Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Twists

Turn that jar of unfed sourdough starter into 24 cinnamon-sugar twists that taste like a bakery and cost almost nothing.

Why This Recipe

Sourdough discard is not waste–it’s an ingredient. If you maintain a sourdough starter, you know the guilt of tossing that cup of unfed starter every time you feed it. Most people pour it down the drain or into the trash. That’s flour and water–actual food–going to waste. This recipe turns that discard into something you’d happily pay $3 apiece for at a bakery. Twenty-four twists from something you were about to throw away. That’s zero-waste baking at its best.

Homemade pastries eliminate single-use packaging. A box of cinnamon rolls from the grocery store comes in a plastic tray, wrapped in plastic, inside a cardboard box. A tube of refrigerated dough comes in a pressurized canister that cannot be recycled in most communities. When you bake at home, the packaging is zero–flour, sugar, butter, and a jar of starter you already have.

These are impressive for almost no cost. The ingredients for 24 twists total roughly $2-3, and most of that is butter and flour you already have in the pantry. The sourdough discard is free. Compare that to a bakery where a single cinnamon twist can run $3-4, and a dozen would set you back $36-48.

The Story

This recipe started as Gladys’ Cinnamon Twists–a 1971 recipe from Gladys Legreid and Mabel Gunderson that’s been in our family for over 50 years. The original calls for a full cup of sour cream in the dough, and it makes a beautifully tender, slightly tangy twist that keeps for days. It’s one of those recipes that gets requested at every family gathering and holiday brunch.

When I started maintaining a sourdough starter, I kept looking at that jar of discard and thinking: that tang is not so different from sour cream. So I experimented. I replaced half the sour cream with sourdough discard, reduced the flour slightly (because the discard brings its own), and the result was something better than the original. The sourdough adds a depth of flavor that regular sour cream alone does not achieve–a subtle complexity that makes people ask, “What’s different about these?”

The best part is how forgiving this recipe is. The dough is slightly stickier than the original, and it may take a little longer to rise, but neither of those things is a problem. If you can roll dough, spread butter, and twist a strip of pastry, you can make these. And once your kitchen smells like warm cinnamon and yeast dough, you won’t care that it took a few extra minutes.

Key Details

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Rising Time: 1 hour | Cook Time: 12-15 minutes | Total Time: ~2 hours | Yield: 24 twists

Sustainability Note: Every batch of these twists rescues approximately 1 cup of sourdough discard from the drain. If you feed your starter weekly, that’s over 50 cups of discard per year. This recipe is one of the best ways to put that “waste” to delicious use.

The Recipe

Ingredients

Dough:

Filling:

Frosting:

Instructions

1. Warm the sour cream: Heat sour cream to lukewarm in a large saucepan (or microwave 20-30 seconds). Should be warm but not hot.

2. Combine wet ingredients: Remove from heat. Stir in sourdough discard until blended. Add sugar, baking soda, and yeast. Stir until dissolved. Let sit 5 minutes until slightly foamy.

3. Add remaining dough ingredients: Add eggs, salt, and soft butter. Gradually add flour, mixing well. Dough will be slightly sticky–that’s normal with the discard.

4. Knead dough: Turn dough onto a floured board. Knead for 3-5 minutes, adding flour as needed. Fold over several times until smooth.

   KitchenAid alternative for steps 2-4:

   • Use the paddle attachment for mixing wet ingredients and adding flour (speed 2)
   • Switch to the dough hook for kneading (speed 2, 3-5 minutes)
   • Add flour a tablespoon at a time if too sticky

5. Roll and fill: Roll dough into an oblong rectangle, approximately 24×6 inches. Spread with 2 tbsp softened butter. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over half the dough. Fold the other half over the filled half.

6. Cut and twist: Cut into 24 strips, about 1 inch wide. Hold each strip at both ends and twist in opposite directions. Place on a greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Press both ends onto the cookie sheet to secure them.

7. Rise: Cover with a clean towel. Let rise 1 hour. May take slightly longer with sourdough discard–that’s fine.

8. Bake: Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

9. Make the frosting: Mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth.

10. Frost: Frost while warm. Cool on a wire rack.

Notes & Variations

• Sourdough discard: Use unfed starter that’s been in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature before using–cold discard will slow the yeast down.

