Delightfully soft and pillowy, these sourdough cinnamon rolls topped with a cream cheese frosting will melt in your mouth. Enjoy for breakfast, dessert and a simple treat any time of the year.
This is my favorite go-to sourdough cinnamon roll recipe. We make these sourdough cinnamon rolls at least least once a month (and if we did not have other sourdough favorites, we would make them every week!).
The sourdough within this recipe gives the cinnamon roll a natural rise, without the use of yeast. It creates the softest, pillow-like rolls. And the cinnamon – butter swirl lends to the classic cinnamon roll flavor which satisfies a sweet tooth every time.
Firstly, the sourdough cinnamon roll dough is a combination of active sourdough starter, honey and flour. These ingredients lend to the light and airy texture. This ensures they are crispy on the outside and delightfully soft on the inside. Though this recipe has sourdough starter within it, it is not sour.
Secondly, the filling is a combination of three ingredients: butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. This combination melts throughout the rolls and creates a delicious, warm aroma in every bite.
Finally, the star of the show is a cream cheese frosting. This frosting is inspired by the Nothing Bundt Cakes cream cheese frosting (if you know, you know).
The irresistible cream cheese frosting comes together with minimal ingredients: cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. We may lick the cream cheese frosting straight off the beaters.
Because cream cheese is slightly tangy, it compliments the sweet cinnamon roll. And the best part is, the amount of cream cheese frosting is customizable. You can add as much or as little cream cheese frosting on top of the cinnamon rolls as you would like.
Timing is important for these sourdough cinnamon rolls. From prep to plate, it takes around 24 – 36 hours, depending on how long they are fermented for.
Making the Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls on a Baker’s Schedule
This timeline is highly variable based on temperature of the home and how long one would like for the dough to ferment. Adjust accordingly to personal preferences and notes below.
If the sourdough is dormant (aka in the fridge), remove from the fridge and feed. Allow the sourdough starter to reach 100% hydration. Timing can change based on how warm the home is. For our home during the summer, this can take 4 to 8 hours before it is ready to use within a recipe. In the winter, it can take up to 18 hours before the sourdough is back to the active, bubbly form.
We keep our sourdough relatively small and add approximately 3 ounces of all purpose flour or bread flour and 3 ounces of water to our starter to have enough active starter for this recipe. I can teach you how to begin and maintain a sourdough starter.
- 8:00 AM – Prepare sourdough cinnamon roll dough base in a large bowl. Mix together sourdough discard, water, unsalted butter/ salted butter / coconut oil, honey / maple syrup, and flour together by hand. Allow to sit in a warm place covered with a damp towel (or plastic wrap). Allow to ferment 1x the size. During the winter, we make our sourdough base at night and allow it to have one overnight rise.
- 8:00 AM the next day / morning (day of bake)*- *Rising times can impact how long bulk fermentation timeline as timing can change on this depending on how warm a house is. The goal is to allow the dough to rise about 1x the amount it originally started with. However, allowing to sit on the counter for too long in a warm household can cause the dough to ‘overproof’. Our house is generally 74 (degrees) during the summer where it takes approximately 24 hours for our dough to rise before “overproofing”.
- 8:00 – 9:00 AM (Day of Bake): Mix remaining dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer using the dough hook attachment. At this point, add eggs, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Separately, prepare cinnamon roll filling (cinnamon, brown sugar and salted butter / unsalted butter). Next, roll the sourdough cinnamon roll dough on a floured surface, wax paper, parchment paper or a buttered surface. Top with filling and roll into a log shape. *Length of time this takes depends on if mixing dough by stand mixer or by hand.
- 9:00 – 10:00 AM (Day of Bake): Preheat oven and allow cinnamon rolls to have second rise. *Length of time may vary on proofing depending on temperature of household and if one decides to skip the final rise. (For best results, do the second rise!)
- 9:30 – 10:30 AM (Day of Bake): Cook the sourdough cinnamon rolls in a baking dish and allow to cool before eating. If the dough is golden brown, they may have overcooked.
