Sourdough Honey Buns (Inspired By Little Debbie)

When you take a bite of these sourdough honey buns, you get a mouth full of pillowy soft sourdough, sweet honey, and a hint of cinnamon. You won’t regret whipping up this simple recipe. It really is easy! The recipe was inspired by Little Debbie treats. I wanted to make my own version from scratch that was so much better for you!

This recipe was inspired by the treats made by Little Debbie. But my recipe is not affiliated with or endorsed by the brand and/or corporation. This post may contain affiliate links of items I know and love. Read our disclosure policy for more information. I NEVER use AI (artificial intelligence) to create content for Plum Branch Home. Recipes, blog posts, photos, videos, podcasts, social media content: everything is made from scratch by me, Molly LaFontaine. After developing my recipes, they’re tested 2x by my husband, Tyler, and I before publishing. What you see from Plum Branch Home is real. It’s made for a reason, tested, and loved!

Sourdough Honey Buns are Better Than Little Debbie’s

When I say these sourdough honey buns are better than Little Debbie’s, I mean it! When I was a kid, I loved Little Debbie’s honey buns.

I have fond memories of selling those little bagged baked treats on a plastic picnic table during our summer garage sales. Boy was that a fun business setup! I loved providing refreshments to our shoppers, haha! 

These honey buns are not only cheaper to make than buying the boxes of Little Debbie’s, but they’re also much more wholesome!

Why Make Them Instead of Buying Them

• Cheaper: When you make honey buns at home, you’re saving money. This recipe will cost a fraction of what the Little Debbie’s cost.
• Better for you: These honey buns are so much better for you than the kind you buy at the store! These buns are made of wholesome ingredients like raw honey and sourdough.
• Tastes 100 times better: The taste of these buns will blow you away. You’re not getting any weird flavors or a sugar coating on the roof of your mouth. You can tell they’re made with love!

Important Things You Need To Know

This recipe doesn’t include stretch and folds due to the kneading for 3 minutes after the dough bulk ferments. This is an uncommon way of doing honey buns but it works very well for this recipe.

Starter Disclaimer: If your dough is sticky and hard to handle, your starter is more hydrated than the 50% hydration I recommend. Be sure to feed it a 2:1 ratio of flour to water 4-12 hours before making this recipe to ensure the starter is thick and not runny. It needs to be active and bubbly.

If you choose to feed your starter a different way before baking please note that there may be differences in your dough and the finished product.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Buns

• fed sourdough starter (fed 4-12 hours before using)
• cold stick butter (salted)
• all-purpose flour
• water
• salt
• raw honey
• baking powder
• baking soda
• milk (for brushing tops before baking)

Filling

• butter (melted)
• ground Cinnamon
• raw honey

Glaze

• raw honey
• butter (melted)
• milk
• pure vanilla extract

My Tips for Success

• Make sure you follow my recipe closely and don’t skip any steps.
• Give the dough a good bulk fermentation for 10–12 hours. It needs to double or even triple in size.
• If your dough isn’t doubling in size during the ferment, place the bowl in the oven (make sure it’s turned off) with the oven light on. Crack the door so it doesn’t get too hot. This will help warm the dough without making it too hot.
• Use cold salted stick butter for this recipe.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Make the Dough

Add sourdough starter, butter grated with a cheese grater, flour, water, salt, and honey to a large bowl and mix to combine. 

To get the excess flour on the bottom, knead the dough in the bowl with your hands until it’s all incorporated and a sticky dough forms.

Cover bowl with a lid or kitchen towel and let bulk ferment on the counter at room temperature for 10-12 hours (dough needs to double in size).

Shape the Buns

After bulk ferment, uncover dough and sprinkle baking soda and baking powder over dough.

Knead in the baking soda and baking powder by hand (or electric mixer) for 3 minutes.

Make the filling by stirring melted butter, cinnamon, and honey in a bowl until combined. Set aside.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle approximately 10″ x 20″.

