These fluffy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls are a delectable breakfast treat served up with a buttercream frosting! For those of you with a sourdough starter wondering what else you can make than loaves of bread, here's one (seriously good) recipe!
Homemade Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
They're here! The long-awaited sourdough cinnamon rolls I've been teasing you about on Instagram have finally dropped and I can't wait to see you make these, too. Just like sourdough bread, it's a recipe that takes some patience as you make the dough and let it rise, but man oh man, are they worth the wait. This recipe uses a sourdough starter; read my whole post here about easily making your own sourdough starter! The starter should be at its peak in height when you use it, and bubbly and active. Feed it 2 to 4 hours before using, depending on its habits, so that it's at its peak when you are using it.
This recipe was developed with a sourdough starter that is kept at 100% hydration (it's fed an equal amount of flour and water), which you can find in my tutorial. It was also tested with Bob's Red Mill all-purpose flour. I recommend trying to avoid flour that has been bleached for best results. The rising times can vary a lot depending on your schedule and how warm your kitchen is. Feel free to let the recipe work in your favor. Know that the longer it rises each time, the more sour flavor it will have. I also used a buttercream frosting, but if you prefer a cream cheese frosting for your cinnamon rolls, feel free to use one instead.
You can make the dough and prepare the rolled dough the night before, and then cover them tightly with plastic wrap and let them rise overnight in the fridge after you've cut and shaped them. Bring them to room temperature before baking in the morning. This adds quite a bit of sour flavor.
What's in these Cinnamon Rolls?
Sourdough cinnamon rolls have simple ingredients and are great to make if you have an active sourdough starter!
Milk: Milk is the liquid that activates your starter and adds some creaminess to the dough.
Sugar: To sweeten the dough slightly, sugar is incorporated.
Butter: Butter adds a nice richness and golden color to the dough.
Active & bubble sourdough starter: Find my tutorial here to make your own sourdough starter!
Salt: Salt elevates and balances all the other flavors.
Eggs: Eggs bind everything together.
All-purpose flour: Flour is what makes the dough into a bread-like texture. I recommend using all-purpose and unbleached for the best results!
Plus ingredients for the filling (brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter) and the frosting (butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk)!
How to Make Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls from Scratch:
It's a lot of steps, but don't let it intimidate you! They're time intensive but easy and SO worth it!
- Warm the milk, sugar, and butter.
- Mix milk mixture, sourdough starter, salt, 2 eggs, and 2 cups of flour in stand mixer with dough hook on low until wet dough forms.
- Mix on medium-low speed to knead very well for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Let dough rest for 5 minutes.
- Add about ⅓ cup flour; let the machine knead the mixture for another 4 to 5 minutes.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead by hand until dough is no longer sticky, but is still tender.
- Lightly grease mixing bowl and return the dough to bowl.
- Cover dough with damp kitchen towel, and let rise for 3 to 6 hours at room temperature.
- Prepare 9x13 baking dish by greasing it well.
- Gently remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface.
- Roll out the dough into a rectangle that is 14 by 18 inches.
- Spread soft butter evenly over the rectangle of rolled-out dough.
- Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the butter.
- Sprinkle cinnamon evenly over the brown sugar.
- Roll the dough up against itself into a log.
- Cut the entire log into 12 even pieces.
- Place them flat side down evenly in the pan.
- Cover rolls with damp towel, and allow to rise at room temperature for additional 1 to 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., and bake te rolls for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Icing: add the butter to a microwave safe bowl and melt.
- Add vanilla and powdered sugar to the warm butter and whisk.
- Add 1 tablespoon milk at a time; stir to combine.
- Allow rolls to rest for 5 minutes after baking.
- Spread the warm rolls gently with the icing to cover well. Serve warm.
Tips to Make The Best Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls:
- Use unbleached flour: Unbleached flour creates the best consistency and rise for sourdough cinnamon rolls.
- Soften the butter for the filling: You want softened but not melted butter for the filling. Microwave it in short increments until it's easy to spread with a butter knife. Melted butter will leak out of the rolls when baking.
- Pay attention to rise time: You may have to let your dough rise longer depending on the temperature of the room. Also, the longer the rise, the more sourdough flavor they'll have. If you like strong sourdough, make the dough and prepare the raw rolls in a baking dish before covering and refrigerating overnight. Bake the next morning.
How to Store Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls:
Store leftover, cooled cinnamon rolls in one layer in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also freeze them for 3 to 4 months.
FAQ:
What if my dough doesn't rise?
If your dough isn't rising, try placing it in a sunnier or warmer area of your home. Sometimes a chilly room keeps it from activating and rising.
