This easy homemade rhubarb jam recipe is perfect for anyone looking for a small batch rhubarb jam without pectin. Made with just 3 simple ingredients, this old fashioned rhubarb jam recipe is naturally thickened and has the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavor. If you’ve been searching for how to make rhubarb jam without pectin, this simple recipe is beginner friendly and great for canning or storing in the refrigerator.

Why not use pectin in jam?

This no pectin rhubarb jam is sweet and tart and makes your springtime harvest last all year long! Not only does it make your rhubarb stalks stretch out through the year, but you don’t have to run to the store to buy extra ingredients like added pectin. I love to make preserves the way our grandparents made it. Nothing complex, just simple ingredients that you have right in your home!

The generations before us didn’t have access to grocery stores like we do today, so they had to use the natural pectin found in things like apples and lemons to create the jam consistency. Real fruit has less pectin than commercial pectin. Because of that, it doesn’t set up quite as thick as their grocery store pectin counterpart. However, it has enough pectin that I think you’ll find this soft, spreadable homemade jam to be absolutely delicious. Whole fruit, natural pectin derived from real food, and a bit of sugar. Perfection.

Why I love no pectin jam

One of the things we have done over the years is to drastically reduce the amount of sugar in our diet. Unfortunately, most homemade jam has SO much sugar. In fact, typically it has more sugar in it than fruit! The Sure Jell recipe calls for 4 1/2c of fruit and a whopping 6 1/2 cups of sugar! And while it only takes a couple of minutes to set up, I think this low sugar jam is a perfect alternative, despite its longer cooking time.

Unfortunately, for commercial pectin to get to the jam setting point, it needs to have enough sugar. In contrast, my recipe calls for double that amount of fresh fruit, and less than half the sugar! I think it’s safe to say that this easy recipe for no pectin rhubarb jam is a much healthier option than the pectin alternative!

So let’s get started, shall we?

Quick Recipe Summary

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Yield: 5-6 jars

3 Basic Ingredients: Rhubarb, sugar, lemon

No pectin required

Great for water bath canning or freezer jam

Ingredients for no pectin rhubarb jam

The ingredients for rhubarb jam without pectin are super simple. You just need rhubarb (fresh rhubarb or frozen rhubarb), sugar, lemon and optional sweet cherries for color.

• 8-9 cups of chopped rhubarb – you can use raw rhubarb or frozen rhubarb
• 3c. white sugar (I use white sugar but I bet you could use a more natural version like sucanat or raw sugar)
• Zest and Juice of 1 lemon
• Optional (12 chopped sweet cherries) for color (fresh or frozen)

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

*NOTE*

I do not use the typical home food preservation method using a canning pot and a hot water bath. The first time I made jam, my friend taught me and she used the flip upside down method. The only difference was that instead of heating the half-pint jars in the oven, we put them into the water bath canner and brought them to a rolling boil. Then we took them out of the pot and filled them. While there are a number of ways to make jam, I find the way I do it now in the oven to be easier than the way I made my first preserves.

However, this way of making jam is not the way that is recommended by the National Center For Home Food Preservation. I couldn’t find rhubarb jam on their site, but HERE are the canning instructions for strawberry jam. If you’d like to follow the recommended method of a hot water bath for your no pectin rhubarb jam, the site for the National Center For Home Food Preservation will give you more instruction. Either way you process your half pints, you’ll end up with a delicious jam!

How to make no pectin rhubarb jam

Macerate the Rhubarb

Begin with fresh rhubarb that has been washed and chopped into small pieces. Measure out 8-9 cups. (I have also made this with rhubarb that I chopped and stored in freezer bags and it worked perfectly! So, if you don’t have time to make it right now, store the chopped rhubarb in the freezer until you have a free morning and then get to work!)

Put the rhubarb into a stock pot with 3 cups of sugar and the juice and zest of one lemon. I love this lemon juicer! It works so well! And I use a microplane like THIS to zest my lemons.

Mix well. If you don’t have time for the next step, you can get started right away. It is helpful to wait to let the rhubarb release some of its juices but it is not essential.

The photo above is right after the chopped rhubarb, lemon zest and lemon juice, and rhubarb are mixed. Below is after its macerated. See how much juice it releases? This allows it to cook down without burning so it makes the cooking process just a bit easier.

Let the mixture macerate until the rhubarb has released a bit of juice. The maceration process takes about a hour. *AT THIS TIME, PUT A SMALL PLATE IN THE FREEZER. YOU’LL NEED IT LATER!* (You can also do this portion the night before and leave the stock pot in the fridge overnight so that it’s ready to go in the morning!)

Cook your no pectin rhubarb jam

After the raw rhubarb is macerated, put 6 clean jars into a 285 degree oven to sterilize them. I love this size of jelly jar for everyday use and this size jar for gift giving. Also take the lids and rings and put them into a saucepan of water on low heat. (please see note above find variations on methods of canning this jam)

Once the rhubarb has released the juices, and you’ve got the jars and rings going and a cold plate in the freezer, it’s time to make your simple rhubarb jam! Bring the large pot of jam ingredients to a gentle boil and then turn the heat down to medium heat. You do not want this at a rolling boil because it will pop everywhere and that hurts!

Add cherries for color (optional)

At this point, you can leave the preserves exactly how they are, or you can add in some sweet cherries for color. I have used both frozen cherries or fresh cherries for this and they both work great. Fresh rhubarb can vary in color from green stalks to a brighter red color. My rhubarb tends to be on the green stalk side, so it turns this brownish color when I cook it down. I don’t mind, but I don’t love to give it away looking that way.

I just chop up a handful of sweet cherries and toss them in and that really helps to make it a nice ruby color that is just more appetizing. It really does not affect the flavor of the jam at all, but it absolutely makes it prettier in the jars. So, if you have some on hand, toss them in and I think you’ll be happy you did!

The photo below is after I added the cherries and began to cook it down. Doesn’t that look so much prettier?

Finish cooking the rhubarb jam without pectin

Let the large pot of no pectin rhubarb jam cook on medium heat for 20-30 minutes until the rhubarb mixture is thicker and has large bubbles. If you’re making multiple recipes, you can use this time while the jam boils to prep the rhubarb and lemon zest for the next batch. The jam cooks for a while and I find this time to be so useful to clean up or chop rhubarb for the next batch while I’m occasionally stirring.

This part doesn’t really follow a recipe and my mom says it’s how my grandma used to make jam. As it thickens up and looks more jam-like, you’ll need to test it. You won’t quite know how thick it is until it cools. So, take your frozen plate out of the freezer and put a dollop of the thickened jam on it to see if it sets up like jam after it cools for a moment. If it’s still runny, keep cooking.

When the mixture resembles jam once it’s on the frozen plate, turn off the heat and begin to fill your jars.

Put rhubarb preserves in half-pint jars

Take your hot jars out of the oven one by one so you keep them nice and hot. Use a jar grabber and funnel. Fill the jars until they have about 1/2-3/4″ head space. DO NOT fill to the top of the jars. You need to make sure to leave that space. You can use this tool to find the correct head space, or you can just fill it up to the bottom of the place where you screw on the lid. That’s what I do.

Dip a clean towel into the simmering water from your lids and wipe the top rim of the jar to make sure it’s clean and will give you a really tight seal.

Use your magentized lid grabber and take a lid and ring out of the simmering water. Put on the freshly cleaned jar lid and carefully tighten. I don’t really crank it super tight, but you definitely want it tight enough so that the hot jam doesn’t come out when you flip it over. Don’t ask me how I learned that….

Let the rhubarb jam without pectin set up

Flip the filled jars upside down and continue to fill each of them one by one until you’ve filled all the jars. I know it looks like I did not do mine one by one in these photos, so do as I say not as I do! 🙂

I usually end up with 5-6 jars of jam, depending on how far I cooked the jam down. Because this is an old fashioned recipe, it’s a little less precise in the amount you get in the end. Just like grandma did!

Put a towel over the top of the upside down filled jars and set a timer for 10 minutes.

When the timer goes off, flip the filled jars right side up and you’ll begin to hear the lids pop as they seal. 

After the jars have cooled to room temperature, check the lids to make sure they are sealed. Just tap the button in the center of the canning lid. If it clicks, the jar is not sealed and needs to be stored in the refrigerator. If it doesn’t click, the jar sealed and can be stored in a cool, dark place for about 2 years. 

Enjoy!

And that’s it! You have just made your own rhubarb jam! Isn’t it super simple?! Now you’re ready to use the preserves or give them away as the sweetest homemade gifts! I honestly adore this jam on any of my homemade breads – like overnight sourdough, or sourdough challah, fresh milled bread, on top of sourdough pancakes or rolls. It’s also great on a yogurt bowl or oatmeal or over ice cream. Literally it’s amazing on anything!!

What does rhubarb jam taste like?

Rhubarb jam has a bright, sweet-tart flavor that tastes a little bit like a mix between strawberries and lemon. The longer it cooks, the richer and deeper the flavor becomes. Because this no pectin rhubarb jam uses less sugar than traditional recipes, the fresh rhubarb flavor really shines through.

Can you use frozen rhubarb for jam?

Yes! Frozen rhubarb works beautifully in this homemade rhubarb jam recipe. Simply thaw the rhubarb first or add a few extra minutes to the cooking time if using it straight from the freezer. This is a great way to preserve fresh rhubarb during rhubarb season and make jam later in the year. I do find that when I use frozen rhubarb, I need a longer amount of time for cooking, but it’s worth the extra time when you can make rhubarb jam whenever you please, and not just during rhubarb season!

Common Questions:

Why didn’t my rhubarb jam thicken?

Because this is a no pectin rhubarb jam recipe, the consistency will naturally be softer than traditional store-bought jam. If your jam seems too thin, continue simmering it a bit longer and test it again on the frozen plate. The jam will also thicken more as it cools. There is no need to add additional pectin to this recipe. Just be patient and do it the old fashioned way!

How long does homemade rhubarb jam last?

How to store homemade rhubarb jam

Properly sealed jars of rhubarb jam can last a long time – up to 2 years in a cool, dry place like a dark pantry. Once opened, store the jam in the refrigerator and use within a few weeks.

Can you make this into no pectin strawberry rhubarb jam?

Absolutely. Rhubarb and strawberry work perfectly together because the sweetness of the strawberries tames the tartness of the rhubarb and it makes a delicious strawberry rhubarb jam recipe. Simply cut back on the rhubarb and add strawberries instead! I’d also cut back on the sugar a bit since fresh strawberries tend to be sweeter. Follow the rest of the instructions the same!

Can I swap out the rhubarb for strawberries to make a strawberry jam?

This is delicious with strawberries only! Actually I make it every year and we call it strawberry lemonade jam. Just cut back on the sugar in order to keep it from being too sweet.

Can I double or triple this recipe?

This does make small batches of jam, but when the recipe is doubled or more, it does NOT give a consistent result. I would absolutely not recommend it. Unfortunately, I did that with an old fashioned Concord grape jam that I make, and the results were disastrous. It took forever to set up and then was so hard, we had to throw it all out. So disappointing!

As a result, I believe this should be done in small batches of jam, and just make multiple recipes in a row. Even though it takes a longer amount of time, making one batch of jam at a time yields more consistent results.

Can I use more sugar if I want to?

If your personal taste is to have a sweeter jam, it is not a big deal to add more sugar. Looking at the Sure Jell recipe, you would need to add a LOT more sugar to get it even in the ballpark of a traditional jam recipe that has added pectin in it. You can adjust the sugar amount without concern that it won’t set up. The end results will be amazing even if you adjust the sugar amount.

Can you freeze rhubarb jam?

If you aren’t into canning projects, this no pectin rhubarb jam freezes perfectly and makes a delicious rhubarb freezer jam. It makes the time investment much smaller because the canning process does add to your time. Simply put the jam in glass jars with 1″ headspace to allow for expansion and freeze. Additionally, you can store in plastic airtight containers in the freezer. I would wait until it cools before putting it into the plastic containers.

What to eat with no pectin rhubarb jam

How to use rhubarb preserves:

This homemade rhubarb preserve is delicious on toast, biscuits, sourdough bread, oatmeal, yogurt bowls, vanilla ice cream, cheesecake, or even added to a spring charcuterie board.

• Spread on sourdough bread or toast (find my simple recipe HERE!)
• Pour it over cream cheese and serve with crackers at your next party
• Top English muffins
• Add to your hot biscuits
• Get a sweet and salty flavor by using it on fresh milled cheddar scones
• Slather on sourdough cornbread muffins
• Use for thumbprint cookies
• Add as a cheesecake topping
• Swirl it into a yogurt bowl
• Make a peanut butter and rhubarb jam sandwich
• Add to your next charcuterie board
• Use as a glaze for pork or chicken
• Top your vanilla ice cream
• Make sourdough pancakes and swap out your maple syrup for fresh jam!
• Put a dollop in precooked tart shells for a little strawberry-rhubarb pie

Why use lemon in rhubarb jam?

Lemon is one of the whole foods that contains enough pectin to make jam set. While it makes a bit more of a runny jam than what you find with commercial pectin, it allows us to make 3 ingredient jam – just fresh fruit, lemons and sugar. Additionally, you need MUCH less sugar in a no pectin jam than if you’re using a commercial pectin like Sure-Jel or Pomona’s Pectin to make the jam set.

