Homemade Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
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Perfectly crunchy squares, sweetened with cinnamon and sugar, and with the goodness of sourdough, this Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal recipe is going to be your newest obsession! Made with 7 simple ingredients and under 15 minutes, it is a sure win for breakfast time.
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One thing I quickly learned about my husband, is cereal is one of his favorite food groups. From Honeycomb to Fruit Loops to Fruity Pebbles, if it’s crunchy and sweet with some milk on top, he’s a fan.
That being the case, you can almost always bet that a box…or four…of cereal is going to be in our pantry.
But now that it’s the New Year, I’m on a mission to find healthier alternatives to some of my family’s favorite grab-and-go conveniences! From Sourdough Goldfish Crackers to Sourdough Graham Crackers, these are just a few of the recipes that I’ve shared so far.
But on to the good stuff, homemade Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal! Each crispy square is sprinkled generously with cinnamon and sugar and has the lovely tang of sourdough. They are the best cinnamon toast crunch cereal I’ve had, and I’ve had my fair share of bowls with the store-bought kind.
This sourdough cereal is buttery, flakey, and perfectly sweet. When you pour yourself a bowl of homemade cinnamon toast crunch, you better believe it will be delicious until the last drop of cereal milk.
What’s even sweeter than this cereal? The fact that it is a breeze to make! With the help of a food processor, the dough comes together quickly. Roll it out, then bake. No chill time is needed!
So, spruce up your normal breakfast routine with homemade Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
Easy
If you can make sourdough pie dough, then you can make Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. With just a few simple steps, you can easily enjoy crunchy, sweet cereal!
Delicious
I can’t get over the depth of flavor this sourdough cereal has. The cinnamon mixture brings a lovely sweetness, while the sourdough starter brings that tang we all love! Trust me, the first time you make this recipe, won’t be your last! In fact, I’m sure it will become a pantry staple, it’s just that good!
Healthier Alternative
Forget all the added junk found in store-bought cereals! Instead, you can make this tasty morning treat with just 7 simple ingredients.
Ingredients
Flour – I used all-purpose flour for this recipe.
Sugar – To bring a little sweetness to the cereal.
Salt – Any unrefined salt will do, but my favorite is Redmond’s unrefined salt for some extra minerals!
Cinnamon – It wouldn’t be Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal without some ground cinnamon!
Butter – In order to get the flakiest and crunchiest cereal, you will want to use cold or frozen butter rather than room temperature butter.
Vanilla Extract – For the best flavor, I suggest using vanilla extract over imitation.
Sourdough Starter – You can use either active sourdough starter or sourdough discard for this recipe.
Supplies
Rolling Pin
Pizza Cutter, Bench Scraper, or Sharp Knife
Pastry Brush
How to Make Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
First, in a small bowl, whisk together the ground cinnamon and sugar to create the cinnamon sugar topping. Set to the side.
In a bowl of a food processor, add the flour, sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt. Cut the cold/frozen butter into small cubes and add to the food processor. Mix until the butter resembles pea-sized pieces.
This can also be done by hand in a mixing bowl with a pastry cutter.
Next, add the sourdough starter and vanilla extract and mix. If after 30 seconds the dough doesn’t come together, you may need to add cold water to the dough. It just depends on your sourdough starter or sourdough discard. Add 1 Tablespoon at a time and mix for 15-30 seconds before adding any additional water.
Once the dough is formed, place it on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough in half.
With a rolling pin, roll out one piece of dough at a time into a large rectangle, 1/8th of an inch thick. The thinner the dough, the crunchier the cereal!
Gently move the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with melted butter, then generously sprinkle with the sugar mixture.
Using a pizza cutter or something sharp, cut the dough into tiny squares. Space out the squares about 1/2 inch apart. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the sourdough cinnamon toast crunch cereal is golden brown.
Cool and enjoy in a bowl with some milk!
