Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Recipe From Scratch
This sourdough cinnamon rolls recipe has no business being this delicious! Not only do they taste amazing but they're created with wholesome ingredients and simplified steps. Any skill level of baker can make this recipe, you don't have to be a pro.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Rolls
- 1/2 cup fed sourdough starter
- 8 Tbsp cold butter
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp raw honey
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/3 cup milk or cream to brush tops before baking
Filling
- 1/4 cup ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup pure cane sugar
- 6 Tbsp softened butter not melted
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3 tsp raw honey
- 3 Tbsp milk
Instructions
- 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.
- Add sourdough starter, butter grated with a cheese grater, flour, water, salt, and honey to a large bowl and mix until combined.
- Cover bowl with a lid or kitchen towel and let bulk ferment on the counter at room temperature for 6-8 hours (dough needs to double in size).
- 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.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Make the filling by combining cane sugar, cinnamon, and softened butter in a bowl until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle approximately 10" x 20".
- With a butter knife evenly spread filling over the entire rectangle.
- Starting at the shorter 10" side of the rectangle begin to roll the dough into a log. Pinch the seam together with your hands and slice the log into 1.5 to 2 inch cinnamon rolls.
- At this time you can either continue the recipe or cover the baking sheet and pop them in the fridge until the morning to bake.
- Place cinnamon rolls on a baking sheet (lined with parchment or lightly greased with butter) just barely touching
- Brush the tops with 1/3 cup milk or cream and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- During this time of baking make the frosting by adding cream cheese, honey, and milk into a bowl and mixing with a hand mixer until evenly combined.
- Let cinnamon rolls cool 2-5 minutes, add frosting, and enjoy!
Notes
Store baked, unfrosted cinnamon rolls in an air tight container for up to 4 days at room temperature. Be sure to store cream cheese frosting in the fridge and frost them only when you're ready to eat.
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 cinnamon rolls but it works very well for this recipe.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION!
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.