These soft sourdough cinnamon rolls are made with a dough enriched with butter, egg and a touch of sugar for sweetness. Each cinnamon roll is super soft with a most delicious cinnamon swirl… Rolled into generously sized cinnamon rolls and covered with the ultimate cream cheese frosting!
Sourdough cinnamon rolls freeze beautifully, so it’s a great make-ahead recipe, especially for holidays or a special breakfast.
These classic homestyle cinnamon rolls are made even better fermented with sourdough! I did a lot of recipe testing to develop sourdough cinnamon rolls that have the buttery soft flavor and classic gooey texture of classic cinnamon rolls.
Key Ingredients for the dough:
Key ingredients & my number 1 tip: Make sure your sourdough starter is ready… I have more success with this dough when I feed the sourdough starter and let it bubble up on the counter before using it. The cinnamon rolls rise faster, and turn out softer and fluffier too!
(Then I feed it again, set it on the counter till it starts bubbling up, then put it in the fridge for next time.)
Flour: I like to use part whole wheat flour and part all purpose flour when baking these rolls… But all purpose flour and bread flour work best for this recipe.
Warm Water: Warm water helps this dough start rising faster than cold water. Try to get your water between 100-110 degrees.
Salt and Sugar: Salt and sugar are key ingredients for this dough for flavor! Cinnamon roll dough should be a bit sweeter than regular rolls, and the salt compliments it… Don’t skip these, you’ll be disappointed!
Butter! Most people don’t think of butter when they think about sourdough… But butter makes this dough a dream to work with and adds that buttery flavor I know you’ll all love!
How to Make Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Step-by-Step with Photos
First get your sourdough starter active by feeding 1/2 cup starter with 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup flour… Let it sit on the counter till it’s nice and bubbly.
Next you’ll add your bubbly active sourdough starter to your mixing bow (or the mixing bowl of a stand mixer) and add the warm water. Stir these together till combined. Then add the rest of the ingredients and stir till you need to start kneading.
You can add a bit more flour if needed to make the dough less sticky, but you shouldn’t need to add much. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes or till smooth and elastic.
Oil the top with 2 tablespoons oil. Clover with a clean towel and set it in a warm place to rise till almost doubled. (I set mine on top of the stove.)
After your dough has almost doubled in size, mix up your cinnamon and sugar filling. Add cinnamon, sugar and water to a small bowl (or cup) and stir till well combined.
Then roll the dough out on a clean work surface to a 12 inch by 24 inch rectangle.
Use a rubber spatula to spread the wet cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the dough leaving 1/2 inch to an inch of space around the edges.
Next, roll the dough into a log STARTING on the 12 inch side (This makes 12 big rolls… For more smaller rolls start on the 24 inch side.)
Place rolls into a buttered 9×13 casserole dish.
Place a clean towel over your raw cinnamon rolls and refrigerate for 8 hours (or overnight.)
The next morning, take your rolls out of the fridge and place them in a warm spot to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or till internal temperature of the center roll reaches 165 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.
Let rolls cool for 10 minutes then spread with cream cheese frosting, and Enjoy!
Cream Cheese Frosting
To make the cream cheese frosting: add ½ cup (1 stick) of SOFTENED salted butter to a medium bowl. Then add 8 oz of softened cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 4 cups powdered sugar. Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to blend till smooth!
Sourdough Recipes
- How to Make Sourdough Starter
- How to Maintain Sourdough Starter the EASY Way
- Easy sourdough bread for beginners.
Let me know what YOU think!
Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- For the Dough: 2 cups active sourdough starter
- 1 cup warm water
- 5 1/2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup 1 stick softened butter
- 2 tablespoons oil
- For the Filling: 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1/4 cup water
- Cream Cheese Frosting: 1 stick softened butter 1/2 cup
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Activate Sourdough Starter: In a bowl, combine sourdough starter, warm water, and 1/2 cup flour. Let sit on the counter until bubbly, about a few hours.
- Mix Dough: In a mixing bowl (or stand mixer), combine active starter, remaining flour, sugar, egg, melted butter or coconut oil, and salt. Stir until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead Dough: Knead the dough for 5 minutes, adding a little more flour if too sticky, until smooth and elastic.
- First Rise: Oil the top of the dough. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size (about several hours).
- Make Filling: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon. Mix well.
- Roll Out Dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 12" x 24" rectangle.
- Spray or brush it with water just till moistened. This helps the cinnamon filling stick.
- Spread Filling: Spread the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2" to 1" border around the edges.
- Shape Rolls: Starting from the 12" side, roll the dough into a log (makes 12 large rolls). And slice into 1 inch thick rolls (should make about 12 big cinnamon rolls.)
- Second Rise: Place rolls in a buttered 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover with a towel and refrigerate for 8 hours (or overnight).
- Bring to Room Temperature: Take rolls out of the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Bake: Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and the center reaches 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
- Make Frosting (Optional): Cream together softened butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Cool & Frost: Let rolls cool for 10 minutes before frosting. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
About Juliea
Juliea Huffaker is the creator of Farmhouse Harvest, and dedicated to teaching from-scratch cooking, sourdough baking, gardening, and food preservation. With over 25 years of hands-on experience she has preserved hundreds of jars of produce, mastered the art of meats and sourdough baking, and nurtured a thriving organic garden. Her recipes and articles have been featured across the web. And she’s passionate about inspiring others to embrace a simpler, self-sufficient life style.
1 comment
Timber
These cinnamon rolls are the best out there one of the best sourdough cinnamon roll recipe recipes perfect combo with the cream cheese frosting.