Another issue may be with the sourdough starter itself. Mixing it with too hot of liquid can kill the natural yeast in the starter, so just make sure you use warm liquid, not hot. You also want it to be at its peak in height when you use it, and bubbly and active. Feed it 2 to 4 hours before using, depending on its habits, so that it's at its peak when you are using it.
Can I make cinnamon rolls ahead of time?
Yes! Prepare the dough and the raw rolls in the baking dish, but instead of baking immediately, refrigerate overnight and bake them in the morning. It makes them extra fluffy and they'll have a stronger sourdough flavor!
More Sourdough Recipes:
- Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- My Favorite Go-To Sourdough Bread Recipe
- How to Make a Sourdough Starter
Same Day Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- Total Time: 4-10 hours
- Yield: 12 rolls 1x
Description
Fluffy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls served with buttercream frosting! Wondering what else you can make with sourdough starter? Here's one delicious idea!
Ingredients
For the Rolls:
- ¼ cup milk (whole or 2%)
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup butter, cut into 4 pieces
- ⅔ cup active bubbly sourdough starter*
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 ⅓ to 2 ⅔ cups quality all-purpose flour
For the Filling:
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
For the Icing:
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Heat the milk, sugar, and butter in a small saucepan or microwave-safe container just until the milk is warm and the butter is melted. If it gets overly hot, let it cool before using. You'll want it to be only warm to the touch when adding it to your sourdough starter. If it's too hot, it'll kill your natural yeast, and your rolls won't rise.
- Add the milk mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer, add the sourdough starter, salt, 2 eggs, and 2 cups of flour.
- Mix with the dough hook on low speed until the mixture forms a very wet dough, and then mix on medium-low speed to knead very well for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Let the dough rest for 5 minutes in the bowl with the mixer turned off.
- After 5 minutes have passed add a little more flour to the mixture, about ⅓ cup, and let the machine knead the mixture for another 4 to 5 minutes.
- Turn the very soft dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead by hand until the dough is no longer sticky, but is still very tender, adding a little flour as needed as you knead. You may add up to another ⅓ cup of flour. Form the dough into a smooth ball.
- Lightly grease the mixing bowl and return the dough to the bowl.
- Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel, and let it rise for 3 to 6 hours at room temperature.
- Prepare a baking dish by greasing it well. You can use a 9x13-inch or an 11x7-inch baking dish or even two 8-inch round pie plates. I prefer to use an 11x7-inch pan so that they cook close together.
- Gently remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface.
- Roll out the dough into a rectangle that is roughly 14 inches by 18 inches.
- If the butter you are working with isn't not very soft, microwave it for just a few seconds so that it's semi-solid but very, very soft.
- Spread the soft butter evenly over the entire rectangle of rolled out dough.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon evenly over the brown sugar.
- Starting along the edge that is 14 inches long, roll the dough up against itself.
- Roll the dough into a log. Make a small mark in the dough about halfway, in the middle, of the rolled up dough. Make a small mark on the dough in the center of each half (you've now roughly marked your dough into 4 sections).
- With a serrated knife cut each section you marked into 3 pieces, cutting the entire log into 12 even pieces.
- Place them flat side down evenly in the pan (they fit in a 3-by-4 pattern well in the rectangle pans).
- Cover the rolls with a damp towel, and allow to rise at room temperature for an additional 1 to 3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F., and then bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are golden-brown.
- While the rolls are cooking, make the icing. To make the icing, add the butter to a microwave safe bowl, and microwave until melted.
- Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar to the warm butter, and stir with a whisk to combine.
- Add the milk a tablespoon at a time, and stir to combine. It's ok if the icing gets a little thick; just whisk it until there are no lumps and it's smooth. The icing will melt over the warm rolls to the perfect consistency.
- When the rolls are done cooking remove them from the oven. Allow them to rest for 5 minutes.
- Spread the warm rolls gently with the icing to cover well. Serve warm.
Notes
- *Your sourdough starter should be at its peak in height when you use it, and bubbly and active. Feed it 2-4 hours before using, depending on its habits, so that it's at its peak when you are using it.
- This recipe was developed with a sourdough starter that is kept at 100% hydration (it's fed an equal amount of flour and water).
- This recipe was tested with Bob's Red Mill all-purpose flour; try to avoid flour that has been bleached for best results.
- The rising times can vary a lot depending on your schedule and how warm your kitchen is. Feel free to let the recipe work in your favor. Know that the longer it rises each time, the more sour flavor it will have.
- If you prefer a cream cheese frosting for your cinnamon rolls, feel free to use one instead.
- You can make the dough and prepare the rolled dough the night before, and then cover them tightly with plastic wrap and let them rise overnight in the fridge after you've cut and shaped them. Bring them to room temperature before baking in the morning. This adds quite a bit of sour flavor.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Sourdough
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: sourdough cinnamon rolls, sourdough starter recipe, sourdough cinnamon rolls without yeast, cinnamon rolls from scratch
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They're here! My fluffy, soft, and cozy sourdough cinnamon rolls are the perfect comfort baking food and will leave you never wanting to use another cinnamon roll recipe!