Mom-to-mom tip: To save time, try making the cream cheese frosting the night before hand and place into the refrigerator. Allow to sit at room temperature once sourdough cinnamon rolls are cooling (about 10 minutes) before frosting the pan (or individual rolls).
Kitchen Essentials
There are a variety of items we regularly use within our kitchen daily. Some of our favorite items we use to create this recipe include a kitchenmaid stand mixer, handheld mixer, cake pans, baking pan, cake pan liners and a pastry cutter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the cinnamon rolls need heavy cream, whole milk or coconut cream before placing into the oven? To ensure the cinnamon rolls have a soft texture, this step is essential. If one is sensitive to dairy, use alternatives like almond milk, oat milk or canned coconut milk cream. If left out, they will still taste great.
How long can the cinnamon rolls store on the countertop? The cinnamon rolls can store on the countertop for up to one week either covered in plastic wrap, aluminum foil, beeswax wrap or within an airtight container with a lid. We do prefer to store ours within the refrigerator after 1 day because of the dairy products, though let’s be honest, we rarely have leftover cinnamon rolls!
Can these sourdough cinnamon rolls be made in advance? This meal is a great meal prep breakfast. Follow the recipe through the cutting phase. Before allowing a secondary rise, cover with wax paper and place within a freezer safe bag.
Allow the cinnamon rolls to thaw completely before cooking. Thawing can occur within the refrigerator or on the countertop.
Allowing to thaw before cooking will ensure the rolls have a secondary rise on the countertop. Simply remove the wax paper and follow the instructions for proper cooking time. We have not tried placing these sourdough cinnamon rolls directly in the oven from the freezer.
Can these sourdough cinnamon rolls be made vegan? We have not tried replacing honey and egg within this recipe. It may be possible to substitute the honey for agave with little change to the final product.
Swapping a flax or chia seed egg with the eggs within this recipe may change the final outcome. By making these swaps, the dough may need more or less water to come together.
Additionally, the texture may change when stretching and rolling the dough. Also, make sure to swap out the heavy cream, milk, and butter, with dairy free alternatives like coconut milk and (what is the name? vegan butter).
How do you heat up cinnamon rolls after they come out of the oven or after the first day? The best way to reheat cinnamon rolls is by hitting them up individually either by placing them into an oven at 200° until they are warm to the touch water by placing in the microwave until warm. Top world with cream cheese frosting and enjoy.
Are these gluten-free? These are not gluten free. Despite having a gluten intolerance for over 15 years, I have been able to eat these because sourdough helps to ferment the grains.
Though I would not recommend someone who has celiac disease to have the cinnamon rolls, by allowing them to ferment for 24 hours the gluten content reduces significantly.
Is it necessary to have need a Kitchenaid stand mixer to make these sourdough cinnamon rolls? Having a stand mixer is completely optional to make these sourdough cinnamon rolls. Though it does take a little elbow grease (and maybe sweat and tears too?), you will get a great arm workout by kneeding the dough by hand.
To prepare by hand, prepare 25-30 minutes of kneeding the dough. When feeling the dough, it should stick less to your hands and you should no longer be able to feel the baking soda, baking powder or salt within the dough.
Additionally, the dough will have the same texture as the stand mixer: elastic and window-pane like when stretched. This needing process not only activates the gluten strains, but it lends to the pillowy dough we are hoping to achieve in the final result.
Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 4 cups All Purpose Flour We like the King Arthur brand as they feature unbleached and organic flour
- 1/2 cup Honey
- 1/2 cup Coconut Oil Measure when melted
- 1/2 TSP Sea Salt
- 1/4 Cup Water To allow dough to come together. May need more water- add in 1 T increments.
- 3/4 Cup Active Sourdough Starter “Discard” Active sourdough starter calls for 100% hydration. “Note for bottom of recipe” This recipe has not been tested with sourdough discard which has been stored in the fridge.
- 2 Eggs
- 1 TSP Baking Soda
- 1 TSP Baking Powder
- 1/3 cup Half and Half Can alternatively use Milk, a milk alternative or or Canned Coconut Cream (If using canned coconut cream, use the cream of the coconut cream – not the water/ milk. We like the Thai Kitchen brand.)
