Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
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There’s nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked sourdough cinnamon rolls wafting through the kitchen. Soft, fluffy, and swirled with a rich, buttery cinnamon centre, these sourdough cinnamon rolls are the perfect balance of sweet and spice. Whether you’re baking them for a special breakfast, a holiday treat, or just because, they’re guaranteed to be a comforting family favorite. They are literally the BEST cinnamon rolls you'll ever eat!
If you really love sourdough cinnamon recipes, why not try these sourdough snickerdoodle cookies, sourdough cinnamon roll focaccia bread or sourdough cinnamon roll pancakes.
Why You'll Love This Recipe!
Rich, Buttery Dough - I recently updated this recipe, adding extra butter and eggs to the dough to make it richer, with even more soft, buttery layers of cinnamon goodness. It's the same dough I've used in these sourdough apple cinnamon rolls too!
Gooey Caramel Sauce - the heavy whipping cream poured over the cinnamon rolls before they go into the oven mixes with the cinnamon-sugar mixture and creates the most amazing gooey caramel sauce on the bottom of the cinnamon buns.
Easy to Knead - When I was improving this sourdough cinnamon roll recipe and rephotographing, I tested this recipe in several different machines with great success. This recipe can be kneaded as a single batch in a KitchenAid (you can the one I use in The Pantry Mama Test Kitchen), Thermomix TM5 & TM6 and Panasonic Bread Machine. It can also be made in a single, double or triple batch in an Ankarsrum Assistent using the dough roller.
If you're looking for something a little different, these Sourdough Gingerbread Rolls might be just the ticket or perhaps these fresh sourdough strawberry rolls!
Ingredients
- Bread Flour - You need to use bread flour rather than all purpose flour. Bread flour contains a higher protein and gluten content which will give you lofty cinnamon rolls.
- Sourdough Starter - Active sourdough starter is best for this recipe. It is an enriched dough so it will take a while for the dough to rise, but your patience will be rewarded! New to sourdough? You can follow my step-by-step guide for how to make a sourdough starter.
- Milk - Whole milk is best but this recipe will also work with 2%. It's best if you use warm milk for this recipe. I don't recommend using buttermilk for this recipe.
- Salt
- Eggs - I've used a whole egg plus an egg yolk. My eggs are large, at least 60g each.
- Sugar - I've used granulated sugar in the cinnamon roll dough, brown sugar in the filling and powdered sugar for the frosting.
- Butter - as always, I've used salted butter, but you can of course use unsalted butter if you prefer. You'll need soft butter for the dough ingredients and vanilla cream cheese frosting and melted butter for the cinnamon sugar filling.
- Heavy Cream - this takes your sourdough cinnamon rolls to the next level! Pouring it over the rolls makes them softer, richer and more moist. It mixes with the cinnamon sugar filling and creates a gooey, caramel sauce at the bottom of the pan. Trust on me this, you'll be hooked!
- Vanilla Paste - You can use vanilla paste or vanilla extract here. I actually like to use paste as I find it gives a stronger vanilla flavor, but use what you have.
- Ground cinnamon - Use your favorite ground cinnamon. You can also add the filling of these cinnamon rolls to this Sourdough Chocolate Star Bread.
- Cream Cheese - You'll need a block of cream cheese, not a tub of spreadable cream cheese here.
Overview: How To Make Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
This easy sourdough cinnamon rolls recipe is a cinch to make. Seriously, you might think that they're fiddly, but really they are quite simple. Of course, if you're not into waiting, make sure you check out these no wait sourdough cinnamon rolls.
There are quite a few steps to this recipe, but if you just take your time, the actual hands on part isn't too bad. I recommend using a stand mixer with a dough attachment to knead the dough. It makes it so much easier! But you can knead the dough by hand if you want to.
To make these sourdough cinnamon rolls, start by mixing warm milk and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until the sugar dissolves. Add the flour, sourdough starter, vanilla, and egg, then knead into a rough dough and let it rest for about 30 minutes before kneading in the butter. Once the dough has bulk fermented, roll it out into a rectangle using a rolling pin, spread with cinnamon butter filling, then roll it up into a log and slice into 12 rolls.
Arrange the rolls in a baking dish or pan (I've used a 9" x 13" USA Pan), let them rise until beautifully puffy, and then bake until golden brown and bubbling. Ensure that the dough is puffy and full before baking - if it isn't, you'll get under proofed, gummy rolls. Proofing the rolls after shaping and before baking is crucial for success when making this sourdough cinnamon rolls recipe.
