Sourdough Discard Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
These sourdough discard eggnog cinnamon rolls are soft, fluffy, and topped with a creamy eggnog glaze that tastes like Christmas morning. The discard makes the dough extra tender, and you can prep them the night before so all you have to do is bake and enjoy. The first time I made them, the whole pan was gone before I could sit down with my coffee. They’re about to become your new holiday tradition!
I love making red velvet cinnamon rolls too for a twist on the classic!
We are an eggnog loving family! As soon as eggnog is in the grocery store, we have it in the fridge. My kids ACTUALLY drink it, but I also use it to make eggnog pie every Thanksgiving and I make eggnog snickerdoodles every Christmas. So it was only natural that I make a recipe for eggnog cinnamon buns, and I used my sourdough discard!
Every December during the holidays, my fridge ends up with a half-finished carton of eggnog and a jar of sourdough discard that’s growing faster than I can use it.
One year I decided to put them together, and these rolls were born. Usually I make sourdough discard cinnamon rolls, but since I had so much eggnog in my fridge, I decided to try something new! My kids now ask for them every Christmas Eve, and I’ve made them more times than I can count since then, tweaking the amount of eggnog and spice until I got them just right.
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love These Sourdough Discard Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
- What Does Sourdough Discard Do in Cinnamon Rolls?
- Ingredients to Gather
- Substitutions and Variations
- Step by Step Instructions
- Tips for the Best Sourdough Discard Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
- Make Ahead Overnight Instructions
- How to Store Sourdough Discard Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
- How to Freeze Them
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Eggnog Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
Why You’ll Love These Sourdough Discard Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
- Uses up your sourdough discard that we know is taking up valuable space in your fridge in the most delicious way possible!
- Ready the same day. A little instant yeast means no overnight waiting. It's way faster than regular sourdough cinnamon rolls or my sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls, though those are delicious too!
- Soft and pillowy thanks to the rich, enriched dough.
- Perfect for Christmas morning and easy to make ahead the night before.
- Freezer friendly, so you can bake a batch now and enjoy them all season long. They freeze perfectly!
What Does Sourdough Discard Do in Cinnamon Rolls?
Sourdough discard is the portion of starter you’d normally toss before feeding. It isn’t active enough to rise dough on its own, so in this recipe the yeast does the lifting while the discard adds a subtle tang, extra tenderness, and a bakery style depth of flavor.
That little bit of tang balances out the sweet eggnog and icing beautifully. I’ve tested this recipe with discard that was a few days old and discard that was over a week old, and both worked great. Older discard will just give you a slightly tangier roll.
Ingredients to Gather
I've separated the ingredients into the part of the recipe you will need it in. Gather everything before you are ready to bake so you have everything on hand and ready to go!
For the Dough
- Eggnog. Use full fat store-bought eggnog for the richest flavor. Warm it until it’s just warm to the touch, around 110°F. Too hot will kill the yeast.
- Instant yeast. This gives the rolls their lift. Active dry yeast works too; see the tips below.
- Granulated sugar. Sweetens the dough and feeds the yeast.
- Sourdough discard. Unfed discard straight from the fridge is perfect. I use a 100% hydration starter (equal parts flour and water by weight).
- Egg. Adds richness and structure. It also helps the dough stay together.
- Butter. Softened butter makes the dough soft and tender. You can use unsalted or salted butter. I only use salted butter, just my preference!
- All-purpose flour. I’ve made these with bread flour too, which gives a slightly chewier roll. Both work.
- Salt and nutmeg. The salt balances the sweetness, and the nutmeg brings out that eggnog flavor.
Ingredients in the Filling
- Butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The classic gooey cinnamon roll filling with a little extra holiday spice.
For the Eggnog Icing
- Cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, eggnog, and vanilla. A tangy, creamy icing that tastes like eggnog in frosting form. You can also just make a simple 3 ingredient cream cheese frosting if you don't want anymore eggnog in your cinnamon rolls.
Be sure to check out the printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Add rum extract. A half teaspoon in the icing gives it that classic spiked eggnog flavor without the alcohol.
- Toss in pecans. Sprinkle chopped pecans over the filling before rolling.
- Brown butter icing. Brown the butter for the icing for a nutty, caramel flavor. I love brown butter with sourdough, especially in my sourdough chocolate chip cookies.
- Make it extra gooey. Pour ¼ cup of warm heavy cream over the rolls right before baking.
- Use homemade eggnog. It works great. Just make sure it’s not too thin.
Step by Step Instructions
- Step 1: Stir the warm eggnog, yeast, and a spoonful of the sugar together and let it sit for about 5 minutes until foamy. Add the discard, egg, softened butter, remaining sugar, salt, nutmeg, and most of the flour. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Step 2: Knead with a dough hook for 6 to 8 minutes (or 10 minutes by hand) until the dough is smooth, soft, and slightly tacky. Add the remaining flour a tablespoon at a time only if it’s sticking to everything. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 ½ to 2 hours, until doubled. If your kitchen is cooler, it might take up to 2 hours to rise.
