Cinnamon Swirl Sheet Pan Breakfast

About This Recipe

Simple recipes that use up a lot of discard are a must in my home. With this in mind, I first created the McGriddle Sheet Pan Breakfast and then the Mediterranean Vegetable Skillet. Continuing with the trend, I now present to you a beautiful mesh of cinnamon roll, pancake, and sourdough. Be sure to read the tips ("why's") below to get this recipe just right.

The Sourdough Sheet Pan Breakfast

While sheet pan breakfasts, such as this one, are meant to be extremely simple and use up any abundance of discard you may have sitting in your refrigerator, some have found complications which I would like to address here.

First, the state of your discard makes a difference. The longer your discard sits in the refrigerator, the more acid it accumulates and the more the structure of the flour is demolished. This means that older discard will react differently with leavening agents, seemingly over-bubbling while also not rising properly. If your discard is old enough that it is flat, pasty, and has accumulated hooch, it can be helpful to add a little bit of flour (about 1/4 cup; 35 grams) and/or reduce the amount of baking soda in the recipe by one-quarter to one-half teaspoon (at the most). Alternatively, you could replace some of the discard with equal parts flour and milk by weight, which would also fix the issue.

Second, while it can be fun to play around with fillings, be mindful of what you are adding to the mix. Every ingredient makes a difference, and some ingredients will have negative effects on the batter. If you have tried something different from what I have included in the directions or recommendations and it did not work - there is likely a reason for this! For example, tomatoes release a lot of moisture and can prevent the batter from cooking up properly. If you have any questions about ingredients or substitutions, please feel free to ask in the comments below and I would love to help!

What I Love About This Recipe

This recipe is every aspect of a cinnamon roll, except way simpler. It's for those who want the sweet treat, the quick breakfast, and a use for their sourdough discard abundance. It's a winner for even the youngest of family members.

All The "Why's"

Cinnamon Swirl

Butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon come together to make a true cinnamon roll filling. I use melted butter, which helps define the swirl pattern; however, you can also use softened butter to create a paste which is perfect for piping, allowing you to pipe any design onto the batter.

For a fun twist, you can substitute the cinnamon for a blend of allspice, cardamom, clove, nutmeg.

Sourdough Discard

Sourdough discard (extra, unfed sourdough starter) makes up the “pancake” portion of this sheet pan breakfast. It's the main ingredient - it provides both moisture, flavor, and structure.

There are a few important notes to be made here. First, since this recipe does not include any added flour, the state of the discard makes an even more significant difference. As mentioned above, the longer your discard sits in the refrigerator, the more acid it accumulates and the more the structure of the flour is demolished. This means that older discard will react differently with leavening agents, seemingly over-bubbling while also not rising properly. If your discard is old enough that it is flat, pasty, and has accumulated hooch, it can be helpful to add a little bit of flour (about 1/4 cup; 35 grams) and/or reduce the amount of baking soda in the recipe by one-quarter to one-half teaspoon (at the most). Alternatively, you could replace some of the discard with equal parts flour and milk by weight, which would also fix the issue.

The state of the discard also has an effect on sour flavor. Sourness is affected by care routine, flour type, and age of the discard. This means your sheet pan breakfast may or may not be sour, depending. You can taste your discard (just a smidgen) before making this recipe - it'll tell you what the results might look like! I have made this recipe many times and have never had a sour outcome, while others cannot even imagine making a recipe like this because their discard is so sour. Sourness comes from the bacteria in your starter, namely their acids. When there's an overabundance, you can taste it.

Eggs

Eggs not only help to loosen the batter, but they also affect the texture of the baked breakfast. Proteins in eggs help trap air, adding fluff to the dish. Their yolks also add a subtle rich flavor.

Butter

Fat is absolutely essential to retaining moisture and creating a soft and tender crumb. Without it, the texture is chewy and dry. In a pinch, you can also substitute the butter for a neutral oil for the same effect.

Sugar

Sugar plays an important part in coloring the dish. Without sugar, your sheet pan breakfast will not turn brown! This ingredient plays a part in what's called the Maillard reaction; without it, we cannot have golden brown pancakes. Luckily, it goes with the sweet, cinnamon theme of this recipe. It can be substituted with honey or maple syrup, if desired, for a even more pronounced effect.

Leavening

I prefer chemical leavening for sourdough discard recipes because we are using starter that is not in its prime state, and may not rise well (especially in this recipe, where we don't add any flour). The truth is - without the baking soda, this dish would be much denser.

The baking soda reacts with the sourdough discard to leaven the batter: trapping carbon dioxide gases and creating bubbles which cause the batter to rise and become light and fluffy. It is the perfect match for a discard-heavy recipe like this one, since the acids in the discard allow the baking soda to do its work.

If your discard is on the older end, you'll notice it doesn't get too great of a rise. I do recommend using discard that is less than one month old, or that hasn't gone completely dormant and started producing hooch. You can read more about why here.

If needed, you can substitute one tablespoon of baking powder (which contains the acids needed to leaven the dish) for the baking soda.

Salt

Salt brings out flavor. I use half a teaspoon in this recipe to enhance all the flavors.

Vanilla

Vanilla adds a sweet, warm, and slightly floral note that balances the sugar and other flavors, making the dish taste richer and more complete.

Cream Cheese Drizzle

Basically, it's just the same as what you would top a cinnamon roll with, except slightly thinner (for drizzling). While it is an extra, optional, step, I think it is the perfect garnish for a recipe like this one.

📌 Quick Tip: Read the recipe in its entirety before you start cooking. This will help you understand the ingredients, steps, and timing involved, and allow you to prepare any necessary equipment or ingredients beforehand.