With a kitchen basting brush or butter knife, evenly spread the filling into a light layer over the entire rectangle of dough (it will be a very light layer of filling, that’s what you want)

Starting at the shorter 10″ side (shorter side) of the rectangle begin to roll the dough into a log. Pinch the seam together with your hands and slice the log into 10, 1.5 to 2-inch buns.

Place buns on a baking sheet (lined with parchment or lightly greased with butter and flour) so that they’re in a cluster just barely touching one another.

Use your hand to gently push down on each one to help flatten them a bit.

Prep the Buns & Bake

Cover the baking sheet with a kitchen towel, plastic wrap, or a second sheet pan, and let the buns rise for 2 hours.

After the rise, you can either continue the recipe or cover the baking sheet and pop the buns in the fridge until the morning to bake.

When you’re ready to continue the recipe, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Brush the tops of the buns with 1/3 cup milk or cream and bake for 20-25 minutes. (Test to ensure they’re baked fully by using a toothpick in the center bun. If it comes out clean, they’re done. If there’s dough residue, they need a few extra minutes).

During this time of baking make the glaze by adding honey, melted butter, milk, and vanilla in a bowl, stirring until evenly combined.

When the buns are done baking, immediately brush the glaze over them until it is all used up. Enjoy!

Storing Leftovers

Store leftover honey buns in an airtight container once they’re fully cooled down. You can keep them at room temperature for 2-3 days. After that, they need to be moved to the fridge and eaten within a few days.

Reheat Honey Buns

To reheat leftover honey buns, place them in the oven or toaster oven at 325 degrees for 5-10 minutes until warm. They are fantastic at room temperature, too!

FAQs

More Sourdough Recipes You’ll Love

• Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
• Strawberry Sourdough Sweet Rolls
• Sourdough Apple Bread
• Sourdough Pumpkin Bread

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Share a photo of what you made and tag me on Facebook or Instagram @plumbranchhome

Sourdough Honey Buns (Inspired by Little Debbie)

Molly LaFontaine

When you take a bite of these sourdough honey buns, you get a mouth full of pillowy soft sourdough, sweet honey, and a hint of cinnamon. You won't regret whipping up this simple recipe. It really is easy! The recipe was inspired by Little Debbie treats. I wanted to make my own version from scratch that was so much better for you!

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Bulk Ferment & Proofing 12 hours hrs

Total Time 12 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Sourdough

Servings 10 honey buns

Ingredients

  

Buns

• 1/2 cup fed sourdough starter (needs to be fed 4-12 hours before using)
• 8 Tbsp cold stick butter (salted)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp raw honey
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup milk (FOR BRUSHING TOPS, DON'T ADD TO DOUGH)

Filling

• 4 Tbsp butter (melted)
• 1 Tbsp ground Cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp raw honey

Glaze

• 3 Tbsp raw honey
• 2 Tbsp butter (melted)
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

 

Before You Begin Prepare Your Starter

• Feed your starter 4-12 hours before starting this recipe. I recommend feeding it a 2:1 ratio of unbleached flour to filtered water to get the same results as I do when you make this recipe. Your starter needs to be active, bubbly, and a thicker consistency before you begin this recipe.

Make the Dough

• Add fed sourdough starter, butter grated with a cheese grater, flour, water, salt, and honey to a large bowl and mix to combine. (IMPORTANT: Do NOT add milk to dough, it is for brushing the tops before baking)
• To get the excess flour on the bottom, knead the dough in the bowl with your hands until it’s all incorporated and a sticky dough forms.
• Cover bowl with a lid or kitchen towel and let bulk ferment on the counter at room temperature for 10-12 hours (dough needs to double in size).

Shape the Buns

• After bulk ferment, uncover dough and sprinkle baking soda and baking powder over dough.
• Knead in the baking soda and baking powder by hand (or electric mixer) for 3 minutes.
• Make the filling by stirring melted butter, cinnamon, and honey in a bowl until combined. Set aside.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle approximately 10" x 20".
• With a kitchen basting brush or butter knife, evenly spread the filling into a light layer over the entire rectangle of dough (it will be a very light layer of filling, that’s what you want)
• Starting at the shorter 10" side (shorter side) of the rectangle begin to roll the dough into a log. Pinch the seam together with your hands and slice the log into 10, 1.5 to 2-inch buns.
• Place buns on a baking sheet (lined with parchment or lightly greased with butter and flour) so that they’re in a cluster just barely touching one another.
• Use your hand to gently push down on each one to help flatten them a bit.