How to tell when jam is set

It’s impossible to tell how thick jam will be when it is cooled by looking at it when it’s hot. You’ll see as it thickens that the jam bubbles will look thicker and more viscous. The cold plate method is the one our great grandmas used to see the jam set. Put a small dollop on the cold plate and it will cool the jam, allowing you to see how thick it will be when it is cooled. This is the best way to test for your jam consistency.

Can I use bottled lemon juice to make rhubarb jam without pectin?

I have never used bottled lemon juice to make any of my jams without pectin. Since I also use the zest of the lemons, I’d hesitate to substitute bottled lemon juice unless you’re also adding lemon zest. Although at that point since you need the lemons to zest, it just makes sense to use the juice too!

Variations

Add a hint of vanilla by putting in 1T of vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract after you remove the rhubarb jam from the heat.

Skip the jam process and just make a rhubarb sauce by omitting the lemon juice and lemon zest and then using an immersion blender to make a smooth sauce.

Add a deeper flavor by putting a splash of balsamic vinegar in after you remover the no pectin rhubarb jam from the heat.

Swap out some of the raw rhubarb for other fresh fruits like cherries, peaches, or strawberries for a deliciously sweet and tart jam.

Put in 4oz mason jars and give a little jam as a great gift idea! If you made multiple varieties of your own jams, you could even give a little basket of multiple types tucked in with a cute tea towel. Who doesn’t love a jar of jam as a gift!? And if you put a freshly baked loaf of sourdough bread in with it, you’ll be their best friend forever!

Final Notes:

I hope you find this to be the best rhubarb jam recipe without pectin. Because this jam does not contain pectin, it doesn’t set up as firmly as commercial jam that does. I find that it’s a bit of a runnier consistency, but it’s so worth it to only have 3 ingredients and be able to reduce the amount of sugar in the jam!

The shelf life of the jam is 2 years if you store the pints of jam in a cool, dry place like a basement or pantry. Do the work once and you can enjoy the rhubarb flavor for years!

If you’re looking for an easy old fashioned rhubarb jam recipe without pectin, this simple homemade preserve is one of the best ways to enjoy fresh rhubarb season. Whether you spread it on homemade bread, swirl it into yogurt, or give it away as a homemade gift, this sweet and tart rhubarb jam is a delicious way to preserve spring flavors all year long.

***IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR, SO FOLLOW ALONG FOR MORE RHUBARB RECIPES AND LOW SUGAR JAMS!***

Old Fashioned No Pectin Rhubarb Jam Recipe Card

No Pectin Rhubarb Jam

This no pectin rhubarb jam is sweet and tart and makes your springtime harvest last all year long!

Print

Ingredients

• 8-9 cups of chopped rhubarb
• 3c. sugar
• Zest and Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

1. Begin with fresh rhubarb that has been washed and chopped into small chunks. Measure out 8-9 cups. (I have also made this with rhubarb that I chopped and stored in freezer bags and it worked perfectly! So, if you don't have time to make it right now, store the chopped rhubarb in the freezer until you have a free morning and then get to work!)
2. Put rhubarb into a stock pot with 3 cups of sugar and the juice and zest of one lemon. Mix well.
3. Let the mixture macerate until the rhubarb has released a bit of juice. This takes about a hour. *AT THIS TIME, PUT A SMALL PLATE IN THE FREEZER. YOU'LL NEED IT LATER!* (You can also do this portion the night before and leave the stock pot in the fridge overnight so that it's ready to go in the morning!)
4. Put 6 clean jelly jars into a 285 degree oven to sterilize. Also take the lids and rings and put them into a saucepan of water on low heat.
5. Bring the pot of jam ingredients to a gentle boil and then turn the heat down to medium.
6. Let it cook for 20-30 minutes until the rhubarb mixture is thicker and has large bubbles.
7. Take your frozen plate out of the freezer and put a dollop of the thickened jam on it to see if it sets up like jam. If it's still runny, keep cooking.
8. When the mixture resembles jam once it's on the frozen plate, turn off the heat and begin to fill your jars. Use a jar grabber and funnel. Fill the jars until they have about 1/2-3/4" head space.
9. Dip a clean towel into the simmering water from your lids and wipe the top rim of the jar. Use your magentized lid grabber and take a lid and ring out of the simmering water. Put on the freshly cleaned jar lid and carefully tighten.
10. Flip the jar upside down and continue until you've filled all the jars. I usually end up with 5-6 jars of jam, depending on how far I cooked the jam down.
11. Put a towel over the top of the upside down jars and set a timer for 10 minutes.
12. When the timer goes off, flip the jars rightside up and you'll begin to hear them pop as they seal.
13. After the jars have cooled to room temperature, check the lids to make sure they are sealed. Just tap the button in the center of the canning lid. If it clicks, the jar is not sealed and needs to be stored in the refrigerator. If it doesn't click, the jar sealed and can be stored in a cool, dark place for about 2 years.

Notes

Because this jam does not contain pectin, it doesn't set up as firmly as jam that does. I find that it's a bit of a runnier consistency, but it's so worth it to only have 3 ingredients and be able to reduce the amount of sugar in the jam!

The post Super Simple Old Fashioned No Pectin Rhubarb Jam Recipe appeared first on Little Reasons.

Once I began milling my own grain, I began playing with all different types of wheat. I have tried lots of whole grains like kamut (khorisan), soft white, hard white and red, spelt, and of course einkorn! I love einkorn in any baked goods and this freshly milled flour banana bread is no exception. It’s soft and delicate and does not even taste like it’s whole grain! This whole food snack or breakfast is perfect if you’re trying to add additional nutrition to your diet.

You’ll find that it’s a super easy one bowl banana bread that comes together quickly and tastes perfectly delectable! The whole grain gives this quick bread recipe a nutty flavor. While you can use some of the modern wheat flours in this recipe, using einkorn, which is an ancient variety of wheat that hasn’t been tampered with, is absolutely delicious.

This recipe doesn’t need a hand mixer or a kitchenaid mixer. You just need a bowl and a whisk. Super easy and very old school! You’ll love this einkorn flour banana bread!

Ingredients for freshly milled einkorn banana bread

It only takes a few ingredients to make this einkorn banana bread with freshly milled flour. Here’s what you’ll need:

Wet Ingredients

• 600g or 4-5 overripe bananas
• 2 large eggs
• 10g or 2t. vanilla extract
• 2/3c melted butter (or melted coconut oil) and cooled to room temperature

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Dry Ingredients

• 170g or 3/4c. brown sugar (can substitute coconut sugar)
• 360g or 3c freshly milled einkorn flour (or soft white wheat or spelt)
• 2 pinches of salt
• 8g or 2t. baking soda

Instructions for einkorn banana bread

Combine wet ingredients:

First, mash overripe bananas in a large bowl.

Next, add the large eggs one at a time and whisk together. Add the rest of the wet ingredients – vanilla extract and melted butter or coconut oil. (you could also replace the melted butter with a light tasting olive oil). Mix together well.

My very favorite way to combine the ingredients is using a danish whisk. I feel like it incorporates all the ingredients and they don’t get stuck like in a traditional whisk.

Combine Dry Ingredients:

The next step is to combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. 

I often sift these directly over the wet ingredients so that I can just use one large mixing bowl instead of having extra dirty dishes. If you have a large mesh strainer like this one, you can just set it on top of the bowl and sift all the dry ingredients right on top of the wet ones.

Mill your flour:

First, mill your einkorn. Here’s what the einkorn berries look like before they are turned into einkorn flour. They contain so many nutrients and because the flour will be used before those vitamins oxidize, it makes this einkorn banana bread a healthy whole food.

Mill the einkorn or other low gluten grain like soft white wheat, kamut or spelt. I use either a dry container for my Vitamix, or my Mockmill 200. Here, I show what the einkorn flour looks like after mixing the berries in my Vitamix dry container for 1 minute. It makes a gorgeous fine flour.

If you already have a Vitamix and would like to delve into milling your own flour, this is a very affordable alternative to a mill. I used mine to grind grain for over 15 years before I took the plunge into buying a mill!

Add the rest of the dry ingredients:

Next, add in the rest of the dry ingredients – brown sugar, salt, and baking soda. You could add one teaspoon ground cinnamon to the mix if you’d like to add a little more flavor. Whisk it up! This would also be a great time to add a good dose of walnuts if you want a little crunch in your einkorn banana bread!

Put the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together and whisk until just mixed. If you overmix the banana bread batter, it develops the gluten and makes it tough. So make sure to stop whisking as soon as it comes together.  This will keep the crumb light and delicate.

Prepare 2 loaf pans with nonstick spray or parchment paper. I normally do this by cutting the parchment paper as wide as the long side of the loaf pan. This way it doesn’t cover the ends, but it does give you excellent handles to lift it out. Divide the batter in half and pour each half into a prepared loaf pan for a total of two pans.

Bake your freshly milled einkorn banana bread:

The next step is to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. The banana bread batter needs to sit for 15 minutes minimum in order for the freshly milled einkorn to absorb the liquid and soften the grains and that’s why I choose to preheat the oven at this stage of the baking process. Then once it’s preheated, the batter had time to sit and absorb the moisture and it’s ready to go in the oven. 

Now, bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. 

Finally, take einkorn banana bread out of the pan and let it cool on a wire rack. Eat immediately with plenty of butter on top. Store leftovers in an airtight container – if you have any!

Banana bread freezes well – I love to wait until the banana bread cools and wrap one tightly in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer Ziplock bag and freeze for the next time I want freshly milled flour banana bread but don’t want to bake! It’s a great quick snack!

FAQs

Do I have to use freshly milled flour in this einkorn banana bread recipe?

While it’s a good idea to use fresh milled flour in this freshly milled flour banana bread recipe, it’s not a necessity. I have made this with regular flour (all purpose flour) from the grocery store, freshly milled einkorn, and freshly milled soft white wheat berries. Any of them work perfectly and will make a delicious banana bread. You could also try traditional whole wheat flour as well.

Additionally, they do sell whole wheat einkorn flour or einkorn wheat flour which has less gluten than modern wheat varieties. While this is not as nutrient dense as milling it freshly, it does have a lower gluten content and may be a better option over all purpose flour for those with gluten sensitivities.

The most nutritious way to make this bread is with freshly milled flour because it has the highest nutritional content. But any way you make this will be better than a store bought version, so bake away! Homemade banana bread ALWAYS wins out over the preservative laden variety you buy at the grocery store.

Can I use liquid sweeteners like honey or maple syrup?

There are definitely health benefits to using a less processed sugar in baked goods. While you could substitute something like honey granules or coconut sugar, it is a bit harder to substitute a liquid sweetener because it messes with the amount of liquid in the recipe.

If you decide to use maple syrup or honey, I’d play with it and make a half recipe until you figure it out. Cut back on some of the wet ingredients to compensate for the additional liquid and make sure there’s not too much moisture in the batter.

Variations:

Put a healthy dose of walnuts in the banana bread batter for crunch and Omega 3s for additional health benefits!

Add dark chocolate chips or white chocolate chips for a sweeter treat.

Top the loaves with raw sugar before you put it in the oven to give your einkorn banana bread a bit of a crunch on the top for a great snack!

Turn these into einkorn banana bread muffins by putting into cupcake liners in a muffin tin. Fill 2/3 full and lower the baking time to 18-21 minutes.

Remove 1/4c of flour and 1/4c of butter and replace with sourdough discard or fed sourdough starter for an einkorn sourdough banana bread. It’s even better when you pop the batter in the fridge in the evening and bake it the next day for the added health benefits of fermented sourdough.

Add a streusel topping for an extra decadent freshly milled flour banana bread.

How to ripen bananas for einkorn banana bread

If your bananas don’t have brown spots and aren’t ripe enough for banana bread, they won’t be very sweet. You need to wait until they have black dots all over them – the riper the better! However, if you’re ready to make einkorn banana bread, but your bananas aren’t ready, you can ripen them in the oven!

If you want to try to ripen them in the oven, just pop them into a preheated 300 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. You don’t even need to peel them! Leave them whole and when the skins turn black, you’re ready to go!

Next time you have over-ripe bananas and you’re looking to have a delicious snack or an easy breakfast, this is perfect and will become one of your favorite recipes. With a light crumb, the nutty flavor of whole grains and a rich banana flavor, look no further than this einkorn banana bread with freshly milled flour! THIS is real food! Follow along for more einkorn recipes!

Einkorn Banana Bread Printable Recipe Card

Freshly Milled Flour Banana Bread

This is absolutely the best banana bread I've ever tasted! Light, fluffy, moist, and so delicious!

Print

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 600g or 4-5 bananas
• 2 eggs
• 10g or 2t. vanilla
• 2/3c melted butter

Dry Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 170g or 3/4c. brown sugar
• 360g or 3c freshly milled einkorn flour
• 2 pinches of salt
• 8g or 2t. baking soda

Instructions

1. Mash bananas and combine wet ingredients together.

2. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients.

3. Put the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together and whisk until just mixed. If you overmix the batter, it develops the gluten and makes it tough. So make sure to stop whisking as soon as it comes together.

4. Prepare 2 loaf pans with nonstick spray. Divide the batter between the two loaf pans.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. The batter needs to sit for 15 minutes minimum in order for the freshly milled einkorn to absorb the liquid and soften the grains and that's why I choose to preheat the oven at this stage of the baking process. Then once it's preheated, the batter had time to sit and it's ready to go in.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

7. Take out of pan and let cool. Store in an airtight container.

The post Easy One Bowl Fresh Milled Einkorn Banana Bread appeared first on Little Reasons.

