Easy Sourdough Discard Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

These easy sourdough discard apple pie cinnamon rolls are a must try! The whole family will love them.

In the Midwest, when the cool air starts creeping in toward the end of August, that means the fall season is just around the corner. With summer slipping away, beach days and splash pad trips are coming to an end and are slowly being replaced with hayrides, apple orchards, and pumpkin patches. In our household, we love a cozy fall morning with a delicious comfort breakfast food. Sourdough discard cinnamon rolls have been a go-to for a while, but I wanted to create a recipe that was just a little more “autumn” and in season. This recipe also makes the perfect breakfast on Christmas morning or other special occasions. 

My goal was a recipe that makes delicious, soft and fluffy sourdough cinnamon rolls - using discard. But also incorporating the Homemade Apple Pie Filling we had water bath canned the year prior. And the result was just that, a delicious Sourdough Discard Apple Pie Cinnamon Roll recipe to welcome in the cooler weather. This cinnamon roll dough is the perfect combination of moist and buttery. The best part - the whole process is extremely quick (under 15 minutes plus bake time) since the cinnamon sugar mixture is part of the already made apple pie filling!  

Why Sourdough?

One big reason sourdough seems to be growing in popularity is due to the nutritional benefits. Using basic ingredients, sourdough makes one of the healthiest breads. Sourdough bread has a lower glycemic index than whole wheat bread or white bread, and the baked goods typically contain less gluten than regular yeast breads. Sourdough is a fermented bread. Fermented bread is great for an anti-inflammatory diet, can improve gut health, and contains higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Sourdough starter discard recipes typically take no more time or effort than other similar recipes (recipes that do not contain the sourdough discard ingredient). We all know that most store-bought pancakes contain preservatives and have almost a rubbery sort of texture, so definitely not the good stuff containing natural ingredients.

Maintaining a Sourdough Starter

I had dabbled in the world of sourdough over the years, but never fully jumped in until a client of mine had gifted me a sourdough starter. It is easiest to get started with sourdough by using an already established starter, however, it is possible to create a starter from scratch as well.

A sourdough starter takes a little bit of maintenance - feeding and discarding daily. Typically, it is a 1:1:1 ratio of an established starter, all purpose flour (unbleached) and distilled water. The consistency should be that of pancake batter, so sometimes less water is appropriate. 

For a sourdough beginner, I highly recommend starting with sourdough discard recipes, such as this one. Baking with leftover sourdough discard is a great way to keep any of the extra sourdough starter from going to waste. In my opinion, the sourdough starter discard recipes are much easier to follow than recipes calling for active starter.  Recipes calling for active sourdough starter typically require multiple steps to ensure sufficient rising and proofing, which complicates the process and can be overwhelming for a beginner. Most discard recipes, on the other hand, do not. Also, to utilize active starter you have to catch the starter when it is in fact active. This can be intimidating to someone new to sourdough or in the beginning, so getting the hang of daily feeding and utilizing the discard in recipes can be a great place to get started. 

For more detailed info on maintaining a sourdough starter, check out this very detailed post here written by Farmhouse on Boone.

Another delicious recipe, perfect for fall, is my sourdough discard pumpkin muffin recipe — check it out here! 

Ingredients for Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Recipe

Dough Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups Flour
• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Sourdough Starter (discard or active)
• ¾ cup Butter 
• 1 Egg
• ½ cup Milk (or butter milk or heavy cream)

Apple Pie Filling Ingredients

• 1 Quart Jar of Canned Apple Pie Filling (or 32oz of store bought apple pie filling)
• 4 tablespoons of Brown Sugar

Cream Cheese Drizzle Glaze Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons Cream Cheese (softened)
• 2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk (or butter milk)
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla

Equipment

• 1 9x13 Baking Dish
• Cheese Grater
• 1 Large Mixing Bowl
• Rolling Pin
• Stand Mixer or Immersion Blender
• Sharp Cutting Knife or Unflavored Dental Floss

Sourdough Discard Apple Pie Cinnamon Roll Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and grease the baking dish. 

Prepare the Dough

• Combine the dry dough ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder) in a large bowl and mix well.
• Grate the butter (using a cheese grater) and mix into the dry ingredients. [note - cold butter is easiest to grate]
• Add the sourdough discard (or starter), egg, and milk to the dry ingredient mixture and combine. Stir well. The dough will be shaggy. 
• Lightly flour the counter and fold dough into itself until all flour is combined.
• Roll the dough into a rectangle and trifold it into itself 3-4 times. Flaky layers should form. 
• Add flour to the work surface and roll the dough out into a 12x18 inch rectangle. 

Add the Filling & Form the Rolls

• Spread the homemade apple pie filling evenly across the dough with a spatula. 
• Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly across the pie filling.
• Roll the long edge tightly forward, pinching the seam together along the long edge to help hold the filling inside. (the apple filling is messy)
• Use a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss to cut the rolled dough into 12 equal pieces. 
• Evenly space the assembled rolls in the greased baking dish and place the baking dish in the preheated oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• Bake for 24-27 minutes, until the tops are just starting to turn golden brown. 

Prepare the Cream Cheese Drizzle Glaze

• In a bowl of a stand mixer (or small bowl with immersion blender) combine the ingredients (softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract.)
• Mix well until smooth with a stand mixer or immersion blender.

Once the rolls are done, add the cream cheese drizzle glaze to the rolls. This is the best cream cheese frosting! 

Let cool just enough so that the glaze will set, and enjoy!

Hint #1: For this cinnamon roll recipe there is a make-ahead option for the dough! Simply assemble the dough the night before, cover with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge until you’re ready to add the apple pie filling, assemble, and bake them the next morning! 

Hint #2 - A cast iron skillet can be used instead of a 9x13 baking dish. Just preheat the skillet in the stove, add 2 tablespoons of butter, and add the rolls for baking. 

Storage

Store in the refrigerator and reheat the next day or following morning! Be sure to store in an air tight container, or cover the baking dish with aluminum foil to keep fresh for up to 5 days. 

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