll into ½" thick slices.
- Place slices into a well greased cast iron skillet or cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
You can skip the long fermentation part, but the long fermentation results in a higher rise of the dough, and fluffier cinnamon rolls.
I’ll share my photos of the process here:
Cut the cold butter into the flour. I used my Ninja to make short work of this task. (Don’t forget the giant giveaway–including a Ninja Blender–ends today! GO ENTER!)
Give it a few whirls in the food processor until it looks like fine sand, or you can use a pastry cutter if you’ve got one. Just get the butter cut into the flour really well. 
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour/butter combo, the starter, sugar, and milk (I substituted milk kefir here).
Mix that together until a soft dough ball forms. Don’t over knead it.
Here is where you have a choice…. You can either cover this dough and put it in a warm spot to ferment for at least 7 hours (or overnight), OR you can use this immediately if you’re in a hurry.
I’ve made this recipe both ways—long fermented and not. I will say that the long fermented ones turned out lighter and fluffier, but they both tasted pretty darn great. It’s up to you!
Once your dough is ready, sprinkle it with the salt, baking powder and baking soda, then roll it out onto a lightly floured surface. I used my big cookie sheet pan with a Silpat and it works great (+no messy countertops!)
In a bowl, mix together melted butter, cinnamon and brown sugar (or try turbinado sugar. Seriously try it, it’s amazing.)
Spread the filling out evenly over the rolled out dough…
Then it’s time to roll it up! Try to get a tight roll (and be sure to roll up the long end, not the short side.
Cut the dough out into 1/2” thick rolls, and place them side-by-side in a big cast iron skillet that has been heavily greased. You could also put these on a greased cookie sheet, but be prepared for the sticky, goeey filling to stick to your pan. 
Bake them in the oven for about 20-30 minutes at 350-400 degrees, and BOOM.
Is this not the most mouth-watering Christmas morning breakfast you’ve ever seen?? Yep. Add some three-ingredient homemade Hot Chocolate and your family will be running out to buy you more Christmas presents to show their gratitude.
These are pictures of the long fermented rolls. See how high and puffed up they became? Look at that dough. The each came right apart without even sticking together at all. YUM. I used the turbinado sugar with these rolls and it gave them a sweet crunch that could not be replicated with brown sugar. It is SO great. 
Enjoy your Christmas morning breakfast, peeps!
Who else is planning to toss their diet straight out the window until next year? If you’re joining the Fat Pants Club with me this month, go check out all these other sweets and treats that my blog buddies have assembled today! You’re not going to believe your eyes.
Candy Cane Marshmallow Treats from My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia
Peppermint Chocolate Cream Pie from Domestically Speaking
Cake Mix in a Mug Gift from Cupcakes and Crinoline
Peppermint S’Mores Brownies from Yellow Bliss Road
Chocolate Toffee Bark from Setting for Four
My Favorite Sugar Cookies from Stone Gable
Peppermint Bark Cheesecake Dip from A Pumpkin & A Princess
Christmas Snowman Sundaes from An Extraordinary Day
White Chocolate Gingerbread Mocha Mix from Twelve O Eight
Rocky Road Candy from A Night Owl
The Original Fantasy Fudge from At The Picket Fence
White Chocolate Macadamia Cranberry Bark from Lemon Tree Dwelling
Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows from Mom 4 Real
Tiger Butter Bark from Uncommon Designs
The Easiest Holiday Cookie Ever from Top This Top That
Christmas Ornament Cupcakes from Sweet Rose Studio
Frosted Peppermint Brownies from Lolly Jane
Carrot Cake Mix Cookies from Sweet C’s Designs
Peppermint Donuts from Yesterday on Tuesday
Gluten Free Rum Cake from Inspiration for Moms
Caramel Popcorn Chocolate Bark from Clean and Scentsible
Andes Fudge from Eclectic Mom Sense
Chocolate Candies from French Country Cottage
Christmas Parfait from Clever Pink Pirate
Salted Caramels from Frenchie
Cranberry Bliss Bars from Food, Folks and Fun
Peppermint Bark Candy from Live Laugh Rowe
Cinnamon Rolls from Unskinny Boppy
Banana Caramel Crunch Bites from Nibbles By Nic
Apricot Pockets from Redhead Can Decorate
Rocky Road Fudge from Ella Claire
Peppermint Chocolate Fudge from Crazy Little Projects
Triple Chocolate Peanut Clusters from Major Hoff Takes A Wife
Christmas Trifle from Town and Country Living
I.AM.DROOLING.DOWN.MY.FACE.
To see more of my recipes click here, or, check out this yumminess:
 Granny’s Peanut Butter Fudge |  The Secret to Perfect Hot Chocolate(Just three ingredients! | |
 Simple Gingerbread Stars for Santa |  Pecan Pie Trifle |