Prep the Buns & Bake

• Cover the baking sheet with a kitchen towel, plastic wrap, or a second sheet pan, and let the buns rise for 2 hours.
• After the rise, you can either continue the recipe or cover the baking sheet and pop the buns in the fridge until the morning to bake.
• When you’re ready to continue the recipe, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Brush the tops of the buns with 1/3 cup milk or cream and bake for 20-25 minutes. (Test to ensure they’re baked fully by using a toothpick in the center bun. If it comes out clean, they’re done. If there’s dough residue, they need a few extra minutes).
• During this time of baking make the glaze by adding honey, melted butter, milk, and vanilla in a bowl, stirring until evenly combined.
• When the buns are done baking, immediately brush the glaze over them until it is all used up. Enjoy!

Notes

Please Read: This recipe doesn't include stretch and folds due to the kneading for 3 minutes after the dough bulk ferments. This is an uncommon way of doing honey buns but it works very well for this recipe.

IMPORTANT TIPS!

• Make sure your starter is active! BEFORE YOU GET STARTED: Feed your starter 4-12 hours before starting this recipe. I recommend feeding it a 2:1 ratio of unbleached flour to filtered water to get the same results as I do when you make this recipe. Example: Feed 1 cup flour + 1/2 cup water and let the starter sit on the counter at room temperature until it's bubbly and has grow in the jar. Your starter needs to be active, bubbly, and a thicker consistency to begin this recipe.
• Let the dough bulk ferment for 12 hours. It is important to let your dough bulk ferment for the full 12 hours. It should double in size and have air bubbles in it.
• Place the dough in a warm spot to rise. For both the bulk ferment and the second rise after shaping, your dough needs to be at room temperature in a non-drafty place.

What to do if your dough isn't doubling in size during the bulk ferment and/or 2nd rise:

• If your dough doesn't look like it's doing anything halfway through the rises, you need to place it in a slightly warmer area.
• This can be in a turned-off oven with the light on and oven door open, or you can slightly warm the oven to about 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit, then turn it off and place your dough inside with the door shut.
• Never leave the oven on, even on the keep warm setting, with fermenting dough inside. Your dough, for both rises, needs to double.

What to do if your dough won't double in size even in the warmer place (and your baked good is dense):

• If your dough doesn't double even in the warmer area, there is a problem with your starter. It is too weak to ferment the dough even in a warm environment.
• To fix this, you will want to leave your starter out on the counter for 2 days and feed it every 12 hours at a 2:1 ratio of unbleached flour to filtered water. 
• For example, 1 cup unbleached flour + 1/2 cup filtered (or bottled) water.
• Make sure you're using unbleached flour and filtered or bottled water to do this. If you don't, it will affect your starter strength. Reverse osmosis water (or any water that uses salt in the filter) can make the starter weak.
• This will strengthen the cultures in your starter to give you fluffy baked bread and treats. After the 2 days, you can go back to feeding it like usual (once a week if stored in the fridge or once a day if stored on the counter). Be sure to use the 2:1 ratio feeding from here on out.

Recipe Disclaimers

I feed my sourdough starter a 2:1 ratio of unbleached flour to filtered water, this creates a 50% hydrated starter. If you feed your starter differently or it isn't active before you start making this recipe, results may vary.

This recipe was inspired by the treats made by Little Debbie. But my recipe is not affiliated with or endorsed by the brand and/or corporation.

Keyword sourdough honey buns, sourdough honey buns recipe

Shop The Tools I Use for This Recipe

• large mixing bowl
• box grater
• rolling pin
• bench scraper
• unbleached parchment paper
• large sheet pan