These sourdough discard iced buns are really easy to make, take very little hands on time and are sure to delight all that try them!

Soft, almost candy floss style rolls dipped in a sweet glaze and then smothered in sprinkles. Seriously, what's not to love?

They're really quick to make too!

Perfect for morning tea - they'll delight people of all ages!

What Are "Iced Buns"?

Iced buns are just as they sound - buns with icing. Sounds simple, right?

Well, they really are.

If you aren't familiar with iced buns - the concept is basically a hot dog shaped, sweet roll covered in a pink or white sugar glaze.

They can be filled with jam and or cream too, but this isn't essential. You can read more about the origins of iced buns here.

Originating in Great Britain, this sweet delight is a popular choice for morning or afternoon tea.

Iced buns are also referred to as finger buns or iced finger buns in some countries. They are a popular choice at many bakeries.

This type of iced buns are different from sourdough cinnamon buns, which are typically filled before they are baked.

Iced Buns are popular around Easter, just like these sourdough hot cross buns.

These deliciously soft and fluffy buns are smothering in a sugar glaze and dipped into sprinkles for a colorful twist!

How To Make Sourdough Discard Iced Buns

These sourdough discard iced buns are super simple to make. They take very little hands on time and can even be a fun baking project to get the kids involved in.

I developed this recipe while testing out sourdough hot dog rolls! Crazy, right? But it works!

How to make sourdough iced buns:

Add warm milk, water, sugar and instant yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix together until the sugar has dissolved and the yeast is foamy.
Now add your sourdough starter, bread flour and salt. Bring the ingredients together to form a shaggy dough.
Now, using the dough hook of your stand mixer, knead the dough for a few minutes until it becomes smoother.
Add the butter and continue to knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. This dough is not a sticky dough and should some together in one big ball.
Remove the dough from your stand mixer, place into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave the dough to rise until it's doubled.
Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto the counter and form into a rough rectangle. Using a dough scraper, cut the dough into portions.
Using a scale, weigh out each piece, adding or removing dough until you get 9 pieces that are 100g each.
Shape each piece of dough into a log and place on a baking sheet. Leave a little gap between them - but you want them to be touching once they've risen.
Bake the rolls until just golden.
Brush with honey butter as soon as they're removed from the oven, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Once they are cool, smother in sweet frosting glaze and sprinkles of your choice.

Sourdough discard iced buns — Brush the puffy dough with milk before placing into the oven.

Ideally this recipe is best suited to a stand mixer (or Thermomix) as it makes kneading the dough a cinch.

If you want to do it by hand you absolutely can. You can follow the instructions in the recipe, but of course just knead the dough by hand.

You need to ensure that the butter is fully worked into the dough before you leave it to rise.

If you love these sourdough iced buns, you might like to make these sourdough pigs in blankets.

How to Shape Sourdough Iced Buns

Shaping these iced buns is quite easy. The dough is enriched with butter and is stretchy and elastic.

It should not be sticky so it's easy to work with.

First decide whether you want to make big or small iced buns. You'll need to weigh out 50g per small bun or 100g per large bun.

Once you've turned the dough out onto the counter, use a dough scraper to portion out the dough. Weigh each piece until it equals your ideal weight.

Take each piece of dough, spread it out on the counter and turn the ends in. Pinch the long sides into the middle until it looks like a sausage. Then roll the dough gently on the counter until it is rounded.

Place the shaped rolls so that there is a little gap between them. Once they've risen they should be touching.

Mini sourdough hot dog rolls proving in a rose gold tin. — These mini buns were made using just 50g of dough per roll instead of 100g. The smaller size is good for younger kids.

Tips For The Best Sourdough Iced Buns

While these rolls are easy to make, there are few things you can do to make sure that you get the best sourdough discard iced buns every single time!

Allowing the dough to double is paramount to getting that beautiful fluffy texture to the buns. Allow the dough to double on the first rise and then make sure the buns get nice and puffy after the second rise.

When you place them on the baking tray, allow a little room between each, but you want them to be touching when they have puffed up. This helps them to maintain their shape when baked.

Brush the buns with milk before you bake them to give them a nice, even color when baked.

Don't over bake the buns, you want them just baked so that the crust doesn't get too dark or crusty.

Brushing them with honey butter as soon as they are removed from the oven is important to give them that soft, squishy hot dog bun texture.

These sourdough iced buns were coated in a vanilla glaze and dipped in choc sprinkles - the one without the sprinkles is for my son ... who doesn't like choc sprinkles! They look a little wonky because I had my kids help with decorating them.

Vegan Sourdough Iced Buns

If you wish to make these sourdough iced buns vegan, you can easily make ingredient swaps for this.

Here's how to make these iced buns vegan:

Swap the milk for any plant based milk you like. Soy or oat works well. Coconut is a lovely choice for these buns as well.

Use vegan butter in the dough - you can use the same 30g amount.

Brush the buns with vegan butter and maple syurp (instead of honey) once they're cooked to keep them soft.

Alternatives For Sourdough Iced Buns

If you want to do something a little different with these iced buns ... why not try these ideas!

Dip the buns in vanilla frosting and chocolate sprinkles (just use vanilla extract instead of raspberry jam for the glaze).

Shape the buns into 50g buns (so half the regular size). Sprinkle the warm, honey buttered buns in cinnamon sugar and then inject them with raspberry filling (see the photo below). Easy peasy sourdough jam donuts! You could also try these baked sourdough donuts.

Dip the buns in vanilla sugar and then split open and fill with jam and cream (these are addictive ... don't say I didn't warn you).

Can You Freeze Sourdough Iced Buns?

You absolutely can!

You can even freeze them once they're iced. I find that because of the icing, it's best to place them into a large plastic container that allows enough room so the lid doesn't touch the icing.

Once the rolls are inside the container, place it into the freezer and allow the buns to freeze through. Once they're frozen, you can transfer to a zip loc bag as the icing won't be disturbed/

The rolls will last in the freezer for around 6 months (they will be fine after this, but the texture may deteriorate).

When you want to use them, leave them at room temp to defrost. If you've put them into a zip loc bag, you'll want to arrange them so the icing will not be smeared once they're defrosted.

Want More Recipes?

If you love this recipe, you might like to try these ideas:

Prefer donuts? Why not try these baked sourdough donuts.
These quick sourdough hamburger buns are perfect for grilling season. You'll never have to buy buns again!