If you’ve been around for long, you’ll know that I LOOOVVVEEE pumpkin everything! You can find recipes on my blog for pumpkin sourdough pancakes, or chocolate chip sourdough pumpkin cookies, or spiced sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls, or pumpkin sourdough waffles with discard. So. Many. Pumpkin. Options. And now there’s one more!

You won’t believe how easy scones are to make. Once you cut your butter into the dry ingredients, you pour in the wet ingredients, mix gently, and shape. They are super simple and before long you’ll be able to serve your friends the best scones they have ever had! I think you’ll find it to be the perfect fall treat.

Ingredients for sourdough pumpkin scones

It’s that time of year for pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin everything! Whether you need a quick breakfast, a Thanksgiving brunch, or a fast treat, this is a great way to get the pumpkin flavor in a new way! Furthermore, a big plus is that you’ll also have a new way to use up the extra sourdough discard you have sitting around!

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Dry Ingredients

• 240g. all purpose flour (I use fresh milled flour made from soft white wheat)
• 60g. dark brown sugar
• 1t baking powder
• 1/2t baking soda
• 1/2t salt
• 1 1/2t pumpkin pie spice

Cut in the butter!!

• 1 stick of butter, cubed or grated

Wet Ingredients

• 100g sourdough starter (active sourdough starter or sourdough starter discard)
• 1 egg
• 100g pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

Instructions

Dry ingredients

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together – flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. If you use freshly milled flour, it needs to cool because it comes out of the mill a bit warm. Pop it into the freezer for a while until it cools down. You want all the ingredients very cold in order to make sure the scones are nice and chilled when they go into the hot oven. This helps the butter melt more slowly and it creates a flaky texture.

I usually mix all my ingredients with a whisk, or my new favorite kitchen tool – a danish whisk!!

Cut in the butter

Add cubed unsalted butter into the flour mixture and cut it in with a pastry cutter until the chunks of butter are the size of peas. Make sure you have very cold butter. If you have room temperature butter, it won’t make tender scones with flaky layers. My very favorite pastry cutter has solid sides like THIS one so it’s sturdier.

As an alternative to the pastry blender, you can use grated butter that has been frozen or is very cold. Just add the grated frozen butter and you won’t need to use the pastry blender. Some people also use a food processor to chop the butter into small pieces. I’ve never done that, but I heard it works well.

Wet Ingredients

In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients – sourdough starter, egg, and fresh or canned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling).

Give it a good stir! Once you add it to the flour mixture, you don’t want to work it too much, so it’s good to have it all completely incorporated at this point.

After that, add wet ingredients to the large mixing bowl with dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until it just comes together. Do not overmix or it will develop the gluten and make the scones tough. You’ll end up with a shaggy dough.

Shaping the sourdough pumpkin scones

Turn the shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. I usually flip the dough over onto the floured countertop so that both sides have a bit of the flour and aren’t sticky. Pat the soft dough into a rectangle. Fold it over and pat out again. Certainly you can use a rolling pin, but it’s easier just to pat it out with your hands. Do this a total of 7 times, and it will give you a light airy scone with flaky layers and pockets of air.

Gently make the scone dough into a circle about 1″ thick. Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to cut the dough into 8 pie shaped pieces. Cut the dough straight down and straight up to make clean cuts. Surprisingly, when you saw back and forth, the edges will seal and it causes the scones to not raise as high. You can also use a round cookie cutter or a biscuit cutter, but make sure you put the cookie cutter straight down and back up without twisting it.

When you cut the butter in well, you end up with these flecks of butter that will give you the flakey layers. SO good!

Baking the pumpkin spice scones

Finally, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set the sourdough pumpkin scones onto the parchment lined baking tray. Leave plenty of room between the scones on the tray to allow them room to spread while cooking.

Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the scones with half and half, heavy cream, or a little extra buttermilk.

Put scones into the freezer while the oven preheats to 400 degrees. It is especially important to preheat the oven AFTER you make the scones when you’re using freshly milled flour. When working with flour that you mill at home, you need to let the mixture rest for at least 15 minutes before baking so it has time to absorb all the liquids. Even if you’re using all purpose flour, you’ll want to let them rest in the freezer to get nice and cold so they keep their shape better in the oven.

Bake the sourdough pumpkin scones on the prepared baking sheet for 18-20 minutes until they are golden brown.

Cool sourdough pumpkin scones on a wire rack.

Overall, for best results, eat immediately or store in an airtight container for about a week.

FAQs for pumpkin sourdough scones

Can you freeze sourdough pumpkin scones?

Absolutlely! These are a great make-ahead option. You can freeze the leftover scones after they are baked. I put them on a parchment lined baking sheet in the freezer. Once they are fully frozen, place the frozen scones into a zip top freezer bag or an airtight container and store in the freezer. Reheat in the toaster oven or microwave.

Alternately, you can freeze shaped scones on a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper. Once they are frozen, take the unbaked scones and store in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container in the freezer. Next time you’re ready for a fall treat, simply bake them. Follow the baking instructions and add a few extra minutes on to the bake time for the frozen scones.

Variations:

Add chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or cinnamon chips into the dough before shaping.

Cover dough with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight. Bake the next day for fermented sourdough pumpkin scones.

Top with a maple glaze.

Add streusel to the top of the scones for an extra decadent treat!

Drizzle with cream cheese frosting for an extra sweet treat!

In conclusion, these sourdough discard pumpkin scones are an excellent addition to your sourdough discard recipes. If you love quick breads, you’ll love this scone recipe. It’s easy and makes the most delicious scones full of pumpkin and warm cinnamon fall flavor!

Recipe Card for Sourdough Pumpkin Scones

Sourdough Pumpkin Scones

Print

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 240g. all purpose flour (I use fresh milled flour)
• 60g. dark brown sugar
• 1t baking powder
• 1/2t baking soda
• 1/2t salt
• 1 1/2t pumpkin pie spice

The rest of the ingredients!

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 stick of butter, cubed (or grated)
• 100g sourdough starter
• 1 egg
• 100g pumpkin puree

Instructions

1. Mix dry ingredients together - flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soday, salt and pumpkin pie spice. If you use freshly milled flour, it needs to cool because it comes out of the mill a bit warm. Pop it into the freezer for a while until it cools down. You want all the ingredients very cold in order to make sure the scones are nice and chilled when they go into the hot oven. This helps the butter melt more slowly and it creates a flaky texture.
2. Add cubed butter and cut it in with a pastry blender until it is the size of peas. Alternately, you can use grated cold or frozen butter as well. Some people also use a food processor to chop the butter into small pieces. I've never done that, but I heard it works well.
3. Add wet ingredients - sourdough starter, egg, and pumpkin puree. Mix with a wooden spoon until it just comes together. Do not overmix or it will develop the gluten and make the scones tough.
4. Turn the shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. I usually flip the dough over onto the floured countertop so that both sides have a bit of the flour and aren't sticky. Pat the soft dough into a rectangle. Fold it over and pat out again. You can use a rolling pin, but it's easier just to pat it out with your hands. Do this a total of 7 times, and it will give you a light airy scone with flaky layers and pockets of air.
5. Gently make the scone dough into a circle about 1" thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 pie shaped pieces. Cut the dough straight down and straight up to make clean cuts. If you saw back and forth, the edges will seal and it causes the scones to not raise as high. You can also use a round cookie cutter or a biscuit cutter, but make sure you put the cookie cutter straight down and back up without twisting it.
6. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set the sourdough pumpkin scones onto the lined baking tray. Leave plenty of room between the scones on the tray to allow them room to spread while cooking.
7. Brush the top of each scone with half and half, heavy cream, or a little extra buttermilk.
8. Put scones into the freezer while the oven preheats to 400 degrees.
9. Bake the sourdough pumpkin scones for 18-20 minutes until they are golden brown.Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for about a week.

The post The Best Easy Sourdough Pumpkin Scones with Discard appeared first on Little Reasons.

While regular cornbread muffins are great, when you add either active sourdough starter or sourdough discard and let it have time for fermentation to occur, it gives a deeper flavor. Additionally, there are also more health benefits when you allow the wild yeast to eat the sugar and gluten in the sourdough corn muffins.

This is a super easy recipe. Sourdough discard makes healthier muffins and is a great idea to use up older discard.

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Ingredients for sourdough corn muffins

Wet ingredients

• 225g or 1c sour cream
• 75g or 1/4c sourdough discard or active starter
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 30g or 2T avocado oil or melted coconut oil

Dry ingredients

• 100g or 3/4c white cornmeal, yellow cornmeal, OR coarse cornmeal
• 120g or 1c all purpose flour (or whole wheat flour or freshly milled flour)
• 50g or 1/4c sugar
• 2t baking powder
• 3/4t. pink Himalayan salt
• ADD LATER: 1/2t baking soda

Instructions for sourdough corn muffins

Wet and Liquid Ingredients:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients together and stir to combine. That will be the sourdough discard or active sourdough starter, 1 large egg, and oil (avocado oil, melted coconut oil, or vegetable oil), and sour cream. Surprisingly, this is really the secret ingredient because the sour cream helps keep the cornbread recipes from drying out!

If you want to try to make your own sourdough starter, check out my guide HERE>

Dry Ingredients:

Next, in a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients – cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, all purpose flour or whole wheat flour or freshly milled flour. If you use all purpose flour, I love this King Arthur one.  

(DO NOT ADD BAKING SODA YET! Let it sit overnight. Because both the sour cream and the baking soda work together as a leavening agent to help it rise, I always add it after it has a chance to ferment.)

Mix

Put the liquid ingredients and dry ingredients together and use a wooden spoon or whisk to combine. I am absolutely loving the danish whisk for thick batters like this one. It works like a whisk but the thick batter doesn’t get stuck in the middle. It’s much easier for cleanup!

Do not overmix. If you mix the batter too much, it develops the gluten and makes it tough. Consequently, make sure to stop whisking as soon as it comes together. 

Always ferment sourdough recipes for best results – even a few hours will help the yeast to go to work on the sugar and gluten. As a result, I usually make this the night before and cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, I add the baking soda and continue on. Write on the plastic wrap like I did below to help you to remember to add the baking soda in the morning! Trust me on this. Unfortunately, I have forgotten one too many times and it’s SO disappointing!!!

The Next Morning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the morning, add the baking soda and give it a gentle mix.

The next thing you do is to prepare the muffin pan by either spraying with cooking spray, or using muffin liners. Divide the batter between the muffin cups in the prepared muffin tin, filling each 2/3 full.

Then, bake in the preheated oven set at 350 degrees for 20-23 minutes until golden brown. Finally, when they come out of the oven, you can brush them with a bit of melted butter or melted unsalted butter if desired. I really love a silicone and wood pastry brush like THIS ONE.

Take sourdough cornbread muffins out of the pan and let them cool on a wire rack. Eat immediately for the best result. Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

These muffins are absolutely delicious. They are not overly sweet like you’d find in Jiffy muffin mix. They also aren’t dry like many cornbread recipes are. The sour cream keeps them moist. If you’re looking for something that tastes more like it came out of a box, you may want to kick up the sugar a bit to give that flavor.

But I think you’ll find these cornbread muffins with the deeper flavor of sourdough and the homemade taste will beat a box mix every time! There’s nothing like being able to control the ingredients that go into your family’s bodies!

FAQs

Do I have to let it sit overnight?

Nope! Letting the sourdough corn muffins ferment will give it the biggest health benefits. But you could make it in the morning and let it sit in the fridge until you bake them for dinner, or you can whip them up and cook immediately.

Variations and toppings for sourdough corn muffins:

*My personal favorite is to top the sourdough cornbread muffins with a little bit of butter and jam

*Swap out dairy products for oat milk, coconut milk, or another non-dairy milk and sour cream for a dairy free version!

*Use whole wheat flour or fresh milled flour for an even healthier option.

*Use the sourdough corn muffins in cornbread stuffing

*Skip the muffin liners and pour in a 9×13 baking dish for 15-30 minutes

*Make into what my mom called “ho-cakes” or “Johnny cakes” and cook them on a hot skillet or cast iron skillet like pancakes instead of in muffin tins. It makes them cook SO fast!

*Use gluten-free flour or almond flour for a version that has no gluten in it!

*Pour into a greased loaf pan for a sourdough corn quick bread -lengthen baking time and cook 45min-1hour

*Place dollops of cornbread on top of an oven proof pot of chili and cook as directed for cornbread topped chili! Or just serve the moist cornbread muffins next to a bowl of chili!

*Add vanilla extract and a little more sugar for a sweet cornbread version.

*Serve with a pat of butter and a drizzle of honey

*For a very savory side, omit the sugar, and add chopped jalapeños and cheddar cheese before baking for a cheesy and spicy perfect side dish.

*Swap out the white sugar for maple syrup for a refined sugar free sourdough cornbread recipe

*Add fresh corn cut off the cob for an even sweeter sourdough corn muffin with a delicious texture and even more corn flavor.

*Brush the tops with a melted butter mixture to make them even softer.

How to store sourdough corn muffins

Store in an airtight container or ziploc bag for 3-5 days.

Freeze in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container for 3-6 months.

Heat leftover muffins in the microwave or toaster oven.