Cinnamon Roll Filling
- 1 stick Unsalted Butter (4 ounces) Can use salted butter
- 1 cup Brown Sugar Level, not packed
- 2 TBS Ground Cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 block Cream Cheese (8 ounces) Can be Full fat or reduced fat
- 1 stick Unsalted Butter (4 ounces) Can use salted butter – see salt note
- 2-1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar Can reduce by 1/2 – 1 cup if less-sweet frosting is desired. Note this will cause frosting to be runnier in texture.
- 1 TBS Vanilla Extract Can use 2 TSP Vanilla Bean Extract
- 1 Pinch Salt *Leave out if using salted butter
Instructions
- To begin making the sourdough cinnamon rolls, start with the dough. In a bowl which as enough room for the dough to rise by 1x the starting size, combine the first ingredients. The ingredients (melted coconut oil, honey, all purpose flour, sourdough starter and water) will be mixed together by hand until a shaggy ball forms. Be prepared, the dough will be sticky at this time. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a beeswax wrap. Allow the dough to sit on the countertop for up to 12 hours.
- Place in refrigerator for longer fermentation time, if preferred. Allow to come to room temperature on morning of bake.
- After the dough has fermented add in the remaining ingredients: eggs, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix either within a stand mixer or by hand. If using a stand mixer, utilize the dough hook attachment and allow the dough to come together for 10-15 minutes. When stretched, the dough should have a window pane like consistency. By hand this process could could take 30+ minutes to kneed.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the cinnamon sugar filling. Mix the filling ingredients (butter, brown sugar and cinnamon) together until combined. To have softened butter, allow it to sit on the countertop or microwave until a finger can be pushed into the butter with little resistance. It is important to ensure the butter is not melted before mixing together.
- Next on a smooth surface, roll the dough into a rectangle shape of 1/4 inch thickness. Though the dough does not commonly stick to the surface, additional measures can be taken to ensure this occurs by placing butter, flour, or a neutral tasting oil on the counter. Alternatively, the dough can be rolled onto a silicone baking sheet or wax paper.
- Once the dough is rolled thin, spread the cinnamon sugar mixture across the dough. Next, roll the dough into tight before slicing the dough.To slice the dough, you can use a pastry cutter, sharp knife, plain dental floss or twine. If utilizing plain dental floss or twine, grab a piece between your pointer fingers as you would to begin flossing your teeth. Place under the cinnamon roll and gently wiggle underneath. Cross your hands above the roll in a criss-cross pattern and gently pull to opposite sides, pinching the roll. The amount of rolls depends on how large of cinnamon rolls are preferred. We typically make 12-14 rolls out of one recipe.
- Once cut, place the rolls into two prepared cake pans or a 9 x 13 pan. Ensure the pans are either lined with parchment paper or the pan is coated with butter or a neutral cooking oil to prevent sticking from the bottom of the pan. Allow the rolls to rise on the countertop for 30 minutes to an hour before placing in the oven. Though this step is optional, this secondary rise will allow the cinnamon rolls to become wonderfully fluffy.
- Finally, before placing in the oven, pour 1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream, milk or coconut cream on top of the cinnamon rolls. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch. If the cinnamon rolls turn golden brown in color, they are typically overdone and the outer rolls will be dry.
- While the cinnamon rolls are in the oven, begin preparing the cream cheese frosting. Whip the cream cheese and butter until light and airy. The color of the butter and cream cheese will turn from yellow to white. It may take up to 5 minutes for this to occur. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time to prevent the sugar from going outside the mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and salt (if unsalted butter was used).This frosting can be put in the fridge or left on the countertop. Our preference is to frost one pan of cinnamon rolls on the day they are made.
- Once the cinnamon rolls are removed removed from the oven, allow them to cool for at least 15 to 30 minutes. By allowing to cool slightly, this will ensure the cream cheese frosting does not melt into the cinnamon rolls.Enjoy!
Have you tried making sourdough cinnamon rolls before? If you make this recipe, comment below and let us know your thoughts!
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