Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls for Two

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I’ve realized that one of the things that I really struggle with is baking less.  It’s one of my real life worries. (See my small batch of sourdough and the paragraphs of complaints about the state of my freezer).  That, and political upheaval; the state of my career; whether or not I’ll survive winter in Chicago and if Covid will ever end. 

But other than that I’m mostly concerned with baking. 

Specifically baking cinnamon rolls.  I have a favorite recipe from Peter Reinhart’s book, which my Mum gave me years ago and I still adore, but it makes about 500 cinnamon rolls.  Kidding it makes 12.  But still!  Normally I’d just reduce the recipe and call it a day, but unfortunately it’s one of those ‘one-egg-only’ recipes. I don’t know about you all but I’m really not into making recipes with 1/3rd of an egg.  

Originally I had planned to just work on adapting that recipe and figuring out a non-obnoxious way to use 1/3rd of an egg, but then I got a bit carried away.  I realized this could be an excellent opportunity to include some sourdough discard in my baking!  (Including discard in my baking is an ongoing quest that anyone who bakes sourdough bread is probably familiar with.)

My first batch were really quite terrible (Loml ate a whole one but even he agreed they weren’t exactly good…).  But, after having cinnamon rolls for breakfast multiple days in a row, I have settled on a recipe that I love! It’s just a little bit sour, incredibly fluffy, and makes just four cinnamon rolls. Which in our house is two servings…)

How to make these cinnamon rolls

I’m very much a cinnamon roll for breakfast kind of person, so I’ve laid out the time table for this recipe such that you knead and shape the rolls in the evening and then bake them the next morning.  But, you could also do this all in one day instead if you prefer.

Day 1

To begin with you combine your sugar and butter (or oil).  Then you add in an egg yolk and the starter and beat it until it’s nice and smooth.  Finally dump in some yeast, salt, flour and milk and beat it in your standing mixer for a good five minutes to help develop the gluten.

Once the dough is ready you transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl and let it rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  You want it to be showing a couple air bubbles on top but it won’t look super active.

Now you get to shape the rolls!  Roll the dough out into a rectangle that’s about 9” by 7” and smear on the softened butter.  Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over top and press gently to get it to stick to the butter.

Next you roll the dough starting with the short end and rolling it reasonably tightly.  You should end up with a log that’s about 7 inches long.  You can now use either a sharp knife to cut the log into 4 pieces or dental floss.  I realize it may sound weird to floss your rolls but trust me on this one – it works so well.  Simply cut a piece of floss about 8 inches long and slide it under the roll.  Cross the floss over top of the roll, so that you have it wrapped around the roll where you want to cut, and then pull tight so that the floss cuts through the dough.  

Once you have your four rolls nestle them together in a small baking dish, I used a 6 inch cake pan but a loaf pan would work as well, and cover them with cling film or a lid.  Let them sit at room temperature for 40 minutes before refrigerating over night.

If you’d rather make them in one day just let them sit at room temperature for an hour to an hour and a half or until the dough has just about doubled in size. And then continue with the baking instructions below.

Day 2

The next morning you want to take them out of the fridge as early as you can, ideally at least an hour before you bake them.  I put them in my oven with the light on (and then often go back to bed for an hour).  Once they look slightly puffy pull them out of the oven and then preheat the oven to 350. 

Bake the rolls for half an hour until golden brown and either eat as is or top with a quick icing sugar glaze.

Of course having spent all this time developing a smaller recipe I got really sad around 4 pm when I realized we’d finished all the rolls at breakfast and there weren’t any left for an afternoon snacket. Ah well that’s how it goes I guess.

Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls for Two

A small batch cinnamon roll recipe which uses sourdough discard to lend some great flavor! This is an overnight recipe which you prep in the evening and bake in the morning

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Resting Time (Overnight) 12 hours hrs

Total Time 13 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

• 30 g sugar
• 30 g butter or flavorless oil
• 1 egg yolk
• 30 g Sourdough discard
• 160 g All purpose flour
• 80 g milk
• 3/4 tsp Active dry yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt

Cinnamon Filling

• 1 1/2 tbsp softened butter (or 25 grams)
• 25 g brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Optional Glaze

• 1/3 cup icing sugar
• 1-3 tbsp cream or milk
• pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

 

Day 1

• Start by creaming together the butter (or oil) and sugar in a standing mixer with the paddle attachment.
• Add in the egg yolk and starter and keep mixing until fully combined.
• Add the rest of the dough ingredients and mix to combine. At this point we're looking to develop the gluten in the dough so you'll want to mix it on medium low for a good 5 minutes. The dough should feel smooth, soft and slightly tacky. If it's sticky then add more flour a tablespoon at a time until it's no longer sticking to your hands when you try to handle it. At this point transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl and cover it. Let it rise for 1:30 – 2 hours.
• Once the dough is ready it should have risen a bit and be about one and a half times as big. You should also see a few little air bubbles on the surface of the dough. At this point dump the dough out onto a floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle that's about 6" by 9" and 1/4 inch thick.
• Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon and cut the butter into small pieces.
• Spread the butter over the dough and sprinkle over the sugar. Press the sugar in lightly to help it stick and then start from the short end of the dough and roll it up.
• Slice the dough into 4, 1.5 inch thick, pieces then place them on a lined baking tray. You can use a cake pan if you prefer, just make sure the rolls have plenty of space to expand. Cover the rolls and let them rest at room temperature for half an hour before putting them in the fridge overnight.

Day 2

• Take the rolls out of the fridge and let them rise at room temperature until they've doubled in size (compared to their size after putting them on the tray the night before) and are visibly puffy. This will take an hour or two depending on how cold your kitchen is. You can put them in the oven with the light on or set them near a radiator to help this process along if your kitchen is cold.
• Preheat your oven to 375 and then bake the rolls for 25-35 minutes. They're ready when the tops are golden brown and the middle bounces back when you press on the rolls. Serve warm as is or with a quick glaze (see the notes for a recipe).

Notes

Quick glaze:

If you’re feeling ambitious make a cream cheese icing and embrace the cinnamon and cream cheese combo.  If you’re half asleep and really not down for breaking out an electric mixer (I feel you) just dump 1/3 of a cup of icing sugar into a bowl with a pinch of salt.  Stir in enough cream or milk to form a thick paste, it won’t take much liquid so add it a tsp at a time, and add a splash of vanilla if you’re feeling fancy.

Keyword Bread, Small Batch, Sourdough