This is the only sourdough cinnamon roll recipe you need. These sourdough cinnamon rolls are golden brown, rolled in cinnamon sugar, and coated in a delicious cream cheese icing. The perfect way to start any morning!
These sourdough cinnamon rolls have got to be my favorite sourdough recipe. Cinnamon rolls are my favorite go-to pastry, but fermenting them with my sourdough starter has taken them to the next level.
I’ve spent some time tweaking and perfecting this recipe. Sourdough is intimidating and has been an enormous learning curve in my baking experience. I wouldn’t say I’m a pro yet, but I think I nailed this one when making some sourdough cinnamon rolls!
These cinnamon rolls are prepped overnight, allowing the dough to ferment to perfection, giving it the best flavor. Also, because the grains are naturally fermented overnight, they give you all the benefits of sourdough. It makes you feel a little less guilty eating a sugary, sweet cinnamon roll!
Why I love This Recipe & You Will Too -
- Most of the work is done the night before! This lightens the load in the morning, saving you time. All you have to focus on is assembling the cinnamon rolls.
- These have quickly become a family tradition in my house on Christmas morning, other holidays, and birthdays!
- These sourdough cinnamon rolls are soft and fluffy, rolled up snugly with brown sugar & cinnamon.
- All you need is a mature sourdough starter, no commercial yeast! The natural wild yeast in the starter, baking soda, and baking powder create the perfect fluffy rolls.
Tips For Making Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls -
- Begin this recipe the night before or 24 hours ahead of time. You want to allow the dough to ferment correctly and create more flavor.
- You will need an active, mature sourdough starter to make these cinnamon buns. An active starter refers to a starter that has been fed 4-12 hours before preparing the dough and is bubbly.
- Use unflavored dental floss or a thin string to cut the cinnamon rolls. A sharp knife will also work, but I warn you that it will most likely smush the rolls instead of keeping their shape.
- I recommend pouring heavy cream over the unbaked cinnamon buns before placing them in the oven. This keeps the rolls moist while baking, and it mixes with the brown sugar cinnamon to create a beautiful caramel flavor.
Tools You Might Need
- 9×13″ Baking Dish or Cast Iron Skillet
- Kitchen Mixer with Dough Hook
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Mixing Bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Thread/Unflavored Dental Floss
- Icing Spatula
Ingredients -
Dough Ingredients –
- Active Sourdough Starter
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Water
- Flour
- Coconut Oil
- Honey
- Eggs
- Heavy Cream
Cinnamon Sugar Filling –
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
Simple Vanilla Icing –
- Powdered Sugar
- Whole Milk
- Vanilla
Cream Cheese Frosting –
- Cream Cheese
- Butter
- Pure Maple Syrup
- Heavy Cream
- Vanilla Extract
How To Make The Best Sourdough Cinnamon Roll -
The Night Before -
In the bowl of a stand mixer, begin preparing the ingredients to make the dough for the cinnamon rolls. Combine fed sourdough starter, flour, water, honey, eggs, and melted coconut oil. Mix in your stand mixer at medium speed with the dough hook attachment until smooth, glossy, and passes the windowpane test.**
**The window pane test is where you grab a piece of dough with your thumb and pointer finger and stretch it. If it rips apart easily, the gluten strands are not developed. If you can stretch it to the point of almost seeing through it, then the gluten is ready.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave it to rest in a warm place overnight, about 8-12 hours. At this point, I will leave out the butter for my cinnamon sugar filling so it is soft and ready to use in the morning.
The Next Morning -
Add baking soda, powder, and salt to the dough the next morning. With your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, knead for 2-3 minutes on medium speed until baking soda, baking powder, and salt are well incorporated.**
**Your dough should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl in a nice lump. If your dough seems to be sticking to the side of your bowl and not coming together like a ball, add 2-3 more Tablespoons of flour to help bring it back together.
After the dough is done being kneaded, place the dough on a floured work surface.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to about ¼ inches thick. Focus on getting a great rectangle shape while rolling your dough out. This will help when rolling them up tightly.
Next, combine softened butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a medium bowl to make your cinnamon sugar filling.
Add cinnamon-sugar butter filling to the dough and evenly spread it from edge to edge.
Take the long side of the dough and begin to roll the dough as tightly as you can. When you reach the end of the dough, I recommend pulling the end up tightly and pinching the edge into the rolled dough. This will help seal the edge correctly, giving you a perfectly tight roll.
Next, take your thread or unflavored dental floss and get ready to slice the cinnamon rolls. Cut the rolled dough into 1” thick pieces. You should roughly be able to get 12 cinnamon rolls. You can cut the entire log in half and focus on cutting 6 even slices on each side.
After the cinnamon rolls are cut, place the unbaked cinnamon buns in a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or a 9×13” casserole dish. Either works great; just make sure they are greased for baking.
Before placing them in the oven, pour ½ cup of heavy whipping cream over each cinnamon roll. This step is crucial. The heavy cream will help bake these cinnamon buns to perfection and keep them moist, sweet, and fluffy.
Bake the cinnamon rolls at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until brown. After they are pulled out of the oven, allow them to cool a bit.
