Fill your house with the smell of freshly baked Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls, full of lots of cinnamon flavor and topped with a homemade whipped cream cheese frosting. Made with my sourdough starter, these rolls will melt in your mouth and you will want to make another batch immediately! For another delicious breakfast (or anytime) roll, try my Raspberry Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls.
Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon Rolls have to be one of my favorite sweet rolls of all time. With just the right amount of cinnamon flavor and the perfect amount of frosting, I can’t pass them up anytime they are around or at my local cafe. The rolls are the perfect lazy morning treat to have with your coffee or tea. Adding the sourdough starter to these cinnamon rolls gives each bite just a little extra ‘zip’, or tangy flavor that I love with sourdough bread.
Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Dough
It all starts with the dough for these Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls. So, get out your stand mixer with the hook attachment, and mix all the dough ingredients together for about 5 minutes. Make sure the dough is moist and sticky, but not too sticky. You can always add a little flour to the dough, but you don’t want it to be dry. Place the dough into a greased medium-sized bowl, cover it with a towel, and let it sit in a warm spot for 3-5 hours.
After the 3 hours, place the dough onto a floured work surface. Flatten out the dough into a rectangle. (You shouldn’t even need a rolling pin for this step.) If you want 9 cinnamon rolls, roll the dough a little thinner. For thicker cinnamon rolls, keep the dough to about 1/2-inch thickness.
Can I Freeze Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls?
Yes! You can freeze them before they rise and bake by covering them with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Just take them out of the freezer when you are ready to bake them and let them thaw and rise before completing the rest of the steps. You can also freeze them after baking the rolls, but before adding the frosting. In addition, you can freeze them with no problem after you have frosted the baked rolls. Again, cover them with plastic and aluminum foil. But, be sure to let them cool before freezing them.
Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
DOUGH
- ½ cup (123g) whole milk, room temperature
- 1¾ cup (219g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup sourdough starter, discard or fed
- 1 pinch salt
FILLING
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
- ⅓ cup (67g) brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
WHIPPED CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup (57g or 1/2 stick) butter, softened
- 1½ cup (188g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
DOUGH
- Add all the dough ingredients to stand mixer. Using the dough hook attachment, knead ingredients for about 5 minutes. The dough should be moist and sticky, not dry and in a ball. If it is too sticky, you can add up to 1/4 cup more flour so that you can easily move it to the bowl.
- After all the ingredients are incorporated and the dough is smooth, place into a medium-sized bowl that has been greased. Cover with a towel and place in a warm spot for about 3 hours. (Can sit for up to 5 hours.)
- After the dough has risen, prepare a solid surface countertop with a light dusting of flour.
- Pour dough out onto the counter and press it flat. This dough is so soft and pliable you should not even need a rolling pin. Press the dough out (being sure it is not sticking to the counter) into a rectangle shape. If you want 9 rolls, make the rectangle thinner and larger, if you want 6 rolls it can be a bit thicker, like 1/2 inch thick.
FILLING
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon with a fork.
- Pour 3 tablespoons butter over the dough so that it covers the entire surface.
- Spread brown sugar and spice mixture over dough making sure it covers the entire surface.
ROLLING & CUTTING
- Roll the dough up, pinching with your fingers to keep it tightly rolled. Press the seam to seal before positioning the log seam side down.
- Using a very sharp knife, cut the dough into 6 or 9 pieces (depending on the thickness of dough). Place in a greased 8×8-inch baking pan.
- Place the rolls in a warm dry space and allow them to rise for about 2 hours.
BAKING
- Bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
WHIPPED CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- When rolls are almost done baking, put cream cheese, butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla, and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Mix on low to just combine. Once ingredients are all incorporated turn mixer on high and leave it for 4-5 minutes. Frosting should be light and fluffy.
- Place cream cheese frosting on rolls right in the pan OR invert rolls onto serving plate and then top with frosting.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
This is a fantastic recipe for using discard. I followed it to the letter and had zero problems. Anyone having problems with theirs not rising, it’s your starter, not this recipe. Thanks for sharing this recipe, it’s a keeper!
Thanks Teresa for you feedback. I am going having a go ast making sour dough and these beautiful
Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls.
Thanks Amanda Rettke for sharing on Pinterest.
I live in rural Tasmania Australia and not near shopping centres.
This is a great recipe. The rolls come out fluffy, and they’re not too sweet. I added a few raisins just before rolling. I will definitely be making these again. Thank you!
Hello Amanda. I am new to your site and have just started my first sourdough starter. I am really excited to try making bread and would really like to try some of your recipes. I have a question about the cinnamon buns. Have you or has anyone tried to make them with a non dairy milk? I am lactose and dairy intalorant?
HI Julie! Yes, you can use non-dairy milk in this recipe in place of the whole milk called for in the dough ingredient list.
When using non-dairy milk in a recipe, it’s important to keep in mind that different types of non-dairy milk can have slightly different consistencies and flavor profiles compared to dairy milk. This may affect the overall texture and taste of the final product. So, you may need to experiment with different types of non-dairy milk to find one that works well for your recipe.
Also, keep in mind that some non-dairy milks, such as almond milk or coconut milk, can have a strong flavor that could potentially clash with the other ingredients in the recipe. In that case, you may need to adjust the other ingredients, such as adding more sugar or spices, to balance out the flavors.
Hello,
If i wanted to have these done first thing in the morning, would I be able to refrigerate overnight versus letting it sit out somewhere warm for 3 hours? Then in the morning add the filler and let it sit for another 2 hours to rise.
I made these today, and the were delicious. Very simple recipe with outstanding results. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I know I will be making it again soon
I am making these rolls now. Took more flour than the 1 1/4 suggested. Update will follow.
I agree. Every time I have made these I need to add more flour. Otherwise they are soooooo sticky. But, they are delicious! I think I am going to try experimenting with the filling just for fun. Maybe add some nuts, etc.
Followed recipe. My starter had almost doubled, and had not started to fall. The dough did not rise at all. Either before rolling out, or after putting buns in the pan. Still baked them. They are edible. But no flake at all. No idea what happened?
These turned out horrible for me and I followed the directions to a T. I let it sit for 4 hours (recommended 3-5) and everything rose beautifully. But when I took it out and laid it into a rectangle and brushed butter on it, it became flat and soggy and impossible to roll. I ended up making a cinnamon loaf because there was so way it was going to hold its shape. At the end of it all, it was tangy and spongy and not that good. Spent the entire day making these and doing all the dishes it took to do it, I’m laughing about it all but I’m pretty bummed.
Sorry! That could be based on the sourdough used. I know that different starters create different results.
Delicious! Came out perfect the first try! I used less sugar in the frosting and added a little orange zest.
Absolutely delicious!!!