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FLUFFY SOURDOUGH CINNAMON BUNS

Fluffy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

The fluffiest and easiest sourdough cinnamon rolls around ... plus an option to use sourdough discard. It doesn't get any better than this!
4.61 from 124 votes
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 25 minutes
Fermentation Time 12 hours
Total Time 13 hours 25 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 Rolls
Calories 440 kcal

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer
  • Rolling Pin
  • Cast Iron Pan

Ingredients
  

Dough

  • 500 g Bread Flour
  • 100 g Sourdough Starter Fed and bubbly
  • 200 g Milk Warm (37C)
  • 7 g Salt
  • 1 Egg (approx. 45g)
  • 80 g Sugar Caster/Fine Sugar
  • 50 g Butter Room Temp
  • 5 g Vanilla Extract

Cinnamon Butter Filling

  • 100 g Butter Cold
  • 100 g White Sugar Caster/Fine
  • 100 g Brown Sugar Light or Dark
  • 15 g Cinnamon ground

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 125 g Cream Cheese Block - not spreadable
  • 25 g Butter Cold
  • 100 g Powdered Sugar
  • 5 g Vanilla Extract
  • 1 pinch Salt

Instructions
 

To make the dough

  • Warm the milk to around 37C. Add the warm milk and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer and mix until the sugar has thoroughly dissolved.
    You can just warm the milk in the microwave before putting into your stand mixer bowl. You just don't want cold milk in your dough as it will take forever to rise!
  • Now add your sourdough starter, egg, vanilla, salt and flour and use your stand mixer to knead into a rough dough. This shouldn't take too long (around 2 to 3 minutes). Leave the dough to rest in the stand mixer bowl for around 30 minutes.
  • Add the butter and knead into the dough until the dough is smooth and fairly elastic. You may need to increase the speed of your stand mixer to allow the butter to be incorporated (see notes below).
  • Transfer to the dough to a bowl and allow to ferment. You want the dough to rise a little (around 30%) and feel soft to the touch. This needs to happen at room temp - not in the fridge.
  • Once the dough has finished bulk ferment, you will need to fill and shape the cinnamon rolls.

Rolling and Filling the Dough

  • Before you roll out the dough you need to make the filling. Add brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon and butter to a stand mixer and mix until it resembles wet sand. Set aside while you roll out the dough.
  • Turn the dough out on to the counter. It shouldn't be sticky and be easy the handle. Do not use flour when rolling out the dough.
  • Gently roll the dough out into a rectangle. 60cm x 30cm is a good size to aim for. It doesn't have to be perfect, but the bigger you an get it, to more perfect cinnamon sugar swirls you will get.
  • Spread the filling all over the dough, leaving a 10cm gap on one of the long edges. You need to leave a gap so that dough will stick to itself when you roll it.
    Cinnamon roll dough rolled out into a rectangle. Filling is spread onto the dough except for a 10cm strip 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, using the unfilled dough to seal the log. You can spray a little water on the part where the dough joins if you want to - but the dough should stick to itself without it.
    Lay the log out with the seam underneath.
  • Cut the log into approximately 12 pieces (you can measure and divide by 12 if you want them to look even - or just go freehand if you're not too fussed). Using dental floss to cut them will help you keep their shape and give the cinnamon rolls a flat surface.
    Dough is rolled up with filling inside. Using dental floss to cut each roll with precision.
  • Place the rolls into a cast iron skillet lined with baking paper (I've used a 12" skillet). Face all the seams inwards so that they don't unravel. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, a baking tray or casserole dish is perfectly fine. They don't have to touch as they will once the dough is puffy.

Second Rise

  • Cover the skillet containing the rolls with a tea towel or plastic wrap 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 puffy, you can bake them straight away - or see baking timeline above to extend the second rise and hold them in the fridge overnight.

Baking

  • Once the rolls are puffy and have taken up the room in the skillet, it's time to bake them. Preheat your oven to 180C/356F.
    Puffy sourdough cinnamon rolls ready to be baked in the oven.
  • Bake rolls for 20 minutes at 180C/356F. Keep an eye on them though as they will burn easily due to the sugar.
  • Once they're finished baking, leave them to cool in the skillet for around 30 minutes before taking them out.
  • Once they're out of the oven, you can brush them with butter to give them a nice glaze. You can leave them unbuttered if you prefer. The butter will give them a nice shine.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Add cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt to your stand mixer. Beat the frosting until it's thick and glossy. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
  • 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

Thermomix - You can easily use a thermomix to make this recipe. Utilise the dough/knead function to  mix and knead the dough.
Adding Butter - butter is the last ingredient to add to the dough before it's left to bulk ferment. You may need to increase the speed of your mixer to get the butter to incorporate. It's best to add it in 10g increments. The dough may look greasy/slimy at first but persevere, it will incorporate if you give it enough time. The dough behaves much like brioche in this respect.

Nutrition

Calories: 440kcalCarbohydrates: 66gProtein: 7gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 382mgPotassium: 103mgFiber: 2gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 553IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Sourdough Recipes
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