I hope you try this cornbread muffin with a sourdough twist! It will become one of your new favorite sourdough muffin recipes I’m sure! It’s the perfect addition to a cozy fall or winter dinner and it’s a great way to use up older discard that you have sitting in the back of your fridge. If you try any of the variations, please let me know. I always love to hear how your ideas turn out. Happy baking!

Printable Recipe Card:

Sourdough Corn Muffins

Print

Ingredients

Wet ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 225g or 1c sour cream
• 75g or 1/4c sourdough starter
• 1 egg
• 30g or 2T avocado oil

Dry ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 100g or 3/4c cornmeal
• 120g or 1c all purpose flour (or freshly milled flour)
• 50g or 1/4c sugar
• 2t baking powder
• 3/4t. salt
• ADD LATER: 1/2t baking soda

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine wet ingredients together. 2. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. (DO NOT ADD BAKING SODA YET! This reacts with the sour cream to help it rise, so I always add it after it has a chance to ferment.) 3. Put the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together and whisk until just mixed. If you overmix the batter, it develops the gluten and makes it tough. So make sure to stop whisking as soon as it comes together.  4. Sourdough recipes are best if they have a chance to ferment, so I usually make this the night before and cover with saran wrap and put it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, I add the baking soda and continue on.

5. Prepare muffin tins with liners. Divide the batter between the liners, filling each 2/3 full. 6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-23 minutes.  7. Take out of pan and let cool. Store in an airtight container.

The post Easy Sourdough Corn Muffins Your Family Will Love appeared first on Little Reasons.

I love recipes I can make up in advance and have ready to go in the morning. It’s even better when making it in advance enhances the health benefits – and that’s exactly what happens in this recipe! The sourdough discard is not used as a leavening agent in this recipe. Instead, it’s used as a way to make it more healthy, by giving the wild yeast time to essentially “eat up” the gluten and sugars present in the flour during the overnight fermentation. This makes the flour more digestible and makes the pancakes easier on your gut.

You’ll find the fluffy texture of these sourdough banana pancakes will rival the best restaurant pancakes, but in a way that benefits your family’s health! So read on for the super simple instructions on how to make this delicious fall breakfast.

Ingredients for Sourdough Banana Pancakes

The ingredients for sourdough banana pancakes are super simple and are usually found in a well stocked pantry. This is a perfect way to take those pantry staples, pair them with a few overripe bananas and end up with a delightful fall breakfast! You can use up all the extra sourdough starter discard you have in your fridge from making sourdough bread. Plus, finding another great way to use up your overripe bananas can’t be a bad thing, right?

So, if you’re ready to go beyond the classic sourdough pancakes, and to have less work in the morning follow along!

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Wet ingredients

• 2 overripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2c extra starter ( active sourdough starter or sourdough discard)
• 1 egg
• 1T melted butter, vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil
• 1t. vanilla extract
• 1c cultured buttermilk

Dry Ingredients

• 1 1/4c all purpose white flour, fresh milled flour, or whole wheat flour (do not use bread flour)
• 1t ground cinnamon
• 1T raw sugar, white sugar or brown sugar
• pinch of Himalayan sea salt, or any salt you have on hand
• 1t baking powder
• ADD LATER! 1t baking soda

Instructions for Sourdough Banana Pancakes

The night before:

Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl or medium bowl. Add the active sourdough starter (or extra sourdough discard), egg, melted butter or oil, vanilla extract, and buttermilk. Whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and baking powder (DO NOT ADD THE BAKING SODA AT THIS TIME! IT WILL BEGIN TO REACT IMMEDIATELY)

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in the large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until the flour is just combined. Any time you are working with things like pancakes, cakes, and cookies, you’ll want to make sure to stop mixing as soon as it’s all coming together. If you overmix the pancake batter, you’ll work the gluten in the flour and it will make the pancakes tough.

Cover the large bowl with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator. If you’re like me and you have an ADHD brain, you may want to write “add 1t. baking soda!” to the top of the plastic wrap so you don’t forget in the morning!

The next morning:

After you’ve had the batter rest overnight, heat a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. While that is preheating, take the batter out of the fridge and add the baking soda, mixing with a wooden spoon or a dough whisk (this is my new favorite kitchen tool!!!) until it is just combined.

Turn the hot pan down to medium heat and use fresh butter, cooking spray, or a little oil on the pan to prevent sticking. Then use a 1/4 cup batter to make medium pancakes and 1/3 to 1/2 cup measure for larger pancakes.

Let the pancakes cook until you see bubble on the surface begin to pop. Flip them over and allow the second side to cook until it’s golden brown. Take the cooked pancakes off the pan and put on a serving platter. Cover them with a tea towel to keep in the heat while you finish cooking the pancakes.

Serve immediately.

FAQs

How do I store banana sourdough pancakes?

I store these either in my refrigerator or the freezer. To store in the fridge, put them in an airtight container or zip top bag. You’ll want to use them over the next 3-5 days.

I often make a double batch and put the extras in the freezer for longer storage and for quick meals in the future. When I do that, I freeze them on a sheet pan covered in parchment paper. Put them in a single layer and freeze until completely frozen. Put the frozen pancakes into a Ziplock freezer bag or an airtight container.

By freezing them individually, it keeps them from freezing together and allows you to pull out one at a time. Then you can pull out fluffy sourdough banana pancakes any time your heart desires without having to make them fresh!

How do I reheat sourdough banana pancakes?

I find the best way to reheat these is in the toaster oven. It makes them a bit crispy on the exterior, but if you want them super soft, you can just wrap them in aluminum foil first. Alternately you can heat them up in the microwave!

What kinds of toppings do you recommend for sourdough banana pancakes with discard?

Here are some of our favorite things we use as toppings, plus some ideas I want to try here at home:

*pure maple syrup and butter

*brown sugar and pecans

*butter and cinnamon sugar

*chocolate chips and whipped cream would be amazing!!!

*cinnamon chips would be sooooo good

*I think my warm caramel buttermilk syrup would be divine on these!

*My recipe for cream cheese whipped cream would take these to the next level!

*Maybe a bit of natural peanut butter with more fresh bananas on top

*Marshmallow fluff and peanut butter for a little fluffer nutter pancake?

I’d love to hear your favorite toppings or what other ideas you come up with!

Do I have to make them the night before?

No you can absolutely make these right before cooking them! Leaving them in the refrigerator overnight is just to give the wild yeast time to have a long fermentation and give the health benefits of sourdough. Additionally, it gives the slight tang of the sourdough to add to the flavor. However, these are just as yummy if you mix them up and cook them right away!

Can I use something instead of cultured buttermilk?

Yes absolutely! I love using cultured buttermilk because it makes such fluffy pancakes! However, in a pinch, you can put a splash of vinegar or lemon juice in the bottom of the measuring cup before you pour in the milk. Then after you pour the milk in, give it a stir and let it sit for about 5 minutes for it to begin to curdle.

That acidity from the lemon juice or vinegar will react with the baking soda to create the chemical reaction that allows the pancakes to rise.

So, if you’re looking for an easy recipe and different ways to use up overripe bananas outside of the typical sourdough banana bread before you add them to your food waste, this is the recipe for you!

Printable sourdough banana pancake recipe card below:

Sourdough Banana Pancakes

Print

Ingredients

Wet ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1/2c sourdough starter
• 1 egg
• 1T melted butter
• 1t. vanilla
• 1c cultured buttermilk

Dry Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 1/4c all purpose flour (or fresh milled flour)
• 1t cinnamon
• 1T raw sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1t baking powder
• ADD LATER! 1t baking soda

Instructions

1. Combine wet ingredients together. 2. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. (DO NOT ADD BAKING SODA YET! This reacts with the buttermilk to help it rise, so I always add it after it has a chance to ferment.) 3. Put the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together and whisk until just mixed. If you overmix the batter, it develops the gluten and makes it tough. So make sure to stop whisking as soon as it comes together.  4. Sourdough recipes are best if they have a chance to ferment, so I usually make this the night before and cover with saran wrap and put it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, I add the baking soda and continue on. 5. Preheat a cast iron skillet, then turn down to low.

6. Put butter on the skillet and then drop batter by spoonful (or using a 1/4c measuring cup).

7. Flip after the pancakes have bubbles that begin to pop.

8. Let cook on second side until they are golden brown.

9. Serve with whipped cream, syrup and pecans or walnuts, or just a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

The post The Best Sourdough Banana Pancakes with Discard appeared first on Little Reasons.

Cozy fall mornings are one of my very favorite things! It’s pumpkin season, and I I love ALL the autumn recipes and warm spices and pumpkin flavor! If you haven’t seen a pattern in my blog yet, you can look back to my pumpkin cinnamon rolls, or pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, or pumpkin waffles… So many fall favorites! And here’s a new one to add!

Why Use Sourdough in Pumpkin Pancakes?

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Sourdough is for more than just sourdough bread! I love to add sourdough to all my baked goods! Sourdough starter is full of gut healthy bacteria that break down the sugar and gluten in the pancakes.

While you can make the pumpkin sourdough pancake batter and use it right away, it’s best to make this the night before and pop it in the fridge to let the batter ferment. Overnight, the yeast and bacteria goes to work breaking down the phytic acid, gluten and sugar in the batter. It’s the best way to make these even healthier.

When you pull it out the next morning, not only are these fluffy sourdough pancakes a super delicious fall breakfast, but it has had a long fermentation that makes them a healthy breakfast full of fall flavors.

Sourdough Pumpkin Pancake Recipe:

Wet Ingredients:

• 3T. melted butter or coconut oil
• 1 (15oz) can of pumpkin purée
• 2 eggs
• 2c. cultured buttermilk
• 1/2c. active sourdough starter (or leftover sourdough discard)
• 1 1/2t. vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 1/2t. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8t. salt
• 2t. baking soda
• 2t. baking powder
• 2T. raw sugar or brown sugar
• 2 1/2c. all purpose flour, whole wheat flour or my favorite – freshly milled soft white wheat

Instructions:

These fluffy sourdough pancakes with pumpkin have minimal ingredients, so they are super simple to throw together before you go to bed at night. Then the next day they are waiting for you to make!

Combine dry ingredients:

The night before you want to make pancakes, combine dry ingredients into a large bowl (except for baking soda – the baking soda makes a chemical reaction with the buttermilk to help rise the pumpkin sourdough pancakes, so we will keep this out until we are ready to make them)

So mix the raw sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and flour. I use freshly milled soft white wheat flour (see the above photo – I have ground my flour for years in my Vitamix dry container).

I find that it gives the best taste, and it’s full of fiber and vitamins. If you don’t mill your own flour, you can use whole wheat flour or all purpose flour. I’ve used many kinds of flour to make these and they all work well.

Combine wet ingredients:

Combine wet ingredients into a separate bowl or glass measuring cup – melted butter, fresh pumpkin puree, eggs, buttermilk, active starter or sourdough starter discard, and vanilla extract. (Because you’re not using the sourdough as a leavening agent, it doesn’t matter if you use discard or active starter. Either is fine.)

In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients. Mix until they are just combined. You don’t want to overmix pancakes because it will make them tough as the gluten in the flour is developed. So as soon as you see it come together, stop.

Let the batter rest:

Cover the pancake mixture with plastic wrap and put in the fridge until the next morning. I always write “add 2t. baking soda” to the tight plastic wrap so I don’t forget to do that in the morning.

The next day when you pull the large mixing bowl out of the fridge, add 2t. of baking soda and begin making pancakes. Heat cast iron skillet on medium high heat for a few minutes. Apply butter liberally just before you add the batter to the hot pan.

(You could also use a non-stick pan. I just don’t have one! You can also use non-stick spray instead of butter.)

I almost always use a cast-iron skillet to make my pancakes. In these photos, I’m using a piece of steel my brother in law gave me that he used to use in his sourdough bakery. He passed it along to me to use as a pizza steel, but I often use it like this for pancakes, French toast, quesadillas, grilled cheese, and more.

You can get a similar pizza steel HERE.

Bake:

Measure about one quarter cup of batter onto the hot pan. Turn heat down to medium heat – the cast iron skillet holds onto that heat and can burn the pancakes fast.

As you’re cooking the first side, keep a close watch. Once you see little bubbles forming and popping on the pancakes, use a metal spatula to flip them over. This usually takes a few minutes. When the second side is golden brown and they have crispy edges, take them off the pan. This side cooks much faster!

Continue until you use up the rest of the batter. Make them all because they save really well!

Serve immediately or store in the fridge or freezer for quick and healthy fall breakfasts.

Variations on pumpkin sourdough pancakes:

Variations:

• Pumpkin Spice Latte Pancakes – Add 1-2 tablespoons of espresso powder to the batter. Make whipped cream with a dash of expresso powder, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice for topping!
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pancakes – Fold in dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips for the chocolate lover! Top with homemade whipped cream.
• Nutty Pumpkin Pancakes – Add chopped pecans, walnuts, or other nuts for a crunch.
• Cranberry Pumpkin Pancakes – Fold in fresh or dried cranberries for a tart twist.
• Maple Glazed Pumpkin Pancakes – Cook down your real maple syrup to make a maple glaze, then drizzle with the maple glaze instead of syrup.
• Thanksgiving Pancakes – Top with candied pecans and a dollop of whipped cream.
• Mini Pancake Stacks – Perfect for brunch boards or a special breakfast for kids.
• Peanut butter Pumpkin – My family loves to top any kind of pancake with natural peanut butter and real maple syrup.
• Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pancakes – Swap regular milk for oat milk, soy milk, coconut milk, or almond milk and butter for coconut oil. Just make sure to add a splash of vinegar or lemon juice in with your alternate milk in order to react with the baking soda correctly.
• Egg-Free Pumpkin Pancakes – Use 2T. of ground flax and 6T. of water to replace the eggs. Whisk together mixture and let sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. Alternately, you can use applesauce as a binder in place of the eggs (about 1/4c per egg).

