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These sourdough discard cinnamon rolls are soft, buttery and filled with delicious cinnamon sugar swirls, then topped with a thick layer of vanilla cream cheese frosting. The best part? You can make them with sourdough discard and have them baked and ready to enjoy in under an hour, with absolutely no rising or proofing time! All the cinnamon roll goodness, none of the waiting.
Unlike my traditional sourdough cinnamon rolls, which require a long fermentation and proofing time, these quick sourdough cinnamon rolls use baking powder and baking soda to rise in the oven. That means there’s no waiting around for your dough to double, no overnight fermentation and no need to plan ahead. Because sometimes you want homemade sourdough cinnamon rolls, and you want them NOW.
Why you’ll love this recipe!
No Wait Time – seriously, you can have these quick and easy sourdough cinnamon rolls baked in under an hour! So you’re good to go whenever those cinnamon roll cravings hit!
Soft & Fluffy – while these sourdough cinnamon rolls don’t use yeast for their rise, you’re still guaranteed a deliciously soft and fluffy cinnamon roll, filled with decadent cinnamon filling.
Use 150 g of Sourdough Discard – you can use a good amount of sourdough discard to create these no wait sourdough cinnamon rolls (of course, like any sourdough discard recipe, you can also use active starter too).
Table of Contents
So light n fluffy!! Absolutely delish!
My husband loves cinnamon rolls n so far these are his favorite.
Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour – You don’t need to use bread flour for this recipe as the dough isn’t going to be worked and strengthened.
- Sugar – You’ll need granulated sugar for the dough and then some dark brown sugar for the cinnamon filling, as well as powdered sugar for the frosting.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda
- Salt
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have any buttermilk, you can add a little white vinegar to the same amount of milk. Allow it to thicken slightly before using.
- Sourdough Discard – You can use either active sourdough starter or sourdough discard in this recipe. Because the dough doesn’t rely on sourdough fermentation to rise, there’s no need to feed your starter before making these cinnamon rolls. Sourdough discard straight from the fridge works perfectly.
- Butter – as always, I’ve used salted butter for the dough, the filling and the frosting, but you can use unsalted butter if you prefer.
- Egg
- Ground Cinnamon
- Cream Cheese
- Vanilla Extract
How To Make No Wait Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls
I make these sourdough discard cinnamon rolls in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet lined with parchment paper, but they also work in a baking dish (I use an 8 x 12-inch baking dish). I find this makes clean up so much easier, which also adds to the convenience of this recipe.
Have your oven ready before mixing. Because this recipe uses baking powder and baking soda, you don’t need to leave the dough sitting around. Preheat your oven first so you can get the rolls straight into the oven once they’re shaped.
You’ll start by whisking together the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl, followed by the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. The wet ingredients should be smooth and free of lumps. To make the dough, you’ll need to pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, bringing it together into a dough with a spatula.
The dough will be sticky, much like sourdough biscuit dough. Unlike traditional sourdough, you don’t need to knead this dough to develop gluten strength. Overworking the dough can make the cinnamon rolls tough rather than tender.
Turn the sticky dough out on to a floured counter top, lightly dusting the top of the dough with flour as well. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rectangle measuring approximately 25cm x 35cm (10″ x 14″). We aren’t looking for perfection here, so if it’s not perfectly rolled out this is totally fine.
Spread the dough with butter and then sprinkle with the dark brown sugar and cinnamon.
Kate’s Pro Tip
Don’t Add Too Much Flour
Try not to add too much extra flour when rolling out your dough. Use just enough to stop it sticking to your work surface. The more flour you add, the drier your cinnamon rolls will be. A slightly sticky dough is a good thing here! It helps create soft, tender cinnamon rolls rather than dry, dense ones.
Roll into a log and cut into individual rolls, placing them into a your round cast-iron skillet. Bake the sourdough discard cinnamon rolls until they’re just starting to turn golden brown on top.
Once the sourdough discard cinnamon rolls are baked through, remove them from the oven. Don’t let them get too brown as over baked rolls will tend to be dry. Let the cinnamon rolls cool for a few minutes before spreading over the cream cheese frosting. The warmth will soften the frosting just enough to settle into those beautiful cinnamon swirls.
I made these No Wait Cinnamon Rolls about 2 weeks ago. They were delicious!!! I gave some to a friend and to my son and his family and my daughter. So easy and quick. They are a cross between a biscuit and a roll, I don’t want a cinnamon biscuit and these were more of a roll without the long rise time. Thanks for sharing this recipe!!!
Want To Make These In Advance?
If you do want to make these in advance you can definitely do this. For example, you could have them prepped and in the fridge Christmas Eve, ready to bake on Christmas morning. Once you’ve shaped the rolls and placed them into your cast-iron skillet or baking dish, cover with aluminum foil and place into the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking as per the recipe instructions.
How To Store + Freeze
These no wait sourdough cinnamon rolls are best eaten the day they are baked, however leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I find if you’re eating the rolls on the second or third day, it’s best to warm them just slightly in the microwave before serving.
I don’t recommend freezing this recipe. If you want to make sourdough cinnamon rolls and freeze them, I recommend making these traditional sourdough cinnamon rolls.
If you love baking with sourdough discard and cinnamon then make sure you check out these sourdough apple cinnamon muffins, sourdough discard snickerdoodle cookies or this sourdough cinnamon ripple quick bread. They are all no wait sourdough recipes!
Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
No Wait Dough
- 350 g All-purpose Flour
- 50 g Granulated Sugar
- 15 g Baking Powder
- 3 g Baking Soda
- 5 g Salt
- 130 g Buttermilk, (see notes for alternatives)
- 150 g Sourdough Discard
- 70 g Butter, (melted, cooled)
- 1 Egg
Filling
- 50 g Butter, (soft)
- 100 g Dark Brown Sugar
- 8 g Ground Cinnamon
Frosting
- 100 g Cream Cheese, (block, not a spreadable tub)
- 30 g Butter, (soft)
- 80 g Powdered Sugar
- 5 g Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheating the oven to 200ºC (390ºF). Line a cast iron skillet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set this aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sourdough starter, melted butter and egg. It should should be well combined and have minimal lumps.
- Now, pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and bring together using a spatula. The dough won't be like the sourdough you're used to, this is quite a sticky dough (it's sort of like biscuit dough).
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly dust some flour over the top and gently use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a rectangle (approximately 25cm x 35cm or 10" x 14". Try not to add too much flour here – a stickier dough leads to fluffier rolls.
- Once the dough is rolled out, spread the softened butter from the filling ingredients all over the rectangle of dough, leaving a 1 inch strip on one of the long sides of the dough. Then sprinkle the dark brown sugar and cinnamon all over the butter you just spread out.
- Carefully roll the dough into a log, starting from the long edge opposite the one where you left a gap without filling. If the dough is a little sticky, use a metal dough scraper to gently lift it as you roll.
- Once you've rolled the dough into a log, cut it in half. Cut each half in half again to make 4 equal pieces, then cut each piece in half once more. You'll end up with 8 cinnamon rolls. Place the sourdough discard cinnamon rolls into the cast iron pan you prepared earlier. I place one at the centre and the other 7 around the outside.
- Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes at 200ºC (390ºF) or until just starting to brown on top.
- While the no wait sourdough cinnamon rolls are baking, add the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until light and fluffy. Set aside until the rolls are baked through.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before smothering in the vanilla cream cheese frosting.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Rate and comment below!
I would like to try these but i dont have a cast iron skillet. I do have a cast iron Dutch oven, can i use that? Or what other pan would you suggest? Why cast iron skillet?
You don’t have to use a cast iron skillet if you don’t want to, I just found that this was an easy way to bake them. You could use a cookie sheet or even use a casserole dish, like you would for a cobbler or crisp. I generally just use what I have on hand in my kitchen at the time, hence the cast iron skillet 🙂
OMG, these were so easy and tasted amazing! I love cinnamon rolls and to have a no wait version is a bonus. They didn’t last long! Thank you
Made these today and they were delicious. Very easy recipe to follow and quick which was great. Hubby had his with some whipped cream and I had mine warm with custard.
Oh so fast and yummy!
Can these be frozen and baked later?
They are more of a “quick” recipe, so best suited to mixing a baking straight away. The baking powder works best this way 🙂
I just made these and they were absolutely phenomenal! Great recipe and super easy! Thank you!
Can I use a non-cast iron skillet for these rolls? And if so does the baking time/temp change?
Wow! I was skeptical. This recipe is wonderful and the dough wasn’t impossible to work with. Thank you!
10/10 will bake again. First time sourdough baker, this was a labor of love. I think I’m hooked.
I made these because I missed the window for the rolls that take all day…. I was desperate, but these did not disappoint!!! Family is happy and they were so fast!!! Especially loved that they didn’t need yeast.
Hi!!! Could I use almond milk to make these??
You can. Follow the directions in the Notes section to make a buttermilk with the almond milk. 🙂
I could not figure out how to roll them whatsoever. It was too sticky and too liquidy. So instead, I made cinnamon flop. The flavor is absolutely amazing! This is only my second recipe!! Hopefully next time I’ll be able to figure out how to roll it lol
A quick and easy recipe to put together, with AMAZING results! My kids love them!!
We love to hear that! Thanks for your review, Amber!
Hi, what would be the best egg substitute that wouldn’t change the taste for this recipe? I made them with an egg and they were wonderful, but my sister cannot have eggs. Thank you!
I’m sorry I haven’t tried them without eggs 🙂
Made this morning- turned out great – declicious
Made them this morning for breakfast. Delicious! Hubby loved them. Will make these many times over. Yum!
So light n fluffy!! Absolutely delish!
My husband loves cinnamon rolls n so far these are his favorite 😍😍
These cinnamon scrolls had my friends begging for more. So easy to make. They were perfect served warm almost straight from the oven.
I made these No Wait Cinnamon Rolls about 2 weeks ago. They were delicious!!! I gave some to a friend and to my son and his family and my daughter. So easy and quick. They are a cross between a biscuit and a roll, I don’t want a cinnamon biscuit and these were more of a roll without the long rise time. I’m making them for my mahjong group in the morning.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!!!
Could I substitute plain Greek yogurt for the buttermilk?
Yes you can do that if you like, but just remember that Greek yogurt is much thicker than buttermilk, so I’d thin it out a little with some milk first 🙂
Should I omit baking soda and baking powder if using active, bubbly starter?
No – these are quick cinnamon rolls that don’t actually use the yeast in your starter to rise. If you’re looking for a recipe that uses active sourdough starter for rising, then you should try these sourdough cinnamon rolls 🙂