Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Pancakes [baked in a sheet pan]

If you love pancakes, then buckle up, because you are going to be heaven with these sourdough cinnamon roll pancakes baked in a sheet pan. Fluffy sourdough pancakes with golden brown, crispy edges with swirls of brown sugar and cinnamon, topped with creamy vanilla frosting.

This is what breakfast dreams are made of! 

These would be the most amazing Christmas morning breakfast, with all the flavors and decadence of sourdough cinnamon rolls, without the fussy preparation! Cinnamon roll sheet pan pancakes made with sourdough starter or sourdough discard make it so easy!

If you love sourdough breakfast recipes, then make sure you check out these sourdough discard pancakes, sourdough discard sheet pan pancakes, no wait sourdough waffles and sourdough English muffins.

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

It's So Easy! - Making sourdough pancakes in a sheet pan makes this recipe super fast! There's no mess, no flipping pancakes and you can do something else while the oven bakes your cinnamon swirl sheet pan pancakes to perfection!

Can Double or Even Triple - This recipe can easily be made in larger batches, which makes it perfect to feed a crowd (you'll even find an easy 2x and 3x button on the recipe card so there's no maths needed)!

No Wait Recipe - This easy recipe is considered a no wait sourdough recipe because there's no waiting for dough to rise or proof (like making sourdough bread). You can mix, bake and enjoy, all within an hour. Winning!

​Sourdough Discard or Sourdough Starter?

One of the most common questions I get asked is whether you should use sourdough starter discard or sourdough starter. Sourdough discard is the unfed portion of sourdough starter that you remove before you feed your starter. Feeding the sourdough starter creates active starter, that is bubbly and full of active wild yeast.

You can use either sourdough discard or active sourdough starter in most sourdough discard recipes. This is because in most cases, sourdough discard isn't actually used as the leavening agent, it's there for flavor and texture, rather than helping the recipe to rise (as is the case for this pancake recipe). You can read more about using sourdough discard in recipes in this article - are sourdough discard recipes really healthy?

You can also read more about the differences between sourdough starter and sourdough discard here.

How To Make Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

I felt inspired to make these sourdough cinnamon roll pancakes because my family absolutely LOVE sourdough cinnamon rolls, but we don't always have the time to make them. Plus, my eldest son is our sourdough pancake aficionado and often makes them for our weekend breakfast.

I took the recipe for our sourdough cinnamon rolls and fluffy sourdough pancakes and melded them together to create this easy sheet pan sourdough cinnamon roll pancakes. I know you're going to love them as much as our whole family do!

I find the pancakes work best when all of the ingredients are at room temperature. I melt the butter in the microwave and then let it cool a little before adding to the ingredients.

Grease a sheet pan with butter or cooking spray and set aside (you'll need to use a pan with sides so the pancake batter doesn't leak everywhere).

Preheat your oven to 220C (430F). I don't use parchment paper in the sheet pan, just grease it really well.

The sheet pan I use is 21cm x 31cm or 8" x 12".

Brown Sugar Swirl

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, melted butter and cinnamon til it's smooth and fairly runny. Pour into a piping bag and set aside until you've made the batter. (You don't have to pipe it, you can just use a spoon and drizzle if you prefer).

Sourdough Pancake Batter

Add all of the pancake batter ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. The pancake batter is quite thick as it makes it easier to bake in a sheet pan. I don't separate the wet ingredients from the dry ingredients in this case, it's fine to just throw it all in a large bowl and whisk it together.

Pour the pancake batter into the prepared sheet pan.

Snip the end of the piping bag filled with brown sugar cinnamon swirl and drizzle the mixture all over the pancake batter. Use a skewer to create a pretty pattern with the brown sugar mixture.

Bake at 220C for 20 minutes or until the pancake batter has baked through. The edges should be golden brown and a little crispy, while the centre will be fluffy and light, just like regular pancakes.