How to Serve
Now, the most obvious way to enjoy this tasty homemade treat would be to pour yourself a healthy bowl of Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal and top it off with some whole milk. Serve with your morning coffee and maybe some fresh fruit, and you have yourself a delicious morning breakfast.
Though lovely and thoroughly enjoyable, that isn’t the only way you can enjoy these delicious little squares!
Sourdough cereal is an incredible ice cream topper! I used to do this all the time in college. Simple, delicious, and add the perfect crunch to each bite.
Another idea came to mind. Have you ever enjoyed a Panera Cinnamon Crunch Bagel? Why not make your own Sourdough Cinnamon Crunch Bagels?! Homemade bagels topped with cinnamon sugar sweetness with a little crunch, count me in! My sourdough bagel recipe would be the perfect recipe to dress up with Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal.
Or eat them by the handful! They are like mini, sweet sourdough crackers!
How to Store
Store leftover Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
FAQs:
Can I make this Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal with whole wheat flour?
I have not personally tested this with my recipe, but you certainly can swap out half of the flour for whole wheat for a healthier alternative. You may need to add extra water before the dough comes together in the food processor.
How can I enjoy Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal, besides in a bowl with milk?
We love eating these crispy cinnamon squares by the handful, especially my little one! They are like sweet sourdough graham crackers.
Sourdough cereal also makes for a fantastic ice cream topping. Sprinkle a handful on top of vanilla ice cream, for a cinnamon sweet and crunchy bite!
Another idea came to mind. Have you ever enjoyed a Panera Cinnamon Crunch Bagel? Why not make your own Sourdough Cinnamon Crunch Bagels?! Homemade bagels topped with cinnamon sugar sweetness with a little crunch, count me in! My sourdough bagel recipe would be the perfect recipe to dress up with Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal.
Happy baking!
More Recipes Like This:
Savory Spinach, Sausage, and Cheese Sourdough Strata
Fluffy Sourdough Apple Pancakes
FULL RECIPE TUTORIAL
Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal Recipe
Perfectly crunchy squares, sweetened with cinnamon and sugar, and with the goodness of sourdough, this Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal recipe is going to be your newest obsession! Made with 7 simple ingredients and under 15 minutes, it is a sure win for breakfast time.
Enter your email below, and we’ll send it straight to your inbox! Plus, you’ll get my newest sourdough recipes and best tips every week!
Ingredients
Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crust Cereal
- 220 grams (1 1/2 cups + 1 Tablespoon) all-purpose flour
- 55 grams (1/4 cup) sugar
- 6 grams (1 Tablespoon) ground cinnamon
- 3 grams (1/2 teaspoon) salt
- 113 grams (1/2 cup) cold/frozen butter
- 120 grams (1/2 cup) sourdough discard **see notes below
- 4 grams (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- additional cold water
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
- 57 grams (1/4 cup) butter, melted
- 110 grams (1/2 cup) sugar
- 6 grams (1 Tablespoon) ground cinnamon
Instructions
FULL RECIPE TUTORIAL BELOW!
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. First, in a small bowl, whisk together cinnamon and sugar to create the cinnamon sugar topping. Set to the side.
6g (1T) cinnamon, 110g (1/2c) sugar
3. In a bowl of a food processor, add flour, sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt. Cut cold/frozen butter into small cubes and add to the food processor. Mix until the butter resembles pea-sized pieces.
220g (1 1/2c +1 T) flour, 55g (1/4c) sugar, 6g (1 T) cinnamon, 3g (1/2tsp) salt, 113g (1/2c) cold unsalted butter
This can also be done by hand in a mixing bowl with a pastry cutter.
4. Next, add sourdough discard and vanilla extract and mix. If after 30 seconds the dough doesn't come together, you may need to add cold water to the dough. It just depends on your sourdough discard. Add 1 Tablespoon at a time and mix for 15-30 seconds before adding any additional water.