Syrup & Favorite Toppings:

• Pure Maple Syrup – This is my preference! We use maple syrup from our maple trees. SO delicious! If you want to learn how to make real maple syrup at home, check out THIS blog post.
• Cinnamon Cream Cheese Drizzle – Like a pumpkin roll in pancake form. Combine cream cheese, a little brown sugar and cinnamon, and milk or half and half to thin it out. Use a hand mixer to mix until it’s the perfect drizzle consistency.
• Salted Caramel Drizzle – Use your favorite Carmel sauce and top with flaked salt. Sweet and Salty!
• Apple Compote Topping – Cook apples down with cinnamon, sugar, and a little butter and spoon it over the sourdough pumpkin pancakes.
• Whipped cream and fresh fruit – A classic!
• Buttermilk syrup – This homemade buttermilk syrup would taste AMAZING on them!
• Pumpkin Roll Topping – My very favorite way to make these pancakes taste like a pumpkin roll!!! Just take a look at how delicious these look with this topping!!! (photo below) Get the recipe HERE!

Freezing Fluffy Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes

I freeze these pancakes on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the sourdough pancakes in a single layer and freeze for a few hours. Then put into an airtight container or zip top bag in the freezer. I find that freezing them this way makes them easier to pull out of the freezer instead of having them freeze together.

FAQs

Do I have to make the batter for sourdough pumpkin spice pancakes in advance?

While you can make these pancakes immediately, you get the most health benefit by letting them sit about 8 hours or overnight. However, I have made them right away after mixing the batter lots of times! Sometimes, best isn’t always possible, so I do what I can! Feel free to make these right away or make the batter the night before. Either works fine.

If you choose to make them right away and not let the batter rest overnight, that’s just fine. But if you are using freshly milled wheat flour, the batter does need to sit for at least 15 minutes in order to allow the flour to absorb all the liquid. This definitely helps the texture of the pancake to be really fluffy pancakes that are light.

Do I have to use buttermilk for sourdough pancakes?

No. While I love using cultured buttermilk for the best flavor and texture, you absolutely don’t have to use it! You can simply use whole milk with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice to make sure it’s acidic enough for the baking soda to react with.

I don’t have any sourdough starter. Can I leave it out?

Yes, if you don’t have any active starter or sourdough starter discard on hand, you can leave it out and cook the pumpkin pancakes right away. However, if you’d like to get started with sourdough recipes, you can learn to make your very own sourdough starter HERE.

I hope this one makes it into your favorite sourdough recipes for the fall. It’s really a great way to use simple ingredients in order to eat healthy, and enjoy all the warm spices and pumpkin goodness that autumn offers! So for your next Saturday morning big breakfast, grab a hot cup of coffee and this recipe and you’ll be in fall heaven!

Printable recipe card for Pumpkin Sourdough Pancakes:

Pumpkin Sourdough Pancakes

If you're looking for a light and fluffy pancake that's full of gut healthy sourdough and tastes like fall, you've found it!

Print

Ingredients

• 3T. melted butter
• 1 (15oz) can of pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 2c. cultured buttermilk
• 1/2c. active sourdough starter or sourdough discard
• 1 1/2t. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2t. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8t. salt
• 2t. baking soda
• 2t. baking powder
• 2T. raw sugar
• 2 1/2c. flour

Instructions

1. The night before you want to make pancakes, combine wet ingredients into a bowl - melted butter, pumpkin, eggs, buttermilk, sourdough starter, and vanilla.
2. Combine dry ingredients into a separate bowl (except for baking soda - the baking soda makes a chemical reaction with the buttermilk to help rise the pancakes, so we will keep this out until we are ready to make them)
3. Gently mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together until they are just combined. You don't want to overmix pancakes because it will make them tough as the gluten in the flour is developed. So as soon as you see it come together, stop.
4. Cover the pancake mixture with plastic wrap and put in the fridge until the next morning. I always write "add 2t. baking soda" to the tight plastic wrap so I don't forget to do that in the morning.
5. When you pull the mixture out of the fridge, add 2t. of baking soda and begin making pancakes.
6. Heat cast iron pan and apply butter liberally.
7. Using a 1/4c measure, put pancakes onto the pan.
8. Once you see bubbles forming and popping on the pancakes, use a spatula to flip them over.
9. When the second side is browned, take them off the pan.
10. Serve with maple syrup (learn how to make it from your maple trees here!), whipped cream, or this amazing cream cheese whipped cream!

Notes

While you can make these pancakes immediately, you get the most health benefit by letting them sit about 8 hours or overnight.

The post How to Make Pumpkin Sourdough Pancakes With Discard appeared first on Little Reasons.

While sweet scones are the classic scone you’ll often see, I love the savory flavor of these buttermilk cheese scones. A little unexpected and oh, so delicious!  

I make these a healthy addition to our meals by swapping out white flour for freshly milled soft white wheat. Because wheat berries contain 40 of the 44 nutrients that our bodies need, when you mill wheat and then immediately use it, the nutrients are locked in and available for your body to use!

White flour has the super healthy bran and germ removed to make light and fluffy baked goods and to make the flour shelf stable. Unfortunately, this bran and germ is where all the nutrition lies. So to make these savory scones a nutritionally dense addition to your meals, consider using freshly milled soft white wheat. However, these fluffy cheese scones will also work beautifully and create an amazing flaky texture if you’d like to use traditional all purpose flour!

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Ingredients for Buttermilk Cheese Scones

My top tip for this basic buttermilk scones recipe is to use very cold ingredients. You don’t want to use anything room temperature, or it won’t perform the same way. A good scone is always made with super cold ingredients to make sure it’s as flaky and layered as possible.

Cold Buttermilk

I prefer to use cultured cold buttermilk for the best scones, but you could just as easily use a few teaspoons of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice in the bottom of the measuring cup and then use whole milk.

Cheese

You can use any kind of cheese in this scones.  My favorite is strong mature cheddar cheese and a bit of chopped chives or green onions, but you could use anything! However, when you use a sharp cheddar cheese, the flavor is a bit more pronounced. So go to town with garlic powder/cheddar/parsley, smoked gouda and apple, bacon bits and brie, gorgonzola and fig… really any grated cheese and fresh herbs and additions would give you delicious fluffy cheese scones! 

Flour

You can use any all purpose flour.  I’d stay away from bread flour since you don’t want a flour with a super high protein content.  I tend to use freshly milled flour.  In this recipe, I used freshly milled soft white wheat berries so it makes it a tiny bit denser, but it’s still light and amazing. If you use plain flour, you will get a fluffier texture.

Baking Powder

I use double acting baking powder to give them a great rise.

Salt

I prefer to use Himalayan sea salt or Redmond Real Salt since they are both full of minerals, but any salt will work!

Cold Unsalted Butter

Make sure to use nice cold unsalted butter for this recipe to give you the absolute best cheese scones. You can also freeze the butter and grate it into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. If you don’t have unsalted butter, just omit the salt in the recipe. If you use room temperature butter, it won’t give you the flakey layers you’re looking for. See those flakey layers in the photo below?! Soooo good!

Soft. Light. Fluffy. You’re going to love this easy recipe for the most delicious savoury scones!

How to Make Flaky Buttermilk Cheese Scones

1. Set the Oven Temperature to 400 degrees to preheat it. (If you are using fresh milled flour, I tend to make them first, then let them absorb the moisture while I preheat the oven after they are made).

2. Make a Shaggy Dough for your buttermilk cheese scones

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, salt. Because I use fresh milled soft wheat berries for my scones, the flour right from the mill is warm. So, I make sure to throw the freshly milled flour into the freezer to get it good and chilled. You want all cold ingredients in order to make sure the scone dough is nice and chilled when they go into the hot oven. This helps the butter melt more slowly and it creates a flaky texture.

Cut the cold unsalted butter into small cubes and add it into the dry mixture in the large mixing bowl. Use a pastry cutter to break the butter up into small pieces about the size of peas. Alternately, you can use grated frozen butter as well. Some people also use a food processor to chop the butter into small pieces. I’ve never done that, but I heard it works well.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Mix the cold buttermilk and egg and whisk together. Add to the flour mixture, along with the grated cheese, and mix with a wooden spoon until it is just mixed. This should be a soft dough. Don’t over mix or you will have tough scones.

3. Cut the Scones on a Lightly Floured Work Surface

Turn the shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. I usually flip the dough over onto the floured countertop so that both sides have a bit of the flour and aren’t sticky. Pat the soft dough into a rectangle. Fold it over and pat out again. You can use a rolling pin, but it’s easier just to pat it out with your hands. Do this a total of 7 times – it gives you pockets of air to create a light airy scone with flaky layers.

Gently shape the scone dough into a circle about 1″ thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 pie shaped pieces. Cut the dough straight down and straight up to make clean cuts. If you saw back and forth, the edges will seal and it causes the scones to not raise as high. You can also use a round cookie cutter or a biscuit cutter, but make sure you put the cookie cutter straight down and back up without twisting it.

4. Prepare the Lined Baking Sheet and Bake your buttermilk cheese scones

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place the buttermilk cheese scones onto the lined baking tray. Leave plenty of room between the scones on the tray to allow them room to spread while cooking.

Brush the top of each buttermilk cheese scone with half and half, heavy cream, or a little extra buttermilk. You can also add a bit of flakey salt or parmesan cheese on top of the scones. This salt makes them SO delicious!

At this point, you can pop them in the freezer for 15 minutes to make sure they are super cold before heading into the oven. This also allows them to keep their shape. You can also bake them right away, but I do find when I do this, they tend to spread more. However, if you’re short on time, absolutely bake immediately!

Bake them in the 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until the scones are golden brown.

Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for about a week.

***note for freshly milled flour: If using freshly milled flour, it is very important to fully hydrate the grains, which takes at least 15 minutes. Because of that, I usually preheat the oven after I’ve made the scones. I pop the buttermilk cheese scones into the freezer while the oven is preheating, allowing the mixture time to hydrate while the oven preheats. This time in the freezer also assures that the ingredients are nice and cold before going into the oven.

FAQs

Can I make these buttermilk cheese scones without cheese?

Sure! They are still yummy and flakey and are very similar to American biscuits. They will still be a crowd pleaser for sure!

Can I bake these buttermilk cheese scones in an air fryer?

Yes! Place the small scones on parchment in the basket and reduce the baking time slightly. Keep an eye on them since air fryers vary.

Can I make these in advance?

The best way to make these in advance is to complete them to the point when you are ready to bake. At that time, freeze them. Once they are individually frozen, place them into a freezer bag and store in the freezer. When you’re ready to bake them, put them into a preheated oven and bake as normal, adding a bit of time to account for them being frozen.

You can also store them in the refrigerator unbaked for up to 2 days and then bake straight from the fridge.

Can these be sweet scones instead?

Absolutely! You can omit the sharp cheddar cheese and replace it with a cup of chocolate chips to make a sweet scone. I do tend to make small scones when I make these sweet. You can divide the soft dough in half and make 16 small scones instead of the larger savory scones. Also, sprinkle the top with raw sugar instead of flakey salt for the perfect scones with a crunchy top.

(Easy cheese scone recipe card below)

Buttermilk Cheese Scones

Yield: 8 scones

These fluffy and delicious scones will be an instant hit for breakfast, brunch, or alongside a bowl of soup for dinner!

Print

Ingredients

• 360g. (3c) freshly milled soft white wheat flour
• 135g. (1 1/2c) aged cheddar cheese, grated
• 3/4c. cold butter, cut into cubes
• 2g. (1/4t) salt
• 20g. (4 1/2t) baking powder
• 1c buttermilk
• 1 egg, beaten

Instructions

1. Set the Oven Temperature to 400 degrees to preheat it.
2. Make a Shaggy Dough
In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, salt. Because I use fresh milled soft wheat berries for my scones, the flour right from the mill is warm. So, I make sure to throw the freshly milled flour into the freezer to get it good and chilled. You want all the ingredients very cold in order to make sure the buttermilk cheese scones are nice and chilled when they go into the hot oven. This helps the butter melt more slowly and it creates a flaky texture.
Cut the cold unsalted butter into cubes and add it into the dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl. Use a pastry cutter to break the butter up into small pieces about the size of peas. Alternately, you can use grated frozen butter as well. Some people also use a food processor to chop the butter into small pieces. I've never done that, but I heard it works well.
In a separate small bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Mix the cold buttermilk and egg and whisk together. Add to the flour mixture, along with the grated cheese, and mix with a wooden spoon until it is just mixed. Don't over mix or you will have tough scones.
3. Cut the Scones on a Lightly Floured Work Surface
Turn the shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. I usually flip the dough over onto the floured countertop so that both sides have a bit of the flour and aren't sticky. Pat the soft dough into a rectangle. Fold it over and pat out again. You can use a rolling pin, but it's easier just to pat it out with your hands. Do this a total of 7 times, and it will give you a light airy scone with flaky layers and pockets of air.
Gently make the scone dough into a circle about 1" thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 pie shaped pieces. Cut the dough straight down and straight up to make clean cuts. If you saw back and forth, the edges will seal and it causes the scones to not raise as high. You can also use a round cookie cutter or a biscuit cutter, but make sure you put the cookie cutter straight down and back up without twisting it.
4. Prepare the Lined Baking Sheet and Bake
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set the buttermilk cheese scones onto the lined baking tray. Leave plenty of room between the scones on the tray to allow them room to spread while cooking.

