How to Make Easy, Healthier Sourdough Cinnamon Buns (No Eggs)

Traditional cinnamon buns rely on lots of butter, sugar, eggs, and sometimes oil or vegetable shortening for their texture and flavor. Sourdough Cinnamon Buns get their flavor and rise from the sourdough process. Rather than loads of butter and other bad things, the buns come out soft and fluffy with a minimum of "healthy" fat from canola oil and just a little butter. The buns also are sweetened with a bit of honey. What's inside the buns? Brown sugar, cinnamon, and toasted nuts provide plenty of sweetness and flavor without weighing down the buns and making them "butt" buns. These cinnamon buns are delicious as well as offering the health benefits of sourdough. Try them for a special breakfast or a treat with coffee or tea. Enjoy!

How to Make Easy, Healthier Sourdough Cinnamon Buns (No Eggs)

Sourdough Cinnamon Buns -- Makes a 9 x 13-inch Pan

1 cup of starter/discard (I use a white whole-wheat-based starter)

1/2 cup of milk

1/4 cup of water

2 tablespoons of canola oil

2 tablespoons of honey

1 1/4 cup of white whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, plus an extra 1/4 cup for kneading (or just use all white

whole-wheat flour, for extra nutrition)

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

1-2 tablespoons of butter, melted

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 cup of chopped, toasted pecans (or almonds or walnuts)

Icing

1 cup of confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon of butter

2-4 tablespoons of orange juice or milk (depending on how thick you want your icing--

use less for thicker icing, more for a thinner glaze)

In a large bowl, combine the starter, milk, water, oil, honey, and white whole-wheat flour and mix everything until well combined. Set the mixture aside for at least an hour (I routinely leave the mixture for three or four hours, and it's fine). Add the all-purpose flour (or use white whole-wheat) and salt to the mixture and knead it for about 5 minutes, adding the extra flour if necessary, a spoonful at a time, if the dough is too sticky. Roll or press the dough out to a large rectangle about 16 inches long and 12 inches wide. Brush the top of the dough with the melted butter. Sprinkle on the brown sugar, cinnamon, and toasted pecans. Starting from the short side, roll up the dough, jelly-roll style. You don't want to roll the dough too tightly, just enough so the filling adheres to the dough. With a sharp knife, cut the dough log, crosswise, into 1-2-inch slices. Coat a 9 x 13-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Put the slices in the prepared pan. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it has increased by about one-third to one-half in volume. Bake the buns in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. While the buns are cooling, mix the confectioners' sugar, butter, and orange juice or milk in a measuring cup. Microwave the mixture for 60-90 seconds, stirring it every 30 seconds or so, until it's bubbling. Stir the mixture again and drizzle the warm icing over the warm buns. Let the buns cool a little before serving them warm.

How to Make Easy, Healthier Sourdough Cinnamon Buns (No Eggs)

#sourdough #cinnamon #buns