120g (1/2c) sourdough discard, 4g (1 tsp) vanilla
**You can use active starter in this recipe, just make sure to use the same weight (120g).
5. Once the dough is formed, place it on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough in half.
6. With a rolling pin, roll out one piece of dough at a time into a large rectangle, 1/8th of an inch thick. The thinner the dough, the crunchier the cereal! You will need to reflour your surface and flip the dough every once in a while so that it doesn't stick to your work surface.
7. Gently move the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the melted butter, then generously sprinkle with the sugar mixture.
57g (1/4c) unsalted butter, melted
8. Using a pizza cutter or something sharp, cut the dough into tiny squares. Space out the squares about 1/2 inch apart. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the sourdough cinnamon toast crunch cereal is golden brown.
9. Cool and enjoy in a bowl with some milk!
Notes
How to Store
Store leftover Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
FAQs:
Can I make this Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal with whole wheat flour?
I have not personally tested this with my recipe, but you certainly can swap out half of the flour for whole wheat for a healthier alternative. You may need to add extra water before the dough comes together in the food processor.
How can I enjoy Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal, besides in a bowl with milk?
We love eating these crispy cinnamon squares by the handful, especially my little one! They are like sweet sourdough graham crackers.
Sourdough cereal also makes for a fantastic ice cream topping. Sprinkle a handful on top of vanilla ice cream, for a cinnamon sweet and crunchy bite!
Another idea came to mind. Have you ever enjoyed a Panera Cinnamon Crunch Bagel? Why not make your own Sourdough Cinnamon Crunch Bagels?! Homemade bagels topped with cinnamon sugar sweetness with a little crunch, count me in! My sourdough bagel recipe would be the perfect recipe to dress up with Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal.
I would really like to make this cereal, but for the life of me, I can’t find the actual ingredients part of the recipe. I have scrolled back-and-forth and I saw it once and it disappeared. It’s too hard to find it I may have to give up! Please help, can you just make a printable recipe? Thank you. It looks great.
Hi Anne! I apologize that the recipe wasn’t easily found. At the top of the page there is a “Jump to Recipe” button! This will scroll you down to the bottom section of the post, where you will find the ingredients and step-by-step instructions. I hope you give this recipe a try, it’s delicious!
made this today- cereal is my husband’s favorite- and its phenomenal! such a fun recipe to make!!
Have you ever tried this with a long ferment?
I have not personally, but I’m sure you could pop it into the fridge for up to 24 hours for a long fermentation option!
My kids loved this, it turned out great!
I’m going to try to long ferment in the fridge to bake tomorrow!
Love it! Enjoy!
I ran and grabbed my discard as soon as I saw this recipe posted. It came out amazing! Rather than rolling the dough out on flour, I put the parchment paper on the countertop, sprinkled some of the sugar/cinnamon mixture, then rolled the dough and cut. Came out super crunchy and delicious—will be reusing this recipe frequently!!
Could you long ferment this?
I have not personally tested this, but I’m sure you could pop it into the fridge for up to 24 hours for a long fermentation option!
Absolutely loved this recipe! I doubled the batch and used 1/4 whole wheat flour as well as fermenting in the fridge for 24 hours for gluten tolerance and wow it is so crunchy and delicious!
So glad you loved it!
Made this with my toddler and she ate almost half of it while I prepped the other half to bake. Instead of rolling it out I ran portions through the pasta maker for a consistent thickness. Loved it!
I love this so much! And thank you for sharing your tip – brilliant!
OMG! GENIUS! Thank you for the tip. That’s a great tip for sourdough discard crackers as well!!
Brilliant idea!!
Thank you so much, Heather! I hope you love this recipe!
After you mix all of the ingredients in a food processor, do you take that mixture out of there and put it in a bowl to add the starter? It’s not super clear in the instructions. Thank you!
Hi Joni! After the butter is mixed with the flour mixture into pea-sized bits, you add the discard and vanilla to the food processor and mix. The dough should form and then you can remove it to shape. Hope this helps!
Unsalted butter?
Either can be used for this recipe! If you use salted butter, reduce the salt from 1/2 tsp to 1/4 tsp.