Finish by cooling slightly before smothering with rich cream cheese frosting. If you've got frosting leftovers, add it to these sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls or even these sourdough cinnamon muffins. It's also delicious spread on this sourdough discard banana bread.
Kate's Recipe Tips
- Warming the milk before you start will give your dough a nice kick start and ensure that the dough rises nicely. Of course making these in a warmer kitchen will always be a little easier as the rising time will be a little shorter.
- Use unflavored dental floss to cut the rolls. Seriously! It works better than a sharp knife! Use a ruler/dough scraper to measure where you want to cut each of the rolls and then pop the dental floss under the log and use it to cut through each roll for perfect cuts every single time! It will stop you squashing the delicate rolls by trying to cut them with a knife.
Baking Timeline for Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
You can easily make these sourdough cinnamon rolls fit into your schedule. Maybe you want overnight sourdough cinnamon rolls for Thanksgiving breakfast or Christmas morning breakfast. Here's how!
| TIME | PROCESS |
|---|---|
| 8:00am | Mix and knead dough for sourdough cinnamon rolls. |
| 9:00am | Cover dough and allow to bulk ferment. |
| 5:30pm | Roll out dough, spread filling and roll. Cut into individual rolls and place into baking pan. |
| 6:00pm | Allow rolls to sit for around an hour before covering in plastic wrap and placing into fridge for the night. |
| 6:30am | Take rolls out of the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature. |
| 8:00am | Bake sourdough cinnamon rolls for 30 mins (make frosting while they’re baking). |
| 8:30am | Allow rolls to cool for around 30 minutes. |
| 9:00am | Smother in vanilla cream cheese frosting and enjoy! |
This is just a sample timeline. I can't tell you exactly how long bulk fermentation will take, but this is an enriched dough so it will take longer than a loaf of sourdough bread, which is a lean dough. Read more information about creating a sourdough baking timeline.
How To Store + Freeze
These sourdough cinnamon rolls are hands down best eaten the day they are baked. Best served warm, smothered in vanilla cream cheese frosting! However, if you need to store them, here are your best options:
Store In The Pan - store leftover cinnamon rolls in the pan, covered with aluminium foil, at room temperature for up to 48 hours (or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days). A quick warm-up in the microwave or oven will bring back the softness and make the frosting and caramel sauce all gooey again!
Freeze - Store leftover sourdough cinnamon rolls in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are needing this sourdough cinnamon rolls recipe in a hurry or you want to use up some sourdough discard, you can swap out the active starter for the same amount of sourdough discard and add 7g of commercial yeast. Alternatively, you might also like these no wait sourdough cinnamon rolls (they use baking soda and baking powder as the leaving agent).
For the best swirls, make sure you have enough dough to work with — aim for at least 12" (30 cm) deep. Roll it into a neat rectangle, spread the filling evenly, then roll tightly from the long side. Use a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss to cut clean, even slices to show off those swirls.
Yes you can (and in fact my original recipe was baked in a 12" cast iron skillet lined with parchment paper). I changed to a 9" x 13" baking pan because I prefer the non-stick surface and find them easier to handle. A cast iron skillet will give slightly crispier edges, while a ceramic or glass dish will keep them softer all around.
This is really personal preference. If you want individual buns then it's better to not allow them to touch when rising or baking (so space them out more). I find that they rise and bake better when they're touching. You get a lovely fluffy roll with a gooey, glazed bottom!
The number one reason that cinnamon rolls come out tough is using too much flour. Avoid adding more flour to the dough, even if you feel that it's sticky. And definitely don't use any flour during shaping. This enriched dough should be silky and elastic - it shouldn't be sticky.
The brown sugar cinnamon filling will sometimes ooze out of the cinnamon rolls when you leave them on the counter to proof or when you put them in the fridge. It doesn't really matter too much and definitely won't ruin your rolls. In fact, when you pour the heavy whipping cream over the top of the rolls, the cream will combine with the oozy filling and create the most amazing caramel sauce on the bottom of the pan!
Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (will work in KitchenAid, Ankarsrum, Thermomix)
- Rolling Pin
- Baking Pan (9" x 13")
Ingredients
Dough
- 500 g Bread Flour
- 100 g Sourdough Starter (active and bubbly)
- 200 g Milk (warm)
- 7 g Salt
- 1 Egg (large)
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 80 g Granulated Sugar
- 115 g Butter (softened at room temperature)
- 5 g Vanilla Paste (or extract)
Cinnamon Butter Filling
- 75 g Butter (melted)
- 100 g Brown Sugar
- 3 g Cinnamon (ground)
To Pour Over Before Baking
- 200 g Heavy Whipping Cream
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- 125 g Cream Cheese (block - not spreadable)
- 25 g Butter
- 100 g Powdered Sugar
- 5 g Vanilla Paste (or extract)
- 1 pinch Salt
Instructions
Make The Dough
- Add the warm milk, sugar, sourdough starter, egg + yolk, vanilla, salt, bread flour and butter to the bowl of your stand mixer and knead to a rough dough using the dough hook attachment. Leave the dough to rest for around 30 minutes.
- Now knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic (speed 1-2 for around 2 to 3 minutes).Cover the bowl and allow the dough to bulk ferment at room temperature. You want the dough to rise around 30% and feel soft to the touch.
- Once the dough has finished bulk fermentation, you will need to fill and shape the sourdough cinnamon rolls.
Fill & Shape The Rolls
- Mix together the melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until it resembles wet sand. Set this aside while you roll out the dough.
- Turn the dough out onto the counter. Do not use flour when rolling out the dough, it shouldn’t be sticky.
- Gently roll the dough out into a rectangle (approx. 20” x 12” or 50cm x 30cm). It should be around ¼" thick (½cm). Spread the filling all over the dough, leaving a 2” (5cm) gap on one of the long edges. Once the filling is spread, roll the dough into a log, starting on the opposite long edge to the gap you've left. Roll the dough into a tight log, tucking the seam underneath.
- Cut the log into approximately 12 even pieces (see notes on how I do this) and place them into a baking pan (I’ve used a 9” x 13” baking dish). Face all the seams inwards so that they don't unravel.
Second Rise
- Cover the pan and allow the dough to rise. The dough is enriched, so it will take a little longer than normal (especially since we are dealing with sourdough). Once the dough is soft and puffy and the rolls are touching, it’s time to bake!
Baking
- Preheat your oven to 180C/350F.
- Pour the heavy whipping cream over the sourdough cinnamon rolls right before you place them in the oven (this is optional). Bake rolls for 30 minutes at 180C/350F. Once they're finished baking, leave them to cool in the pan for around 30 minutes before adding the frosting.
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt to your stand mixer. Beat the frosting using the whisk attachment until it's thick and glossy.
- Once the rolls have cooled a little (I leave it about 30 minutes) smother them in the vanilla cream cheese frosting. You can use a vanilla glaze or even just dust them in icing sugar if you prefer.
Notes
Nutrition
Can you help me understand why the butter should be cold when preparing the filling and the icing?? Cold butter makes it impossible to mix together smoothly and also causes the dough to tear when trying to spread the filling over. Makes no sense. And the icing is lumpy due to cold butter.
I would like to make these for Christmas morning. Can I make them the day before, refrigerate overnight, and then final rise in the morning? If so, how long would you anticipate them out of the fridge prior to baking for the final rise? Merry Christmas!
I would place them in the fridge after you've allowed it proof a little in the pan, then in the morning take it out and allow it to fully fill the pan at room temperature and then bake.
Can this be made without a stand mixer? The part I'm most worried about is incorporating the butter.
recipe is great. i think i’m making a mistake somewhere. my dough is not rising like i think it should during the bull ferment process. my first batch came out gummy so we’re trying again. i have an active well fed starter and don’t have issues with any other recipes so i’m wondering if i’m missing a step or something. any advice is appreciated
These cinnamon rolls were soft and very flavorful, even though I forgot the cinnamon in the mix! I sprinkled it on top. These are better than KA flour co.
I made these and they did not fluff up! After the bulk ferment I filled them and cut them to put in the fridge. I didn't Leave them out for an hour. Could that be why? I also took them out of the fridge 8 hours later and put staring into the oven…. All your recipes are so good! I know it was something I did. Lol
My kids love these but want mini version so they fit in their lunchbox. Would you roll the dough longer or cut the dough in 1/2? Also, how long would you bake them if you made them 'mini'? Also - please add the discard notes to the card 🙂
I love thos recipe so much! Delicious and easy to follow. I am hoping to gift a pan of them to me friend who lives a few hours away. If I baked them about 75% and then put them in the fridge, do you think that would work for travel? What would you recommend?
