Content from Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Introduction

Last updated on 2024-10-01 | Edit this page

Estimated time: 12 minutes

Overview

Questions

  • Why should you make sourdough cinnamon rolls?

Objectives

  • Describe the overall appeal of sourdough cinnamon rolls
  • Understand if this is the right recipe for you

We will be describing Little Spoon Farm’s delicious sourdough cinnamon roll recipe. The sourdough imparts a slightly tangy, fruity quality that complements the cinnamon flavor of the rolls. However, it does take slightly more work and time than a standard cinnamon roll recipe that uses dry yeast. Additionally, you’ll need to have some sourdough starter already going; alternatively, you can pester a friend for some of theirs, or make your own.

A bunch of baked cinnamon rolls in a baking tray.

Content from Cinnamon Roll Ingredients

Last updated on 2024-10-01 | Edit this page

Estimated time: 12 minutes

Overview

Questions

  • What are the ingredients needed for the cinnamon rolls?

Objectives

  • Be able to put together your shopping list
  • Convert between metric and imperial units, if necessary
  • Double the recipe if you’re really hungry

Ingredients

There are 3 main components to this recipe: the main ingredients for the dough, the ingredients for the cinnamon-sugar filling, and the ingredients for the glaze.

Dough Ingredients

R 

main_ingredients <- tribble(
  ~ingredient, ~amount_imperial, ~amount_grams,
  "butter (cold)", "8 tablespoons", 113,
  "all-purpose flour", "2 ½ cups", 300,
  "sourdough starter discard", "⅓ cup", 100,
  "buttermilk", "1 cup", 240,
  "honey or granulated sugar", "1 tbsp + 1 tsp", 25,
  "fine sea salt", "¾ teaspoon", 4,
  "baking powder", "1 tsp", NA,
  "baking soda", "½ cup", NA)

main_ingredients %>% 
  kableExtra::kable(align = "r")
ingredient amount_imperial amount_grams
butter (cold) 8 tablespoons 113
all-purpose flour 2 ½ cups 300
sourdough starter discard ⅓ cup 100
buttermilk 1 cup 240
honey or granulated sugar 1 tbsp + 1 tsp 25
fine sea salt ¾ teaspoon 4
baking powder 1 tsp NA
baking soda ½ cup NA

Callout

Recipe modifications:

You can use active sourdough starter instead of discard, if you so choose. There will be a slight modification to the recipe if that is the case.

In warmer climates, you may want to reduce the amount of buttermilk and/or increase the amount of flour to produce a less sticky, more manageable dough. You may have to experiment a bit.

Cinnamon-sugar filling

R 

filling_ingredients <- tribble(
  ~ingredient, ~amount_imperial, ~amount_grams,
  "light brown sugar", "¾ cup", 150,
  "ground cinnamon", "2 teaspoons", NA,
  "butter (melted)", "4 tablespoons", 56)

filling_ingredients %>% 
  kableExtra::kable(align = "r")
ingredient amount_imperial amount_grams
light brown sugar ¾ cup 150
ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons NA
butter (melted) 4 tablespoons 56

Glaze

R 

glaze_ingredients <- tribble(
  ~ingredient, ~amount_imperial, ~amount_grams,
  "powdered sugar", "1 cup", 120,
  "butter (melted)", "1 tablespoon", 14,
  "vanilla extract", "1 teaspoon", 5,
  "milk", "2 tablespoons", 30)

glaze_ingredients %>% 
  kableExtra::kable(align = "r")
ingredient amount_imperial amount_grams
powdered sugar 1 cup 120
butter (melted) 1 tablespoon 14
vanilla extract 1 teaspoon 5
milk 2 tablespoons 30

It’s worth emphasizing to your learners that there are many valid ways of accomplishing this task in R, whether using a tidyverse or base R approach.

Challenge

Add a column to main_ingredients that has the amount in ounces (weight, not fluid oz).

R 

main_ingredients <- main_ingredients %>% 
  mutate(amount_oz = amount_grams * 0.035274)

main_ingredients

OUTPUT 

# A tibble: 8 × 4
  ingredient                amount_imperial amount_grams amount_oz
  <chr>                     <chr>                  <dbl>     <dbl>
1 butter (cold)             8 tablespoons            113     3.99
2 all-purpose flour         2 ½ cups                 300    10.6
3 sourdough starter discard ⅓ cup                    100     3.53
4 buttermilk                1 cup                    240     8.47
5 honey or granulated sugar 1 tbsp + 1 tsp            25     0.882
6 fine sea salt             ¾ teaspoon                 4     0.141
7 baking powder             1 tsp                     NA    NA
8 baking soda               ½ cup                     NA    NA

Content from Baking Instructions

Last updated on 2024-10-01 | Edit this page

Estimated time: 12 minutes

Overview

Questions

  • How do you prepare the sourdough cinnamon rolls?

Objectives

  • Be able to produce a batch of delicious cinnamon rolls
  • Understand how to adjust proofing time

The Night Before

Mix the dough:

  • Use a box grater to shred the cold butter into a large mixing bowl.
  • Add the flour to the bowl and use a fork, bench scraper, or pastry cutter (if you have one) to cut the butter into the flour.
  • Add the sourdough starter discard, buttermilk, honey and salt.
  • Use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix until the ingredients are well incorporated.
  • Cover the bowl and let it rest for 10-12 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen (more time for cooler kitchens, less time for warmer ones).

The Next Morning

Make cinnamon sugar filling and glaze:

  • Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
  • In a separate bowl, mix the glaze ingredients.
  • Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and butter a 12” cast iron skillet or deep baking container (glass or enamel will work just fine).

Add leavening agents to dough:

If using active sourdough starter, skip this step.

  • Use a fork to mix the baking powder and baking soda in a small bowl until they are evenly mixed with no clumps.
  • Sprinkle the mixture evenly on top of the dough and use your hands to mix it in, distributing it evenly throughout the dough.

Roll out the dough:

  • Flour your work surface generously and tip the dough out of the bowl onto it.
  • Sprinkle flour across the top of the dough.
  • Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a roughly 12” x 24” (30cm x 61cm) rectangle, which should be about 1/4” (0.5cm) thick.

Cut out rolls:

  • Use a pastry brush to coat the top of the dough with melted butter. If you don’t have a pastry brush, you can drizzle it and use a finger to spread it somewhat evenly.
  • Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the surface of the rolls so that it sticks to the melted butter, leaving a half inch (1cm) bare along the edges.
  • Starting on one of the long sides of the rectangle, roll the dough into a log shape, so the log is about 24” (61cm) long
  • Use the bench scraper or a knife to cut the log into 12 pieces, approximately 2 inches (5cm) long.
  • Arrange the pieces in the baking vessel so the “swirls” are upright, leaving space in between each piece so they can expand while baking.

Bake:

  • Bake the cinnamon rolls for 35-40 minutes or until the tops show a nice golden-brown color.
  • Remove from the oven and drizzle glaze over the rolls while they are still hot.

A bunch of cinnamon rolls in a baking tray in an oven. A batch of cinnamon rolls partway through baking, wafting a very tempting aroma throughout the kitchen.