- Step 3: Mix the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a spreadable paste.
- Step 4: Roll the dough into an 18 by 12 inch rectangle. Spread the filling evenly, leaving a half inch border on one long edge.
- Step 5: Roll the dough up tightly starting from the long side without the border. Cut into 12 rolls using unflavored dental floss or a sharp serrated knife. Place the rolls in a greased 9 by 13 inch pan, cover, and let them rise for 30 to 45 minutes until puffy and touching.
- Step 6: Bake at 350°F for 22 to 28 minutes, until golden brown and the center reaches 190°F. Let them cool for about 10 minutes, then spread the eggnog icing over the warm rolls.
Tips for the Best Sourdough Discard Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
- Don’t overheat the eggnog. Eggnog can curdle and kill your yeast if it’s too hot. Warm it gently in the microwave in 15 second bursts. You can even use cold eggnog, it just might take a little longer to let the dough rise.
- Keep the dough soft. A slightly tacky dough makes the fluffiest rolls. It’s tempting to keep adding flour, but too much makes them dense. I learned that the hard way on one of my early test batches!
- Use floss to cut. Slide unflavored dental floss under the log, cross the ends over the top, and pull. You’ll get perfect rolls without squishing them.
- Pull them out at the right time. Use an instant read thermometer and pull them at 190°F. This is my number one trick for soft, never dry, cinnamon rolls.
- Ice them warm, not hot. If the rolls are too hot, the icing melts right off. About 10 minutes of cooling is perfect.
- Using active dry yeast? Use the same amount, but make sure it foams well in the warm eggnog before adding the rest of the ingredients, and expect the first rise to take a little longer.
Make Ahead Overnight Instructions
To have these ready for Christmas morning, shape the rolls, place them in the pan, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight (up to 16 hours).
In the morning, take the pan out and let it sit on the counter for 45 minutes to an hour while the oven preheats, then bake as directed. This is exactly how I do it every Christmas so I’m not up at the crack of dawn kneading dough.
How to Store Sourdough Discard Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
Store leftover rolls covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days since the icing has cream cheese in it. Warm them in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds to bring back that fresh baked softness.
How to Freeze Them
You can freeze these baked or unbaked. For baked rolls, let them cool completely, wrap them tightly (unfrosted is best), and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, warm in the oven at 300°F for about 10 minutes, then ice. For unbaked rolls, shape them in a freezer safe pan, wrap tightly, and freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge, let them rise on the counter for 1 to 2 hours, and bake as directed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use the same amount of active starter in this recipe, and you’ll still use the yeast. If you’d rather skip yeast completely, check out my naturally leavened Sourdough Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls, which use active starter to rise the dough.
Yes! You get a warm, creamy eggnog flavor with hints of nutmeg throughout, and the eggnog icing really brings it home. My kids say they taste like Christmas morning.
Yes, dairy free eggnog works well in the dough and icing. Just use dairy free butter and cream cheese too if you need the whole recipe to be dairy free.
Dense rolls usually come from too much flour, an under risen dough, or yeast that was killed by eggnog that was too hot. Keep the dough soft and tacky, and let it truly double during the first rise.
📖 Recipe
Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls with Sourdough Discard
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Eggnog Warmed slightly
- 2 ¼ teaspoon Instant Yeast or active dry yeast
- ¼ cup Granulated sugar
- 1 Egg
- ½ cup Sourdough discard
- 4 tablespoon Butter Softened
- 3 ¼ cups All purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
Filling
- ½ cup Butter Softened
- ¾ cup Brown sugar Packed
- 1 tablespoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
Eggnog Icing
- 4 oz Cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoon Butter softened
- 2 cups Powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoon Eggnog
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Pinch of nutmeg
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the warm eggnog, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
- Add the sourdough discard, egg, softened butter, remaining sugar, salt, nutmeg, and 3 cups of flour. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead with the dough hook on medium low for 6 to 8 minutes, or by hand for about 10 minutes, until smooth and slightly tacky. Add the remaining flour 1 tablespoon at a time only if needed.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1 ½ hours until doubled.
- Meanwhile, mix the filling ingredients together until smooth and spreadable. Grease a 9 by 13 inch baking pan.
- Punch down the dough and roll it into an 18 by 12 inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread the filling evenly, leaving a ½ inch border along one long edge.
- Starting with the long edge without the border, roll the dough up tightly. Pinch the seam to seal and cut into 12 even rolls.
- Arrange the rolls in the prepared pan, cover, and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes until puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, until golden brown and the center roll reads 190°F.
- While the rolls bake, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons eggnog, vanilla, and nutmeg, and beat until creamy, adding more eggnog if needed.
- Let the rolls cool for 10 minutes, then spread the icing over the top and serve warm.
Notes
- Overnight option: After shaping, cover and refrigerate for up to 16 hours. Let sit at room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes before baking.
- Active dry yeast: Use the same amount and allow extra time for the first rise.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
These are such a fun twist on the classic!