Put scones in the freezer for at least 15 minutes to get them good and chilled.
Brush the top of each buttermilk cheese scone with half and half, heavy cream, or a little extra buttermilk. You can also add a bit of flakey salt or parmesan cheese on top of the scones. This salt makes them SO delicious!
Bake them in the 400 degree oven for 18-20 minutes until the scones are golden brown.
Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for about a week.

The post How to Make Buttermilk Cheese Scones with Cheddar appeared first on Little Reasons.

There’s nothing quite like the cozy flavors of pumpkin wrapped up in a soft, gooey cinnamon roll. These sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls have the tangy depth of sourdough bread. But they also have the rich, spiced sweetness of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice for the ultimate fall indulgence.

If you love homemade cinnamon rolls, this recipe will take your baking to the next level. You’ll love the slight sourdough tang and a melt in your mouth soft texture of these pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

Developing the pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe

I absolutely love a good homemade cinnamon roll. While I’ve used my cinnamon swirl bread to make them, I do find that they aren’t as soft and fluffy as I’d like. They also don’t last as long and they get a bit dry over time.

That’s when I realized that an enriched dough is what would make homemade cinnamon rolls perfection. An enriched dough is one that goes beyond flour, water, salt, and sourdough starter. It adds eggs or butter or milk that enrich the dough and make it softer. Not only is it softer when you first make it, but it stays that way for days!

I made my first round of homemade cinnamon rolls with my enriched challah bread recipe and there was no going back! So it was a natural that when I developed a pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe, I would start with my sourdough challah bread recipe and adapt it from there.

I added a little pumpkin puree, some pumpkin pie spice, and a rich tangy brown sugar cream cheese icing gave me everything I needed for a perfect pumpkin treat!

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Ingredients you’ll need for sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls:

To get the best results, gather all your dough ingredients ahead of time. Using a kitchen scale is important for consistent results.

Sourdough pumpkin cinnamon roll dough ingredients:

170g. active sourdough starter

175g. pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling. Make sure it’s pumpkin puree)

1t. pumpkin pie spice

90g. honey

75g. avocado oil (or melted butter)

10g. salt

2 eggs at room temperature

500g. bread flour or all purpose flour

Sourdough pumpkin cinnamon roll filling ingredients:

1/4c. softened butter

1/2c. brown sugar

2t. cinnamon

Brown sugar cream cheese icing ingredients:

1 – 8oz package softened cream cheese

3/4c brown sugar, packed

1/2 stick butter, softened

1t. vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

pinch of salt

Steps for sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls:

Feed your sourdough starter:

The day before you want to make your pumpkin sourdough cinnamon rolls, you’ll need to feed your sourdough starter. Pull out 100g. of sourdough starter and feed it with 100g of unbleached flour and 100g of filtered water. Cover it and let it rise until it’s doubled in size.

I normally do this midday and make the dough two hours before I go to bed. That way I can do the stretch and folds before bed and let it rise all night. The next day, I shape them in the morning and I’m ready to go!

Prepare the dough:

In a large mixing bowl, combine active starter, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, honey, avocado oil, salt, eggs and bread flour in a bowl. Mix with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until it’s too hard to mix and then use your hands to combine the rest.

This is a stiffer dough and you’ll need to work it in with your hands to get all the dry ingredients combined. If you’re using a KitchenAid, once the dough comes together, use the dough hook attachment for 2 minutes and then let it rest. I leave the dough hook in it and place a wet towel over the bowl.

Stretch and folds:

Over the next 2 hours, do 4 sets of stretch and folds about every half hour. To do this, you pull the dough and then fold it over. Turn the bowl 1/4 turn and do it again until you’ve done it 4-8 times.

Because this is a stiffer dough, I find it hard to do stretch and folds. I ended up pulling the dough ball out of the bowl, stretching it with my hands, then folding it over on itself a few times. Cover it with plastic wrap or a damp towel until the next set.

If you use a KitchenAid, you can just turn on the dough hook on low for 30 seconds for each set of stretch and folds and then just put the wet towel back on it to rest.

Bulk rise:

After your stretch and folds, let the sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls rise for 8-12 hours in a warm spot, until doubled in size. I normally make the dough 2 hours before bed so I can let it rise all night and then shape them in the morning.

Alternately, you can make the dough in the morning and let it rise all day. Then shape the cinnamon rolls in the evening.

Roll and fill the homemade cinnamon rolls:

This is the fun part! Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it onto a very lightly floured work surface. I use a plastic bench scraper to help get it all out of the bowl. Use a rolling pin and roll it into a large rectangle. I usually use my rolling pin to measure and make the rectangle as long as my rolling pin.

Spread the softened butter over the surface, then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. You can either mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl, or just sprinkle it on evenly.

Roll the dough tightly from the long side into a tight log. Use unflavored dental floss or a sharp knife to cut the log into 12 even rolls.

Place into a greased 9×13 baking sheet or pan. I also love putting them into (2) 8×8 pans with 6 in each pan (3 per half. Then there’s none in the middle and they all cook evenly). It also gives you the opportunity to cook one pan now and put one in the freezer for later!

You can also line the baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper for a bit of easier clean up!

Second rise:

At this point, cover and allow the cinnamon roll dough to rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours before baking. You’ll want them to be puffy and touching each other.

Bake the sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the sourdough pumpkin rolls in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Some people take the internal temperature and make sure it’s 190 degrees.

Make the brown sugar cream cheese icing:

While the sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls are cooling, make the brown sugar cream cheese icing. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine softened cream cheese, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt.

Using a paddle attachment or whisk attachment, start at a low speed and slowly raise the speed until you get to high. Let it whip for about 5 min., stopping the mixer and scraping down the sides a few times.

It should be super light and fluffy. Spread over the sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls and enjoy!

Storage tips:

Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat in a microwave, or wrap in aluminum foil and heat in a toaster oven or regular oven.

Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Yield: 12 cinnamon rolls

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls are the perfect treat for pumpkin season! So if you want a soft and gooey treat, these are for you!

Print

Ingredients

Sourdough pumpkin cinnamon roll dough ingredients:

Toggle ingredient group

• 170g. active sourdough starter
• 175g. pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling. Make sure it's pumpkin puree)
• 1t. pumpkin pie spice
• 90g. honey
• 75g. avocado oil (or melted butter)
• 10g. salt
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 500g. bread flour or all purpose flour

Sourdough pumpkin cinnamon roll filling ingredients:

Toggle ingredient group

• 1/4c. softened butter
• 1/2c. brown sugar
• 2t. cinnamon

Brown sugar cream cheese icing ingredients:

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 - 8oz package softened cream cheese
• 3/4c brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 stick butter, softened
• 1t. vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Feed your sourdough starter:
The day before you want to make your pumpkin sourdough cinnamon rolls, you'll need to feed your sourdough starter. Pull out 100g. of sourdough starter and feed it with 100g of unbleached flour and 100g of filtered water. Cover it and let it rise until it's doubled in size.

I normally do this midday and make the dough two hours before I go to bed. That way I can do the stretch and folds before bed and let it rise all night. The next day, I shape them in the morning and I'm ready to go!

2. Prepare the dough:
In a large mixing bowl, combine active starter, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, honey, avocado oil, salt, eggs and bread flour in a bowl. Mix with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until it's too hard to mix and then use your hands to combine the rest.

This is a stiffer dough and you'll need to work it in with your hands to get all the dry ingredients combined. If you're using a KitchenAid, once the dough comes together, use the dough hook attachment for 2 minutes and then let it rest. I leave the dough hook in it and place a wet towel over the bowl.

3. Stretch and folds:
Over the next 2 hours, do 4 sets of stretch and folds about every half hour. To do this, you pull the dough and then fold it over. Turn the bowl 1/4 turn and do it again until you've done it 4-8 times.

Because this is a stiffer dough, I find it hard to do stretch and folds. I ended up pulling the dough ball out of the bowl, stretching it with my hands, then folding it over on itself a few times. Cover it with plastic wrap or a damp towel until the next set.

If you use a KitchenAid, you can just turn on the dough hook on low for 30 seconds for each set of stretch and folds and then just put the wet towel back on it to rest.

4. Bulk rise:
After your stretch and folds, let the sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls rise for 8-12 hours in a warm spot, until doubled in size. I normally make the dough 2 hours before bed so I can let it rise all night and then shape them in the morning.

Alternately, you can make the dough in the morning and let it rise all day. Then shape the cinnamon rolls in the evening.

5. Roll and fill the homemade cinnamon rolls:
This is the fun part! Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it onto a very lightly floured work surface. I use a plastic bench scraper to help get it all out of the bowl. Use a rolling pin and roll it into a large rectangle.

Spread the softened butter over the surface, then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. You can either mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl, or just sprinkle it on evenly.

Roll the dough tightly from the long side into a tight log. Use unflavored dental floss or a sharp knife to cut the log into 12 even rolls.

Place into a greased 9x13 baking sheet or pan. I also love putting them into (2) 8x8 pans with 3 per half. This way they are able to cook more evenly. It also gives you the opportunity to cook one pan now and put one in the freezer for later!

You can also line the baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper for a bit of easier clean up!

6. Second rise:
At this point, cover and allow the cinnamon roll dough to rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours before baking. You'll want them to be puffy and touching each other.

7. Bake the sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the sourdough pumpkin rolls in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Some people take the internal temperature and make sure it's 190 degrees.

8. Make the brown sugar cream cheese icing:
While the sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls are cooling, make the brown sugar cream cheese icing. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine softened cream cheese, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt.

Using a paddle attachment or whisk attachment, start at a low speed and slowly raise the speed until you get to high. Let it whip for about 5 min., stopping the mixer and scraping down the sides a few times.

It should be super light and fluffy. Spread over the sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls and enjoy!

Notes

Storage tips:

Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat in a microwave, or wrap in aluminum foil and heat in a toaster oven or regular oven.

If you love pumpkin recipes, this pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe will become your new fall favorite! Save this recipe card and enjoy making these warm cinnamon rolls for breakfast, brunch, or a cozy weekend treat.

Pin for later:

The post How to Make Spiced Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls appeared first on Little Reasons.

Once you’ve mastered basic sourdough bread, there’s so much more you can do!!! I’ve been experimenting with a ton of sourdough recipes. I’ve found a plethora of different ways to take the same 4 ingredients – flour, water, salt, and sourdough starter, and mix them up in new and exciting ways! One of my favorite takes on sourdough is my simple sourdough sandwich bread. It’s so soft and squishy and it’s such a simple delicious bread recipe! For this sourdough cinnamon swirl bread, I did a variation of that bread and gave it a sweet and cinnamony swirl! It has a soft texture and a delicate tender crumb and I think you’ll love it.

The other thing you’ll love is that you don’t need a dutch oven to make this! Just use simple loaf pans. The only caveat is that you’ll need two pans for every loaf of bread because you set a loaf pan on top to create that steamy environment that sourdough loves.

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Sourdough Cinnamon Swirl Bread Dough Ingredients

I’ve learned that the food you make is only as good as the ingredients you put into them. Because this recipe has so few ingredients, you’ll want to make sure you use good quality ingredients to make it taste its best.

Flour

For this cinnamon swirl bread, I always use King Arthur Bread Flour. I love that it’s got a high protein content, so as you work the dough through sets of stretch and folds, it gives it a super high rise. I’m also a fan of flour that has not been bleached or bromated. Who needs extra chemicals in our food? You can use a regular all purpose flour for this as well, but I do find that the bread flour gives it a better texture overall and helps the dough rise more.

Water

This recipe uses filtered water. You can use tap water, as long as you don’t use it to feed your starter. Long term use of tap water in your sourdough starter can kill it from the additives they put in the water. However, if you can use filtered water, I think it makes the best tasting bread.

If you use warm water to make the sourdough cinnamon bread, it will help the dough rise during bulk fermentation a little faster. However, I usually just use room temperature water from my water filter and it works perfectly.

Salt

For all my sourdough recipes, I love to use Himalayan sea salt. It’s totally not necessary though. I haven’t noticed much of a difference at all if iodized salt is used.

Active Starter

For this recipe, you can either use sourdough discard, or a bubbly and active sourdough starter. In my sourdough discard sandwich bread, I use discard which just takes a little longer to rise because it hasn’t been fed within the last 12 hours. However, with the bubbly and active sourdough starter, it has had a fresh feed, so it’s ready to go and it will go through the bulk fermentation faster.

There’s no commercial yeast in this recipe, which is what makes true sourdough bread recipes. Because traditional sourdough uses a long, slow rise, it gives the yeast time to work, which breaks down the phytic acid, as well as eating some of the sugar and gluten in the flour. That’s what makes it so much better for you! It’s not a quick bread, but it’s well worth it.

Cinnamon

I love the Kirkland Saigon Cinnamon. While I have been using it for years, I didn’t realize how amazing it was. I needed to grab some cinnamon from Aldi in a pinch a couple weeks ago. I was shocked at the difference. Next time, I’ll just wait until I can get to Costco to buy it!