My favorite part is pulling them fresh out of the oven. They have the perfect swirled shape and look so beautifully fluffy. You could eat them as they are, but who doesn’t love a little frosting on their cinnamon rolls?
How To Make Icing From Scratch -
Simple Vanilla Icing -
Some mornings, I don’t have time to make an elaborate cream cheese frosting. I need something quick and easy. So this is my simple frosting, which pairs excellently with the cinnamon rolls!
Add 1 cup of confectioner’s (powdered) sugar to a medium-sized bowl. Then, add 2-3 tablespoons of whole milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Mix well until it becomes smooth and velvety. If it’s still clumped and seems dry, add another tablespoon of milk until it reaches the perfect consistency.
Drizzle over top of the slightly cooled cinnamon rolls. The heat from the cinnamon rolls will help melt the frosting, allowing it to travel into every nook and cranny for the ultimate icing glaze. Guaranteed a bite of sweet icing every time!
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting -
In a stand mixer, add softened butter and softened cream cheese and blend on high for a couple of minutes until nice and creamy smooth.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in your maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on medium-high until fluffy.
Pour the frosting over the slightly cooled cinnamon rolls and let the heat do the rest of the work. The warmth of the cinnamon rolls will help melt the frosting, allowing it to spread evenly over each cinnamon roll.
If you try this recipe, let me know by leaving a comment! Love it? Feel free to give it a 5-star rating!
Find More Breakfast Recipes -
Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Large Bowl
- 9x13" Casserole Dish
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Rolling Pin
- Thread/Unflavored Dental Floss
- Icing Spatula
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 1/2 Cup Sourdough Starter (Bubbly & Active)
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 4 Cups Unbleached All-purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup Coconut Oil (Melted)
- 1/2 Cup Honey
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Seal Salt
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- 1/2 Cup Butter (Softened)
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar (Packed)
- 2 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
Simple Vanilla Icing
- 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Whole Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3 Tbsp Butter (Softened)
- 8 oz Cream Cheese (Softened)
- 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
Instructions
Cinnamon Roll Dough - The Night Before
- In a stand mixer, combine active sourdough starter, flour, honey, melted coconut oil, water, and eggs. Knead on medium-high speed for 5-8 minutes, until the dough reaches the windowpane test.1/2 Cup Sourdough Starter, 1/2 Cup Water, 4 Cups Unbleached All-purpose Flour, 1/2 Cup Coconut Oil, 1/2 Cup Honey, 2 Eggs
- Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave to rest at room temperature for 8-12 hours.
Cinnamon Roll Dough - Next Morning
- The next morning, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Take the fermented dough and add baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the dough. Mix in the stand mixer on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until combined well.1 tsp Baking Soda, 1 tsp Baking Powder, 1/2 tsp Seal Salt
- While the dough is kneading, in a separate bowl mix butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside.1/2 Cup Butter, 1 Cup Brown Sugar, 2 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
- Take the cinnamon roll dough and pour it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough into a ¼” thick rectangle.
- Spread your brown sugar butter mixture from edge to edge of the dough.
- Taking the long side of the dough, begin rolling it up as tightly as you can. Take your time with this step. The tighter it is the prettier the spiral you will get. When you reach the end, pull the edge up and toward you. Pinch the edge of the dough into the primary roll creating a nice seam.
- Cut the roll in half with thread or dental floss. Slice each half into 6 even rolls.
- Place the rolls into a 9x13” baking dish or a well-seasoned Cast Iron skillet.
- Drizzle the heavy cream evenly over the unbaked cinnamon rolls before baking.1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the rolls are lightly browned. Check the center rolls to make sure they are cooked through. They will take the longest being in the center of the baking dish. If you have a thermometer, check the internal temp is between 190-200°F to be baked correctly.
Simple Vanilla Icing -
- In a medium bowl mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. If it isn’t smooth enough, add a tablespoon of milk at a time until you reach the perfect consistency.2 Cups Powdered Sugar, 1/4 Cup Whole Milk, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Pour over cinnamon rolls & enjoy!
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and softened butter on medium-high speed until creamed together nicely. (About 2 minutes)3 Tbsp Butter, 8 oz Cream Cheese
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in maple syrup, vanilla, and sea salt. Beat on medium-high again until well incorporated.1/4 Cup Maple Syrup, 1/4 tsp Sea Salt, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Pour over freshly baked cinnamon rolls & enjoy!
Notes
- Begin this recipe the night before or 24 hours ahead of time. You want to allow the dough to ferment properly and create more flavor.
- You will need an active mature sourdough starter to make these cinnamon buns. Active starter refers to a starter that has been fed 4-12 hours before preparing the dough and is bubbly.
- Use unflavored dental floss or a thin string to cut the cinnamon rolls. A sharp knife will work, but I will warn you, it will most likely smush the rolls instead of keeping their shape.
- I recommend pouring heavy cream over the unbaked cinnamon buns before placing them into the oven. It keeps the rolls moist while baking and it mixes with the brown sugar cinnamon creating a beautiful caramel flavor.
0 Comments