I made this recipe using the dough, and cinnamon sugar filling, but shaped it into a twist as per the garlic and herb twist. I lowered the oven heat tp 160 deg and baked for 25 minutes. The bread was so soft, and I had eaten a quarter of the twist before I could stop myself. Absolutely yum.
I made this recipe using the dough, and cinnamon sugar filling, but shaped it into a twist as per the garlic and herb twist. I lowered the oven heat to 160 deg and baked for 25 minutes. The bread was so soft, and I had eaten a quarter of the twist before I could stop myself. Absolutely yum.
These are so delicious! Thank you for the recipe. I am wondering what I can do to ensure the cinnamon filling doesn’t fall out the bottom and caramelize that was the only problem I had.
Hi again, just a variation on the cinnamon twists I made using this recipe - which was very appreciated by my family and it disappeared very quickly.
I made a caramel sauce and chopped up some mixed salted nuts. They smell so good. Just for some variety.
Hi! My starter is about 20 days old. It's doubling for about 5 days. Would it be strong enough to make these without yeast?
Can I use a milk alternative for this recipe?
Can you freeze them for a later use
I like this recipe and have made it several times, however in the recipe itself, I’m curious. How do you use cold butter and no milk or cream to achieve the frosting you show in the photos. Also, how do you spread something using cold butter, per your instructions . That doesn’t work.
good recipe but i'm kind of wondering why not one person has made any comment on the cooking duration. 20m at 350deg F is still really just warmed dough, and i like them doughy! I'm gonna guess it's more like 34m! Why isn't anyone else seeing this?
One other thing, I was VERY precise with the quantities, and I mean VERY. 1000g of flour was not enough (for the 2X) and was WAAAY too wet. More like 1150-1200g.
Everything about these is amazing except the baking instructions. 20 minutes at 350 is nowhere near enough time to finish any kind of bread. These were still pale and raw in the center when the allotted cook time was up. This either needs the temp up or a longer bake time.
How do you know how long to mix the butter in. Mine mixed in quickly. But when I went to work with my dough it was very sticky. Can I still use it?
can you freeze these before baking?
Thank you for the recipe! These turned out very nicely, but I found the finished rolls a bit tough. Is it possible that I over-kneaded the dough? I’ve made a lot of no-knead sourdough but I’m still very much a beginner with kneaded doughs and am not always sure exactly how the dough should look and feel after an adequate amount of kneading.
Can I freeze before baking or do you recommend freezing after the 1st rise?
Thanks
I'm in the planning stage for these babies. Have you ever used buttermilk instead of regular milk? I was planning to add some commercial yeast for faster end to end and thought maybe the buttermilk tang would be a nice addition.
I’m 0/2 on these. I feel like I’m missing something. The dough looks amazing when I roll it out. Add the filling, roll and cut. And then they literally don’t rise again or get puffy and pillowy at all. I’ve waited way longer than you state to too. I just feel stumped. Any thoughts?
These are delicious, I followed the discard recipe, so a little yeast. I did make one addition, I added chopped pecan to the filling mix. they are very light and fluffy. My husband wants them every week now. Thank you for the recipes.
Hi Kate!
First off, I love all your recipes Thank you! This is probably a crazy question but could I use this dough to do a cinnamon roll focaccia? I see you have a cinnamon focaccia recipe but the ingredients in the dough are different.
Thank you
Hi Kim - you could, however it won't get bubbly like the cinnamon roll focaccia dough does because the cinnamon roll dough is so enriched. Honestly, try the focaccia dough as it is - it's still really lovely and sweet! I promise xo
Delicious! Love finding ways to use starter! How long can the rolls be refrigerated before baking? I baked 8 because that’s what fit in my pan, so I have 4 left over.
About 24 hours. Just bring to room temperature before baking. 🙂
Hands down the best cinnamon rolls I have EVER had. I used the discard option since I hate throwing it away! I started my dough at 8am and was able to bake them off by 1pm. My kitchen is around 70F. I didn't have cream cheese, so I used a different icing recipe. My teenage son and his friends love cinnamon rolls for weekends. This will be my go to recipe! Thank you so much!
I'm so glad you love this sourdough cinnamon rolls recipe! Thank you so much for commenting 🙂
Is freezing an option? If so at what point? Before bake or after?
Once they're baked and cooled, they freeze and reheat well. Just let them to cool completely, then store in an airtight container. If you can wrap them with plastic wrap and put them in a Ziploc bag, that will help keep them the most fresh.