Sugar

The sugar in this sourdough bread is located in two places – first in the swirl of course! But it’s also in the dough. It makes the bread a little bit sweet, gives it a more tender crumb, and helps to feed the yeast so it makes the bread nice and fluffy!

I normally use brown sugar for the cinnamon swirl, but you can absolutely use white sugar too. I think even coconut sugar would still give it the slightly sweet flavor with a little bit of complexity from the low refined coconut sugar.

Butter

The butter in this recipe is also found in the cinnamon swirl. In addition to that, there is a stick of melted butter in the bread. The fat from the butter makes the bread soft and tender. It is such a perfect addition to make this loaf different from your average artisan sourdough. It’s also used on top of the dough when it comes out of the oven and before you let the bread cool, to keep it soft and delicious.

For the butter, I usually just use normal sticks of butter from Costco. I haven’t seen as much of a difference from using something like Kerrygold in the recipe. However, if I slather butter onto a slice, the grass fed milk that makes Kerrygold really does make a difference!

Raisins

This is an optional addition to the sourdough cinnamon swirl bread, but my husband loves it! Adding a handful of sweet raisins right before you roll the bread up is a delicious addition, making an amazing sourdough cinnamon raisin swirl bread.

How to make Sourdough Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Making the dough for sourdough cinnamon swirl bread

This dough comes together quite quickly. In a large mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients first –

sourdough starter – either sourdough discard, or fed and bubbly active starter. (The discard will take longer to rise but you do need to make sure it has been fed recently in the prior few days. If you grab old starter that’s been in your fridge for weeks, it won’t rise correctly)

filtered water

white sugar

melted butter (in a pinch, avocado oil or olive oil can be substituted)

I use my favorite dough whisk to mix it all together and add the dry ingredients –

salt

bread flour

I can usually use the dough whisk to bring it mostly together and then knead it to work the rest of the flour into the shaggy dough. It looks like the photo below. As you work it through the stretch and folds, the dough will become much more smooth and elastic. Set it in a warm place and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel.

Stretch and Folds

Every 30 minutes for the first two hours, you’ll do sets of stretch and folds. I usually grab from underneath the dough, stretch it, and fold it over. I turn the dough a 1/4 turn and do it again for a total of 4-8. Then I flip the dough over so the smooth side is up.

Repeat this every 30 min for a total of 4 sets. You’ll see the dough really build tension with each set you do and it will go from a shaggy dough to a smooth dough.

I thought I’d show you pictures after each of the 4 sets of stretch and folds to show what it’s supposed to look like. You’ll see that the dough begins to look different after each set.

Bulk Fermentation

Typically I make the dough first thing in the morning on a day when I’ll be home, or 2 hours before bed. That way I can get the stretch and folds done, and then let it have its first rise all day and shape the loaves in the evening – or overnight and shape the loaves the next morning.

This bulk fermentation is the first time you rise it. It gives it a chance to let the dough rest and allow the wild yeast in the sourdough starter to go to work. During this portion, I tend to favor plastic wrap over the bowl so that it doesn’t dry out overnight. At this point in time, you’ll also want to pull out your butter so it’s nice and warm and ready to use when you shape the loaves.

Shape the sourdough cinnamon swirl bread

The next day, or after it has risen all day, it’s time to shape the sourdough loaves. Dump the dough onto a clean counter and divide it into 3 loaves (or 2 large loaves if you have large loaf pans).

Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a long rectangle. I put my pan at the top of the rectangle and make sure the dough rectangle is a little narrower than the length of the pan so once you roll it up it will fit in the pan perfectly.

Slather the warm butter (or brush melted butter) on the dough all the way to the top and bottom but not quite to the sides. This leaves a little area where you can pinch the ends together.

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar or white sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top and get it evenly spread out. Alternately, you can do what I usually do and sprinkle the brown sugar on the dough and spread it out, then sprinkle cinnamon on top, as I did in the photo below.

Roll the loaf towards you tightly. Pinch the seams together and the ends and flip it upside down and place into a greased loaf pan so the top of the bread is the smooth side. My very favorite loaf pans are cast iron ones like these, but I regularly use the metal ones (pictured below) that I purchased at an estate sale that work great too! Just make sure they fit together nicely to keep the steam in.

2nd Rise

The second time you rise the bread has options too! First, you can slide the loaf pans into a plastic bag and throw them in the fridge for 1-3 days and cook them when you have time. Then you’ll preheat your oven. Once it’s screaming hot, pull the bread from the fridge, score it, and cover it with a second loaf pan in the oven.

Alternately, you can put them on top of the stove as you preheat it, creating a warm place for the bread to have its second rise. Give it 1-2 hours until it puffs up and then when it rises up close to the rim of the pan, it’s time to bake.

Baking the sourdough cinnamon swirl bread

This sourdough cinnamon swirl bread is so easy to bake. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

When the loaves are risen on top of the stove, or pulled fresh from the refrigerator, score them. Some people use a sharp knife, but I really find that best way is to use a lame. I love the look of a few horizontal slashes across the top.

Pop the other loaf pan on top and put into the screaming hot stove. THIS PART IS VERY IMPORTANT!!! TURN THE OVEN TEMPERATURE DOWN TO 450 DEGREES. If you leave the oven at 500, your bread will be burned. If you feel like you may not remember, just preheat it to 450 degrees. That extra hot oven does give it a boost in the rise and gives it more oven spring, but it’s not worth burning your loaf to do it!

Leave it in the oven for 20 min and then take the top pan off. Cook another 10-25 min until the top is golden brown.

Cool

Now, you very carefully take the hot bread out of the loaf pans and place them on a cooling rack. In a pinch, I have skipped the wire rack step and flipped the pan upside down with the loaf on top of it to cool. That works too. Just be super careful because the hot cinnamon sugar tends to seep out and that stuff BURNS!

Take a cold stick of butter and run it over the top of the bread. This gives it a super soft top and makes it extra yummy! Now the hard part is waiting for it to cool before you cut it! Sourdough continues to bake inside, so you don’t want to cut into it too soon or it will be gummy!

Sourdough Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Yield: 3 loaves

This super soft sourdough cinnamon swirl bread is so unbelievable delicious, people won't believe you made it from scratch!

Print

Ingredients

• 180g freshly fed sourdough starter
• 660g filtered water
• 20g Himalayan sea salt
• 55g brown sugar or white sugar
• 1 stick of melted butter
• 1000g Bread Flour

Instructions

1. Making the dough for sourdough cinnamon swirl bread
This dough comes together quite quickly. In a large mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients first -
sourdough starter (either sourdough discard, or fed and bubbly active starter. The discard will take longer to rise)
filtered water
sugar
melted butter (in a pinch, avocado oil or olive oil can be substituted)


2. I use my favorite dough whisk to mix it all together and add the dry ingredients -
salt
bread flour
I can usually use the dough whisk to bring it mostly together and then knead it to work the rest of the flour into the shaggy dough.

3. Set it in a warm place and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel.

4. Stretch and Folds
Every 30 minutes for the first two hours, you'll do sets of stretch and folds. I usually grab from underneath the dough, stretch it, and fold it over. I usually turn the dough a 1/4 turn and do it again for a total of 4-8. Then I flip the dough over so the smooth side is up.

Repeat this every 30 min for a total of 4 sets. You'll see the dough really build tension with each set you do and it will go from a shaggy dough to a smooth dough.

5. Bulk Fermentation
Typically I make the dough first thing in the morning on a day when I'll be home, or 2 hours before bed. That way I can get the stretch and folds done, and then let it have its first rise all day or overnight and shape the loaves the next morning.

This bulk fermentation is the first time you rise it. It gives it a chance to let the dough rest and allow the yeast to go to work. During this portion, I tend to favor plastic wrap over the bowl so that it doesn't dry out overnight. At this point in time, you'll also want to pull out your butter so it's nice and warm and ready to use when you shape the loaves.

6. Shape the sourdough cinnamon swirl bread
The next day, or after it has risen all day, it's time to shape the sourdough loaves. Dump the dough onto a clean counter and divide it into 3 loaves (or 2 large loaves if you have large loaf pans).

Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a long rectangle. In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon sugar mixture (brown sugar or white sugar and cinnamon). Fold the rectangle into thirds like you would fold a letter.

Slather the butter on the dough all the way to the top and bottom but not quite to the sides. This leaves a little area where you can pinch the ends together. Then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top and get it evenly spread out.

Roll the loaf towards you tightly. Pinch the seams together and the ends and flip it upside down and place into a greased loaf pan so the top of the bread is the smooth side. My very favorite loaf pans are cast iron ones like these. But I regularly use metal ones from an estate sale that work great too! Just make sure they fit together nicely to keep the steam in.

7. 2nd Rise
The second time you rise the bread has options too! First, you can slide the loaf pans into a plastic bag and throw them in the fridge for 1-3 days and cook them when you have time. Then you'll preheat your oven. Once it's screaming hot, pull the bread from the fridge, score it, and cover it with a second loaf pan in the oven.

Alternately, you can put them on top of the stove as you preheat them, creating a warm place for the bread to have its second rise. Give it 1-2 hours until it puffs up and then when it rises up close to the rim of the pan, it's time to bake.

8. Baking the sourdough cinnamon swirl bread
This sourdough cinnamon swirl bread is so easy to bake. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

When the loaves are risen on top of the stove, or fresh from the refrigerator, score them. Some people use a sharp knife, but I really find that best way is to use a lame. I love the look of a few horizontal slashes across the top.

Pop the other loaf pan on top and put into the screaming hot stove. THIS PART IS VERY IMPORTANT!!! TURN THE OVEN TEMPERATURE DOWN TO 450 DEGREES. If you leave the oven at 500, your bread will be burned. If you feel like you may not remember, just preheat it to 450 degrees. That extra hot oven does give it a boost in the rise and gives it more oven spring, but it's not worth burning your loaf to do it!

Leave it in the oven for 20 min and then take the top pan off. Cook another 10-25 min until the top is golden brown.

9. Cool
Now, you very carefully take the hot bread out of the loaf pans and place them on a cooling rack. In a pinch, I have skipped the wire rack step and flipped the pan upside down with the loaf on top of it to cool. That works too. Just be super careful because the hot cinnamon sugar tends to seep out and that stuff BURNS!

Take a cold stick of butter and run it over the top of the bread. This gives it a super soft top and makes it extra yummy! Now the hard part is waiting for it to cool before you cut it! Sourdough continues to bake inside, so you don't want to cut into it too soon or it will be gummy!

How to serve Sourdough Cinnamon Swirl Bread

There’s so many ways to eat this super soft and slightly sweet bread.

*It’s such a delicious breakfast bread and my favorite way to eat this is freshly sliced and topped with room temperature Kerrygold butter.

*This makes the absolute best french toast, especially if it’s a few days old and you’re trying to use it up. You could also cut it into cubes and let them sit out to get a bit dry and use it for a sweet breakfast bake!

*My husband’s family eats this toasted with butter and peanutbutter. I was horrified the first time I saw them do it and now I’m a convert!!

*It would make the most incredible grilled cheese with brie, apple, and bacon. I just love that sweet and salty vibe!

Can you make Sourdough Cinnamon Swirl Bread in a stand mixer?

Yes, you can make sourdough cinnamon bread in a stand mixer, but I wouldn’t recommend it. When I was first recipe testing, I tried the normal sourdough method with stretch and folds, and another with my Kitchenaid. The one that turned out the absolute best was the hand made one using sets of stretch and folds. The Kitchenaid one wasn’t as great. With that being said, there may be times when you don’t have 2 hours at home and need to run out the door. In that case, I’d use a stand mixer.

If you use this method, put all the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the dough hook attachment set to level 2. When the dough begins to pull together, set a timer for 5 minutes (or as much as 8 minutes if you want to keep going). Once you’re done with the machine kneading,

Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it by hand a few times. Once you reach this step, you can follow the rest of the directions as written.

Can I use this dough to make sourdough cinnamon rolls?

You could! I normally make sourdough cinnamon rolls using my sourdough challah recipe, but I this did make nice cinnamon roll. It just wasn’t quite as soft and tender as the sourdough challah version. However, in a pinch it worked well!

And that’s sourdough cinnamon swirl bread! I hope you love it!

If you try it, would you let me know in the comments?

Pin for later!

The post How to Make Simple Sourdough Cinnamon Swirl Bread appeared first on Little Reasons.

I am absolutely in love with Auntie Anne’s pretzels, but I don’t often buy them – partly because I never go to the mall, and partly because when I do, I’m too frugal to spend the money. Plus, I am addicted to sourdough!

Enter, copycat Auntie Anne’s sourdough pretzel bites. This easy recipe is simple to make and delicious to eat! The chewy texture and coarse salt is the perfect snack for pretzel lovers like me. Eat the warm pretzels alone, with honey mustard, or with a gooey beer cheese dip. You could even add cinnamon sugar and use this for a cinnamon pretzel bites recipe!

Any way you eat them, you’ll be glad you decided to make these easy homemade soft sourdough pretzel bites!

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

How to make Sourdough Pretzel Bites:

1. Feed Your Starter

These soft sourdough pretzel nuggets don’t use any instant yeast or commercial yeast, so you’ll begin with a bubbly and active sourdough starter.  If you don’t have a sourdough starter, you’ll want to begin there.  You can click here to get my free checklist and instructions on how to make your very own sourdough starter!  Or, if you know someone who bakes sourdough, you can always ask if they will share some of theirs! While this recipe was adapted from one using commercial yeast, I find that it’s healthier and has a bit of a better flavor with the sourdough.

