Recipe: Mandy’s Cinnamon Rolls
- Mandy Crow
- Sep 8
- 3 min read
This recipe takes a little time and effort but it’s all worth it in the end!
My mom has made bread from a sourdough starter passed down to her for years. For a long time, I resisted every time she offered to give me some starter … and then the COVID pandemic happened.
Needing something to do, I, like a lot of people across the country, became a sourdough bread maker during the pandemic. But, being me, I soon had to try as many sourdough discard recipes as possible.
Sourdough pancakes? Actually pretty good.
The sourdough pizza dough I made? Not great.
But the sourdough creation I’m known for is sweet and simple: cinnamon rolls.
I use my sourdough discard and bread recipe to create the dough, cover it with a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon and butter, pour a little cream over the rolls just before I bake them and top them with a simple glaze. It’s a lot of steps, but, I promise, it’s also not that hard!
Sourdough Starter Ingredients
¾ cups sugar
3 tablespoons instant potato flakes
1 cup warm water
½ teaspoon dry yeast
Sourdough Starter Directions
Mix together all ingredients, then let stand out of the refrigerator for 2-3 days loosely covered until it ferments.
Feed the starter each week with ¾ cups sugar, 3 tablespoons potato flakes, 1 cup warm water and 1 cup flour.
Feed the starter in the morning of the day before you want to make bread and let it sit out on the counter all day.
In the evening, remove about 1 cup of starter and place the rest in a covered container in the refrigerator.
TO MAKE BREAD DOUGH
To the 1 cup of starter you removed, add:
½ cup sugar
½ cup oil (vegetable, canola or avocado)
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ to 2 cups of warm water
6 cups flour
Mix ingredients well in a large bowl. Place in a well-greased 9x13 pan and turn dough enough to coat. Cover with parchment or wax paper and let stand overnight.
On the second day, divide the dough into two parts and knead each half on a well-floured surface for 1-2 minutes.
Roll dough out into a large rectangle, cutting to make the edges clean.
Top with cinnamon roll filling (recipe below).
Roll up the cinnamon rolls from the long side, pinching the dough to seal it on the long edge.
Cut the log into about 12-13 cinnamon rolls.
Place in a greased 9x13 pan to rise.
Repeat with the second half of the dough.
Let rolls rise until ready to bake. Rising can depend on a number of factors, including the temperature of your kitchen, but they’re usually ready to bake after about 6-7 hours of rising.
Before baking, pour a little bit of heavy cream (1/3 -1/2 cup) over and between the rolls in the baking dish. This helps the roll stay moist and soft rather than dry or hard. You don't want to drown them in cream, though!
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Top with glaze while warm. (Recipe follows)
Enjoy, preferably with a cup of good coffee and a friend or two.
Cinnamon Roll Filling Ingredients
10 tablespoons butter, softened (NOT MELTED)
1 ¼ cups brown sugar, packed
3-4 tablespoons cinnamon
Cinnamon Roll Filling Directions
Cream all ingredients together until smooth. You can use more or less butter depending on your preferences.
Cinnamon Roll Glaze Ingredients
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
A pinch of cinnamon
4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream (or more to get the consistency you desire)
Cinnamon Roll Glaze Directions
Whisk together powdered sugar and melted butter, adding milk by the tablespoon until the glaze achieves your desired consistency. You want it to be pourable, but thick enough to spread.
Stir in vanilla and cinnamon.
Comments