Preparing the Icing

While the sourdough cinnamon roll pancakes are baking, mix together the icing ingredients until smooth and creamy. Set this aside until the pancake batter is cooked.

Once the sheet pan has been removed from the oven and cooled slightly, drizzle with the icing and sprinkle with a little cinnamon. Cut into 6 pieces and serve immediately! If you love pecans, try sprinkling the icing with some chopped pecans (it's heavenly!)

Ingredient Notes

Sourdough Starter - You can use 150g of active starter or sourdough discard in this recipe. Just be careful if you are using discard, make sure it's not too old or sour. Using discard that's a few days old or less is best for this recipe. You can read more about how long sourdough discard lasts here.

Sugar - I've used white sugar (granulated sugar) in the actual pancake mixture. Powdered sugar is used in the icing. All other sugar is brown sugar (as stated in the recipe).

Flour - I've just used regular all purpose flour. You could use some whole wheat flour if you prefer, but you might need to add a little extra milk, just to keep the pancake mix from being too dry.

Buttermilk - I have used buttermilk for this recipe. You can use regular milk if you prefer. Dairy free alternative milks also work fine in this recipe. I love using leftover buttermilk from making my own butter and cultured butter.

Icing - I have created this simple icing to go with these sourdough cinnamon roll sheet pan pancakes. If you prefer something a little more decadent, you could try the vanilla cream cheese frosting from these sourdough cinnamon rolls.

Make-Ahead Option (Overnight Fermentation)

If you'd like to make these pancakes ahead of time, you can ferment the batter overnight. You need to use the following instructions and then finish it off in the morning before you bake them:

1. Add the Sourdough Starter, sugar, buttermilk and flour together in a bowl and mix until well combined. Leave it on the counter overnight (it's perfectly safe to leave the milk overnight, however if you're worried it can go in the fridge for up to 24 hours).
   
2. In the morning, add eggs, baking powder, melted butter, salt and vanilla extract and mix well until it forms a batter.
   
3. The batter made this way will be quite stretchy because of the overnight fermentation of the flour.
   
4. Cook as instructed in the regular recipe above.

How To Store + Freeze

I recommend eating these sourdough cinnamon rolls pancakes baked in a sheet pan as soon as they are baked. They will hold up for a few hours though, if you needed to bake and then transport. They aren't suitable to bake and then eat the next day though. They're always better eaten fresh.

I have frozen these as my eldest son LOVES to eat them for morning snack at school. I slice and ice them and wait for the icing to set a little on top. Then I place each piece into a ziploc bag and freeze for up to 2 months. They thaw just fine at room temperature and are yummy to eat even when cold.

Do You Have To Bake This Pancake Recipe in a Sheet Pan?

You definitely don't have to bake these sourdough cinnamon roll pancakes in a sheet pan if you don't want to. They work really well as individual pancakes too.

What you can do, is cook the pancakes on one side and then before you flip them over, add a swirl of the brown sugar cinnamon mixture. You can add a dollop of icing to each pancake once they're cooked. This method of cooking is definitely more time consuming, but looks very cute if you have the time.

Can You Make Different Flavors of Sourdough Sheet Pan Pancakes?

Absolutely! If you're not a fan of the brown sugar and cinnamon swirl, there are a few other flavor combinations you might like to try!

Chocolate Chips - Instead of adding the brown sugar cinnamon swirl, add 200g of chocolate chips to the pancake mixture. These chocolate chip sourdough sheet pancakes are also good served with or without the icing.

Gingerbread - If you are a lover of gingerbread, add a teaspoon of ground ginger to the brown sugar cinnamon mixture (a pinch of nutmeg is nice too). This brings a warmth to these sourdough sheet pan cinnamon roll pancakes. This recipe variation is lovely during the festive season.

Berry Surprise - if you love all things berry flavored, add 200g of your favorite fresh or frozen berries to the pancake mixture before baking. Top with whipped cream and berry coulis once baked and enjoy this sweet berry treat!

Share the sourdough love!