Ariel
I’ve made these about six times now. Mine have taken 24 hours in rise time, if not longer, because we live in a cooler climate and my sourdough is a lazy little %#>€ lol even then, I cannot get them to rise much (again, I’ve made these six times ) but they taste so unbelievably amazing I keep making them lol starting on batch #7 now. I might throw in actual yeast this time. Not sure yet lol
★★★★★
Melissa
It does sound like your starter might be weak and your house is cold, you for sure could try to add a little yeast...
beverly
Hoping to make these - I have Einkorn starter and mill my own whole grain flour. So... will that work in your recipe?
One other thing is the amount of sugar... could I use a natural sugar substitute instead of sooo much sugar? 45 carbs is a lot for us. Or maybe I should look at another recipe. Please tell me your thoughts on this.
Thanks!
Melissa
Working with whole grains is really tricky, I'd probably try half and half and you for sure can adjust the sugar to your liking.
Amanda Woodruff
So good! We made these today and they are perfection.
★★★★★
bdieges@gmail.com
These look wonderful. Just wondering about how much time to allow the rolls to rise in the morning, before baking. I use my oven for proofing my sourdough breads and rolls. Just turn on the heat and turn it off and leave on the oven light.
Melissa
I don't proof them in the morning and just set them out while the oven is heating so maybe 20 minute?
Heather M.
These are a heavy favorite at our house, so delicious!
★★★★★
Hayley
This sounds great!y starter is not fed at 100% hydration. Can I use it? Will it still work? Should I do anything differently because of that? Thanks!!
Melissa
It should work fine!
Adrian D
Tried a different recipe that had weights, just for anyone that lives in a cooler climate. These were my times once my dough was able to pass the window pane test I put it in the fridge to retard for 48 hours then took it out shaped and put it in my silicone pan. It took another 5.5 hours for me to proof. It was my first attempt I went a little light on the filling used Coconut sugar, I needed more Cinnamon in my mixture. Would love to try your recipe to see which I like better if you have weight measurements. Thank you.
Adrian D
Any chance you can give us weight measurements, assuming your cups are American and it's not the same in Canada.
Kaysha
What is an ideal temperature for the milk mixture to be before adding the sourdough starter when making the dough? I have made these a couple times, and they taste great! I am just wondering if my milk mixture should be a little cooler, so the rolls will rise better.
★★★★★
Melissa
Around 90 degrees is ideal. Sourdough can vary a lot, so if they aren't rising well you could always just allow for a longer rising time!
Kris Myatt
These are the best darn cinnamon rolls we’ve ever had (homemade)! The only variation we made was I add our yeast in the recipe, not our sourdough starter. Been using the Quick-Rise yeast. It’s all the grocery had at the time due to everyone becoming bakers during quarantine. Hehe. Just follow the yeasts directions and add it to the mixture. Thanks for this recipe! It’s a keeper!!
★★★★★
Kaysha
I made these for the first time, and they were very tasty! I'll need to let them rise longer next time (learning is part of the fun of trying new things!), but they still turned out great!
★★★★★
Michelle
These are AMAZING! I’ve made them 3 times now, and they’ve always tasted great, but this 3rd time they were absolutely perfect. My starter has improved so much over the few months since my first attempt, and a nice bubbly starter definitely makes a difference. I do a cream cheese and mascarpone frosting with orange zest since I don’t like buttercream. No chance I’ll ever make another cinnamon roll recipe!
★★★★★
Melissa
Ummmm your frosting sounds AMAZING!! And I'm so glad you are finding success, and yes, a mature starter is really magical! Happy baking Michelle!
Diane
4 hours and the dough hasn’t grown 🙁
★
Melissa
Use this as a learning experience! Sourdough with it's wild yeast will vary highly, this isn't a traditional recipe! Keep letting it rise or put it somewhere warmer or learn that your dough likes to sit a solid 12 hours. Once we learn some about how your individual starter acts in the current conditions you'll be able to get a better feel for the recipe.
Beth
Dough takes way too long to rise
Melissa
It's sourdough, it's supposed to take a long time to rise, natural yeast is a much slower rise than other yeasts.
Angela
These were so delicious! I followed Melissa’s recipe for making my own sourdough starter and I was so excited to see what I could make with it. In terms of the recipe, for some reason (maybe my kitchen was too cold) my dough didn’t rise after 6 hours (step 8), I ended up leaving it on the counter overnight expecting to throw it out in the morning, but what do you know it rose overnight! The cinnamon buns came out so delicious, and the icing was even better! I will definitely be making these again!
★★★★★