May 5, 2023 · Sourdough bread baking

Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls and Pastries: A Delicious Homesteading Treat

As a homesteader, there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of baking your own bread from scratch. And if you’re looking to take your baking game up a notch, you might want to try making sourdough cinnamon rolls and pastries.

Sourdough is a type of bread that uses naturally occurring yeast instead of commercial yeast. It takes longer to make than traditional bread, but it’s worth the effort for its unique flavor and health benefits. Sourdough also makes for incredibly fluffy and flavorful cinnamon rolls and pastries.

Let’s get started with some basic information about sourdough before diving into recipes.

What is Sourdough?

Sourdough is a mixture of flour and water that has been fermented by wild yeasts and bacteria present in the environment. This creates a natural leavening agent that can be used to make bread without the need for commercial yeast.

The fermentation process gives sourdough its distinctive tangy flavor, as well as improving its nutritional profile. Sourdough is easier to digest than regular bread because the fermentation process breaks down complex carbohydrates into simpler sugars that are easier for our bodies to absorb.

Making Sourdough Starter

Before you can make sourdough cinnamon rolls or any other baked goods using sourdough, you’ll need to create your own starter. Here’s how:

Ingredients:
– 1 cup all-purpose flour
– 1/2 cup warm water

Instructions:
1. In a glass jar or bowl, mix together flour and water until smooth.
2. Cover with cheesecloth or plastic wrap (not tightly) so air can circulate.
3. Leave at room temperature for 24 hours.
4. The next day, discard half of the mixture and add another 1/2 cup each of flour and warm water.
5. Stir until smooth again and cover.
6. Repeat this process every day for five to seven days until the mixture is bubbly and has a sour smell.

Your starter is now ready to use in recipes, or you can store it in the fridge and feed it once a week with equal parts flour and water.

Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Now that you have your sourdough starter, let’s get started on making some delicious cinnamon rolls.

Ingredients:
For dough:
– 1 cup active sourdough starter
– 3/4 cup milk
– 1/4 cup sugar
– 1 egg
– 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
– 3 cups all-purpose flour
– 1 teaspoon salt

For filling:
– 1/2 cup brown sugar
– 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
– 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

For icing:
– 2 cups powdered sugar
– 3 tablespoons milk or cream
Instructions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sourdough starter, milk, sugar, egg, and melted butter. Mix well.
2. Add in the flour and salt gradually while stirring until combined.
3. Knead dough on floured surface for about five minutes.
4. Place dough ball into greased bowl; cover with plastic wrap or towel; let rise at least six hours (or overnight) in warm place until doubled in size.
5. After rising time is over oil rolling pin then roll out dough onto floured surface measuring about18 x12 inches rectangle shape.
6. Spread softened butter evenly onto rolled-out dough using spatula; sprinkle brown sugar/cinnamon mixture overtop of spread-out buttered area leaving edges without any filling as they will be used to seal up roll after being cut into slices later on during baking process;
7.Roll up jelly-roll style starting from long end of rectangle to opposite side of rectangle.
8. Cut roll into 12-16 equal slices; place slices in greased baking pan or two pie plates, leaving space between each slice to allow for rise during baking process.
9. Cover the dish with a towel or plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour until the rolls have risen again.
10. Preheat oven to 350°F and bake cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
11. In a small bowl combine powdered sugar and milk/cream together till smooth then drizzle overtop of cooled cinnamon rolls.

Sourdough Pastries

If you’re looking to switch things up from traditional cinnamon rolls, sourdough is also great for making other pastries like croissants, danishes, and turnovers.

Croissants
Ingredients:
– 1 cup active sourdough starter
– 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 3 cups all-purpose flour
– 1 cup unsalted butter, cold

Instructions:

1. Combine sourdough starter, sugar, salt & flour in mixing bowl using dough hook attachment on medium speed till dough forms ball; knead on low speed just enough to form workable dough (5 mins).
2.Cover with plastic wrap chill overnight in fridge before rolling out next day.
3.Roll out chilled dough onto floured surface into large rectangle shape measuring roughly around18 x12 inches; fold each side towards center then fold again bringing both sides together forming rectangular shape once more; repeat this folding process twice more then cover lightly with plastic wrap/chilled overnight in refrigerator again before proceeding further next day.
4.Remove from fridge; roll out dough onto floured surface cutting into triangles (or desired shapes); fill with chocolate chips or Nutella spread inside triangle shape pastry piece before rolling them up tightly starting from wide end working way down towards pointy end of pastry triangle.
5. Bake on a greased baking sheet for 12-15 minutes at 400°F or until golden brown.

Danishes
Ingredients:
– 1 cup active sourdough starter
– 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 3 cups all-purpose flour
– 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

Instructions:

Turnovers
Ingredients:
For the dough:
– 2 cups all-purpose flour,
-1/4 tsp kosher salt,
-3 tbsp granulated white sugar,
-8 oz cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks,
-1/2 cup sour cream mixed with water

For the Filling:
-Fruit preserves/jam/pie filling

Instructions:

1.In a large mixing bowl combine flour,salt and sugar together then incorporate cold butter by cutting it into small pieces adding it to mixture using your fingers rubbing between thumb/index finger till crumbly texture is formed .
2.Add Sour Cream/water mixture stirring slowly with fork until everything forms together as one cohesive mass.
3.Form disc-shape from this combined mass then chill covered in refrigerator for an hour before proceeding further.
4.After chilling remove from fridge roll out onto floured surface into 1/4 inch thickness; cut into circles or desired shapes for turnovers if using small pastry cutter.
5.Place filling on one half of each circle then fold over and pinch edges together to seal; brush beaten egg wash onto top before baking at 375°F for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

Conclusion

Sourdough cinnamon rolls and pastries are delicious treats that are perfect for homesteaders who want to take their baking skills to the next level. Whether you’re making cinnamon rolls, croissants, danishes, or turnovers, sourdough adds a unique flavor and nutritional benefits that make these baked goods even more satisfying. With a little bit of patience and practice, you’ll be able to enjoy homemade sourdough pastries anytime you want!

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