• Flour adjustment: You may need slightly more or less flour depending on your discard’s hydration level. If your starter is very liquid, you may need closer to 3 cups of flour. If it’s thick, 2 1/2 cups is right.

• Stickier dough is normal: The dough will be slightly stickier than a standard yeast dough. Don’t over-flour–a little stickiness is fine and actually gives a more tender result.

• Rising time: May take slightly longer than 1 hour with the discard. Watch the dough, not the clock.

• Extra tang: The combination of sour cream AND sourdough discard gives these twists a wonderful depth of flavor that the original sour-cream-only version does not have. Gluten-Free Notes:

• TESTED - This recipe works with GF flour and GF sourdough starter!

• Use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour (325g for dough)

• Use a gluten-free sourdough starter for the discard–I believe using GF starter is what makes GF flour work in this recipe. The fermentation in the GF starter helps the dough develop structure that GF flour alone would struggle to achieve.

• Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 already contains xanthan gum–no need to add more

• Dough may be stickier than the wheat version–use extra GF flour on the board when rolling

• May need an additional 2-3 minutes of baking time

How this differs from the original Gladys’ recipe:

Variations:

• Different filling: Try raspberry jam or Nutella instead of cinnamon-sugar
• Add nuts: Sprinkle chopped pecans over the filling before folding
• Orange twist: Add orange zest to the dough for a citrus note
• Maple frosting: Replace vanilla with maple extract in the frosting

Additional notes from our kitchen:

• Don’t waste the discard from discard day. I time my baking to coincide with starter feeding day. Feed the starter, take the discard, and make twists. It becomes a rhythm.
• Freezer strategy: Bake the full batch of 24, frost half, and freeze the other half unfrosted. Thaw and frost when you want a fresh batch without any work.
• Potluck winner: These travel well and keep for several days at room temperature. I’ve brought them to potlucks, work meetings, and holiday brunches, and the pan always comes home empty.
• Press the ends down firmly. If you don’t secure both ends of each twist to the cookie sheet, they’ll unravel during rising and baking. Press them down with intention.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve warm with coffee or tea for breakfast or brunch
• Bring to potlucks–they travel well in a single layer
• Perfect holiday morning treat
• Pair with fresh fruit for a complete breakfast spread
• Make for Saturday morning brunch

Storage & Make-Ahead

• Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for several days. These keep remarkably well.
• Freeze: Freeze unfrosted twists for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and frost before serving.
• Reheat: Warm briefly in the oven at 300°F for 5 minutes to refresh the texture.
• Make-ahead: Prepare through step 6 (cut and twisted on the sheet), cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Let come to room temperature for 30 minutes, then rise and bake in the morning.

Links & References

• Source: Adapted from Gladys’ Cinnamon Twists (1971, Gladys Legreid/Mabel Gunderson)

Related Friday Food Posts:

• French Bread (Bread Machine)–another bread baking staple from our kitchen
• Multigrain Bread (Bread Machine)–our favorite everyday bread
• Grandma Seely’s Banana Muffins–another family recipe that turns simple ingredients into something special
• Peanut Butter Balls–another no-waste recipe that uses pantry staples

Coming Soon:

• Homemade Greek Yogurt–another from-scratch staple that eliminates single-use packaging

Print This Recipe

Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Twists Prep: 30 min | Rise: 1 hour | Bake: 12-15 min | Yield: 24 twists

Dough:

• 1 cup sourdough discard (unfed, room temperature)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp soft butter or shortening
• 2 1/2 cups (325g GF) all-purpose flour

Filling:

• 2 tbsp butter, softened
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Frosting:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)

Instructions:

1. Warm sour cream to lukewarm; stir in discard, sugar, baking soda, yeast; let sit 5 min
2. Add eggs, salt, butter; gradually add flour; knead 3-5 min until smooth
3. Roll dough to 24×6 inches; spread with butter; sprinkle half with cinnamon-sugar; fold over
4. Cut into 24 strips; twist each strip; place on greased sheet; press ends down
5. Cover; rise 1 hour
6. Bake at 375°F for 12-15 minutes until golden
7. Frost while warm with powdered sugar glaze

Storage: Airtight container several days. Freeze unfrosted up to 3 months.

Fifty years ago, Gladys Legreid shared a recipe for cinnamon twists. Today, those same twists get a second life with sourdough discard–proof that the best recipes don’t just survive across generations, they evolve.