McKenna helped me get my very first sourdough starter going with her encouraging and informative responses. I’ve decided this year to try and stop purchasing as much overly processed food as possible, starting with breads. I’ve made a lot of yeasted breads but sourdough is still brand new. I have yet to try a loaf, BUT I made these with my discard and OH MY GOODNESS! My entire family is obsessed. My 6.5 year old is asking for cereal for dinner and my 17 month old keeps signing for more! My husband keeps “sneaking” some every time he walks by the pan. So yummy, so fun!
Thank you so much for sharing, Kelly! I so excited to hear about your thriving sourdough starter and how your family is already enjoying your sourdough creations. Priceless! So glad they like the cereal, my little can’t get enough of it!
I saw this and read suggestions for use besides a bowl of milk. I make yogurt and am always looking for add ins. I bet these would be delicious crunched up and stirred in! I’m going to try.
Love this idea, yum!
Hi, I’m based in the 🇬🇧 what weight is a stick of butter please? Here we don’t have them, our come as a block of 250g. Thank you
I learned something new today! Thank you for sharing this! A stick of butter is 113g.
I don’t see the measurements at all on the page, just the 7 ingredients and the instructions do not include the portion breakdown either. Did I miss it or is it missing?
If you scroll to the bottom, you will find exact measurements with step-by-step directions!
Hello! Can you use honey in place of sugar for this recipe or would it make it too wet?
Hi Hollie, I have personally never tested this recipe using honey, so I am not 100% certain. If you do give it a go, please let me know how it turns out!
Made these tonight! So easy and everyone loved them!
Amazing, thank you for sharing!
Make a double batch. This cereal is fire!! The only thing I did differently and would recommend, is that rather than rolling it out, transferring, cutting, and separating the little squares, I followed the “cracker method.” I rolled the dough out between 2 pieces of parchment paper, buttered, sugar’d, cut the squares, slid it onto a baking sheet and put it in the oven. No way was I separating the squares 🤪
Turned out great!! Easy, delicious recipe.
Oh, I also used vegan butter because my daughter has allergies.
Thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! And thank you for sharing the time-saving tips…will have to try that myself 🙂
I tried this recipe and my husband and son absolutely loved it. I just had a question if you’ve ever tried taking away some or all of the sugar from the dough? I was just curious for a bit more healthier alternative since it would still be sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Either way our whole family loved it, and all of your other recipes that I’ve made.
/Elvira 🇸🇪
Hi Elvira! I am so thrilled to hear that everyone enjoyed my recipes! Means so much! Personally, I have not. If I were you, I would test it out by reducing the sugar by 1/3 and seeing how it bakes. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful!
Can you make this without the sourdough starter?
This recipe was specifically tested to be made with sourdough starer. There are other versions online without!
In the dough have you tried using maple syrup to sweeten instead of sugar? Wondering how much to swap?
I personally have not tested this, so I am not 100% certain.
Fun and easy to make!
My food processor isn’t big enough. Could I use my Vitamix blender?
I have never tested mixing the ingredients in a blender, but you certainly could try! Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.
Has anyone tried to make a large batch and freeze it before? Just curious if it freezes then thaws ok.
How long can you store it?
Store it in an airtight container for up to a week!
I made this twice – the first time with oil. The dough was very oily and it took forever in the oven and then it got overdone. Thankfully most of it still tasted good. But then I remade it with butter and it was fantastic! I made some as crackers and some as cereal size. 🙂 I gave it as gifts and people really enjoyed it. Hoping to make more soon!
Thank you for sharing! Great to know. So glad everyone enjoyed your thoughtful gift of sourdough!
This recipe is amazing! These little pillows are sooooo delicious! Once you try it, you get addicted to it. I guess I am making them again tomorrow since they will be gone by this evening 🤣🙈🤩
Haha, I love this so much! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, too. We always have to make a double batch – it’s just too good! Thank you for sharing.