About 6-8 hours before you want to start mixing the dough for your pretzel bites, you’ll want to feed your sourdough starter with equal parts filtered water and unbleached flour.  Stir it, then leave it on the counter to let it get good and bubbly.

After it has doubled in size, you’re ready to mix your dough!  These soft pretzel bites only take a few ingredients.  

2. Melt the butter and heat the milk

In a small pot on the stove, combine milk and unsalted butter.  Melt the butter and heat until the mixture reaches 110 degrees.  You won’t want it much hotter than that or it can kill the yeast in your dough. You don’t need a fancy thermometer. One like this is inexpensive and works great!

While that is heating, you’ll want to get the other ingredients ready.

 3. Combine with other dough ingredients

In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, add flour (you can use all purpose flour or bread flour), salt, sourdough discard (it should be a fed and bubbly starter), and light brown sugar.  Once the milk and butter mixture reaches 110 degrees, you can add it to the other ingredients and mix.  

Stand mixer:

If you put the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer, you can use the dough hook attachment and turn it on a low speed for 5 minutes to bring it all together.   

By hand:

If you’re using a large bowl, just mix all the ingredients with a wooden spoon.   If the flour doesn’t incorporate completely, you may need to get in there with your hands and mix it all up.   You aren’t trying to knead it, it’s just a great way to get all the ingredients integrated.

At this point, you have a pretty wet and shaggy dough. That’s exactly what it’s supposed to be like! You’ll begin to develop structure in the dough during the next phase of stretch and folds. It’s basically the kneading that happens with a sourdough recipe. It’s amazing how it will change in the process.

4.  Stretch and Fold the sourdough pretzel bites dough

Once you reach this point, you’ll want to cover your bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and do 4 sets of stretch and folds over the next two hours.  This process follows exactly what we do on other sourdough recipes like overnight sourdough bread or sourdough rye bread with caraway seeds.  It’s all the same process, just different ingredients!

Every 30 minutes or so, just stretch the dough and fold it over on itself.  Turn the dough ¼ turn and do it again.  You’ll keep doing this 4-8 times total.  As with other stiff doughs, you may need to stretch it with both hands and fold it over and then turn it and do it again.

Can you believe how different this dough looks from the shaggy, wet dough we saw earlier?!

5.  Bulk Fermentation

After you’ve completed the stretch and folds about every 30 minutes for two hours, let it rise in a room temperature location until it has doubled in size. I usually let mine rise overnight or all day long. In this case, I made the dough in the morning and got to this part later in the evening.

6. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

Once the dough has doubled, move the oven rack to the center of the oven and set the temperature to 450 degrees.

7. Portion out sourdough pretzel bites dough

At this point, your bubbly sourdough pretzel dough can be cut into 12 equal portions.  I usually divide my dough in half, divide each of those halves in half, and then separate those 4 into 3 equal pieces.  If you’re more of a perfectionist, you can weigh your dough, divide that by 12, and then portion each ball out into that amount.  

Roll each of those 12 portions into a long rope, about 20″ long.  You don’t need to measure it! I just wanted to give you a rough estimate. If it’s too sticky, you can sprinkle a little flour to create a lightly floured surface to roll them out on.

8. Baking soda bath

Many recipes for soft pretzels instruct you at this point to drop the sourdough pretzel dough into a large pot of boiling water with baking soda and have you fish them out with a slotted spoon.  That’s not my favorite step in the process, so we are going to dip our sourdough pretzel bites into a warm baking soda water bath.  It will accomplish the same thing, without the extra steps and risk of being burned! Plus it gives the chewy texture that we are looking for in a soft pretzel bite.

Instead of filling a pot of water, mix the baking soda and warm water in a bowl and stir it.  Once the baking soda is all dissolved, drop the sourdough pretzel bite ropes into the baking soda wash and then set them on a cooling rack placed on top of a cooking sheet.  I do this just to let them drip a little bit before I put them on the prepared baking sheet. This gets rid of the excess water from the baking soda bath.

9. Dividing the pretzel dough

Using a sharp knife or a bench scraper, divide the rope in half, then each of those halves in half again.  Keep doing this until you end up with 16 rectangular pieces.  

Line a baking tray with a piece of parchment paper and put the pieces of dough in rows, leaving a little bit of room for them to puff up.  You may be able to use cooking spray instead, but I find that parchment paper gives the best results. Sprinkle with coarse pretzel salt. I had a hard time finding this locally, so I ordered it on Amazon. Here’s the link for the one I purchased. But you can top them with flaky sea salt, everything but the bagel seasoning, kosher salt, coarse sea salt, or pretzel salt.

10. Let the dough rest

At this point, some people choose to let the dough rest and get a second rise. I tried it right away and with the second rise, and I didn’t see a noticeable difference, so I’d say skip it! But you can put it in a warm place to allow it to have the dough rise more if you’d like.

11. Bake!

We are so close to being able to eat these soft sourdough pretzels!  Take the large baking sheets and pop them into a 450-degree oven until the sourdough pretzel bites are golden brown.  This usually takes about 9 minutes.

12. Brush sourdough pretzel bites with melted butter

This is the best part!  Brush the sourdough pretzel bites with a little bit of melted butter before serving and they are pure heaven! I use a pastry brush and melted unsalted butter in a small bowl.

Serve alone, or with cheese sauce, or your favorite dips!

Timeline:

I usually feed my starter in the morning, make my dough a couple of hours before bed and let it rise all night long.  Then the next day it’s ready to go!  

As an alternate timetable, I feed my starter the night before, make the dough in the morning, let it rise throughout the day, and then make pretzels in the afternoon/evening.

How to store sourdough pretzel nuggets:

These are very easy to store!  Place them in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag and they will last a few days at room temperature.  Or, you can put them into a zip top freezer bag and put them in the freezer for later.   Make sure to remove as much of the air as you can so they will last longer. 

I did try to store them in a paper bag, and that worked well too! I probably would not store them that way for longer than 24 hours, or they will get dried out.

Originally, I thought they’d be better stored in a paper bag, like many people store bread. But I couldn’t taste a noticeable difference between the two storage ways when I tried them the next morning.

FAQs

Can I make these into traditional pretzels?

Yes! Instead of cutting them into bites, take each piece of dough, roll it into a long rope, and then shape into a pretzel shape. Pinch the ends down and dip the pretzel into the baking soda solution. Follow instructions from there.

How to reheat sourdough pretzel bites

Oven:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Heat sourdough pretzel bites on a cookie sheet in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Air Fryer:

Pop sourdough pretzel bites into cold air fryer and heat at 300 degrees for 5 minutes.

Can I make sourdough pretzel bites with sourdough discard?

Sure you can!   The biggest difference with sourdough discard is that it’s been dormant for a little while in the fridge.   Because of that, it may take longer to rise.  However, I have made these with bubbly active starter, and with sourdough discard and this soft sourdough pretzel recipe turns out great either way!  I think it’s best when you use sourdough discard that has been fed recently. That’s the best way to make sure it’s hungry and will rise for you! I guess I could have called them sourdough discard pretzel bites instead!!

Check out my other sourdough discard recipes:

Sourdough discard pancakes

Overnight sourdough chocolate chip cookies

Pumpkin sourdough waffles

Other variations:

Cinnamon pretzel bites:

Follow the steps outlined above but omit sprinkling with salt.  When they come out of the oven, brush them with butter and shake them in a paper bag with cinnamon sugar.  It’s a sweet treat you’ll love!

Sourdough pretzel sticks:

Cut each rope into quarters and score with a sharp knife, lame, or a flat razor blade before putting it into the oven.  It makes the most adorable soft pretzel sticks!

Sourdough Pretzel Bites

Yield: 16 dozen pretzel bites

Cook Time: 9 minutes

Total Time: 9 minutes

Who doesn’t love sourdough pretzel bites?! And when they are a copycat of Auntie Anne’s recipe, they’re even better!

Print

Ingredients

• 2c. milk
• 4T. butter
• 100g. brown sugar
• 420g. sourdough starter
• 750g. all purpose or bread flour
• 14g. salt

Baking Soda Dip

Toggle ingredient group

• 1/3c. baking soda
• 3c. warm water

Brush with Butter

Toggle ingredient group

• 6T. melted butter

Instructions

1. Feed Your Starter
These soft sourdough pretzel nuggets don’t use any instant yeast, so you’ll begin with a bubbly and active sourdough starter. If you don’t have a sourdough starter, you’ll want to begin there. Make your very own sourdough starter, or if you know someone who bakes sourdough, you can always ask if they will share some of theirs!
About 6-8 hours before you want to start mixing the dough for your pretzel bites, you’ll want to feed your sourdough starter with equal parts filtered water and unbleached flour. Stir it, then leave it on the counter to let it get good and bubbly.
After it has doubled in size, you’re ready to mix your dough! These soft pretzel bites only take a few ingredients.

2. Melt the butter and heat the milk
In a small pot on the stove, combine milk and butter. Melt the butter and heat until the mixture reaches 110 degrees. You won’t want it much hotter than that or it can kill the yeast in your dough.
While that is heating, you’ll want to get the other ingredients ready.
3. Combine with other dough ingredients
In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, add flour (you can use all purpose flour or bread flour), salt, sourdough discard, and light brown sugar. Once the milk and butter mixture reaches 110 degrees, you can add it to the other ingredients and mix.

Stand mixer:
If you put the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer, you can use the dough hook attachment and turn it on low for 5 minutes to bring it all together.
By hand:
If you’re using a large bowl, just mix all the ingredients with a wooden spoon. If the flour doesn’t incorporate completely, you may need to get in there with your hands and mix it all up. You aren’t trying to knead it, it’s just a great way to get all the ingredients integrated.

At this point, you have a pretty wet and shaggy dough. That’s exactly what it’s supposed to be like! You’ll begin to develop structure in the dough during the next phase of stretch and folds. It’s basically the kneading that happens with a sourdough recipe. It’s amazing how it will change in the process.
4. Stretch and Fold the sourdough pretzel bites dough
Once you reach this point, you’ll want to cover your bowl with plastic wrap and do 4 sets of stretch and folds over the next two hours. This process follows exactly what we do on other sourdough recipes like overnight sourdough bread or sourdough rye bread with caraway seeds. It’s all the same process, just different ingredients!
Every 30 minutes or so, just stretch the dough and fold it over on itself. Turn the dough ¼ turn and do it again. You’ll keep doing this 4-8 times total. As with other stiff doughs, you may need to stretch it with both hands and fold it over and then turn it and do it again.
5. Let the dough rise
After you’ve completed the stretch and folds about every 30 minutes for two hours, let it rise in a room temperature location until it has doubled in size. I usually let mine rise overnight or all day long. In this case, I made the dough in the morning and got to this part later in the evening.

6. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
Once the dough has doubled, move the oven rack to the center of the oven and set the temperature to 450 degrees.
7. Portion out sourdough pretzel bites dough
At this point, your bubbly sourdough pretzel dough can be cut into 12 equal portions. I usually divide my dough in half, divide each of those halves in half, and then separate those 4 into 3 equal pieces. If you’re more of a perfectionist, you can weigh your dough, divide that by 12, and then portion each ball out into that amount.

Roll each of those 12 portions into a long snake, about 20″ long. You don’t need to measure it! I just wanted to give you a rough estimate.

8. Soda bath
Mix the baking soda and warm water in a bowl and stir it. Once the baking soda is all dissolved, drop the sourdough pretzel bite snakes into the water and then set them on a cooling rack placed on top of a cooking sheet. I do this just to let them drip a little bit before I put them on the prepared baking sheet.
Using a sharp knife or a bench scraper, divide the rope in half, then each of those halves in half again. Keep doing this until you end up with 16 rectangular pieces.
Line a baking tray with a piece of parchment paper and put the pieces of dough in rows, leaving a little bit of room for them to puff up. Sprinkle with coarse pretzel salt.

9. Bake!
Take the cookie sheet and pop it into a 450-degree oven until the sourdough pretzel bites are golden brown. This usually takes about 9 minutes.
10. Brush sourdough pretzel bites with melted butter
This is the best part! Brush the sourdough pretzel bites with a little bit of melted butter before serving and they are pure heaven!

Notes

How to reheat sourdough pretzel bites

Oven:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Heat sourdough pretzel bites on a cookie sheet in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Air Fryer:

Pop sourdough pretzel bites into cold air fryer and heat at 300 degrees for 5 minutes.

Other variations:

Cinnamon pretzel bites:

Follow the steps outlined above but omit sprinkling with salt. When they come out of the oven, brush them with butter and shake them in a paper bag with cinnamon sugar. It’s a sweet treat you’ll love!

Sourdough pretzel sticks:

Cut each rope into quarters and score with a sharp knife, lame, or a flat razor blade before putting it into the oven. It makes the most adorable soft pretzel sticks!

I hope you love these sourdough pretzel bites! I’m experimenting with all sorts of new recipes like sourdough bagels, sourdough crackers, and sourdough English muffins…  But until I get those perfect, check out some of my other delicious recipes below!

Pin for Later!

The post How to Make Easy Homemade Sourdough Pretzel Bites appeared first on Little Reasons.