Homemade Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls (soft fluffy buns)

The perfect combination of comfort and indulgence these sourdough cinnamon rolls take the classic recipe to a whole new level. With a pillowy texture, this dessert recipe is perfect for chilly nights, warm mornings, and breakfasts.

With a bubbly sourdough base, you’ll be hooked on this cinnamon roll variation!

These sticky cinnamon rolls are filled with a buttery, brown sugar mixture that you’ll struggle not to lick off the spoon! And once made, they’re finished with a classic icing that will bring back all the comforting feels of cozying up with a cinnamon bun on a fall morning.

Truly, these sourdough cinnamon rolls are worth waiting for.

If you are looking for other sourdough recipes to try, here are a few to check out.

• Easy Discard Sourdough Crackers Recipe With Herbs
• Sandwich Rosemary Sourdough Bread Recipe

Why You’ll Love Them:

• They’re ever so slightly chewier than traditional cinnamon rolls.
• They work as a dessert or an indulgent breakfast.
• You can make and prep them in advance to save you time the day of
• They give a classic comforting feel with every bite.

Ingredients Needed For Sourdough Cinnamon Buns:

Sourdough starter: you can buy or make your own sourdough starter for the recipe. Make sure it is an active sourdough starter and is slightly bubbly and foamy on the surface.

Milk: use regular milk and not skim milk for the best results.

Egg: allow the egg to sit at room temperature before using it in the base.

Butter: you want the butter to mix in easily in each part of the cinnamon roll. So, have it sit at room temperature first.

All purpose flour: use whatever you have on hand but don’t sub with gluten-free flour as it absorbs differently.

Granulated sugar: plain old white sugar mixes best into the base.

Salt: any table or sea salt will work for the homemade cinnamon rolls.

Brown sugar: both light and dark brown sugar will work in the filling.

Cinnamon: make sure to use fresh cinnamon so that the flavor is more enjoyable. However, powdered will also work.

Confectioners sugar: you need this for the icing on top. Sift it through a fine sieve first so that there are no clumps.

Vanilla extract: this adds a delicious flavor to the icing so make sure not to skip it.

How To Make This Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Recipe:

There is five parts to making these sourdough cinnamon rolls. And though it seems like a lot, you’ll be happy you took the time to do it the second you bite into the warm, finished product.

Making the Cinnamon Roll Dough:

1. Mix the egg, butter, and sourdough starter with an electric mixer.
2. Add in the sugar and flour and mix on low until fully blended (about 3-4 minutes on medium speed).
3. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes.
4. Add in the salt to the down while mixing on low for one minute.
5. Bump it up and mix on medium for 2-3 minutes.
6. Let rest for 2 hours doing 4 stretch and folds in this time.
7. Rest another 2 hours for bulk fermentation until it doubles.

Making The Filling:

1. Mix all the filling ingredients together.
2. You want to mix it until it is like wet sand.

Assembly:

1. Dump the dough onto a floured surface and roll with a rolling pin until it’s 13×21 inches (more or less).
2. Sprinkle the filling over top of the dough but leave half an inch from one of the narrow ends.
3. Starting from the end that has the filling at the edge, roll the dough onto itself.
4. Allow the roll to rest for 5 minutes or so.
5. Cut the roll into 12 equal sections.

Baking The Cinnamon Rolls:

1. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper and place each of the pieces onto it.
2. Cover the pan and let it rise for another two hours or so.
3. Bake for 25 minutes at 400F. When done they should be golden brown and be 190F inside.

Icing:

1. While the buns are cooking, mix together the icing ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Let the cinnamon buns cool slightly and then spread the icing over top.

Important Homemade Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Teaching Tips:

Making Dough: When making the dough, it should double after about two hours after you finish stretch and folds. However, know that the rise time depends on the room temperature a bit.

Also, make sure to use lukewarm milk in the batter. If the milk is too hot or cold, you’ll have trouble with the cinnamon rolls rising.

Placing On Baking DIsh: When placing them on the baking tray, leave lots of room between the rolls. Otherwise, they won’t cook as well and may even become too doughy.

Flour: Some people use bread flour in place of the all-purpose flour in the dough. This is because bread flour has slightly more protein, so the rolls end up extremely soft. Both flours will work though so use what you have on hand.

Make-ahead Option For Next Day Baking:

After you finish making the rolls and have them on the baking pan covered with plastic wrap, pop them into the fridge.

The next morning,  remove the cinnamon rolls from the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for thirty minutes to allow the dough to rise a little more.

Preheat the oven to 400F.

When you pop them into the oven, know that they take about 35 minutes to cook.

You want the cinnamon buns to reach 190F.

Remove from oven and allow to cool before coating in frosting.

How To Store Sourdough Version Cinnamon Buns:

You can store these sourdough cinnamon rolls at room temperature for 2-3 days.

If you need to store them for longer, store them in the fridge for 3-5 days. Make sure to use an airtight container so that the rolls don’t go stale but stay as fluffy and soft as they were when baked.

To reheat the cinnamon rolls, bring them back to room temperature and heat them for a few minutes in the oven on low.

This way they get back their soft texture and the sugar glaze on top is silky again.

If you want to freeze these fluffy sourdough cinnamon rolls, freeze the dough after you have cut them into sections and before baking. With this method, you would be making the glaze the day you’re baking them.

Frequently Asked Best Cinnamon Rolls Questions:

Q. Can the icing or frosting be made as cream cheese frosting? 

A. Yes! Simply skip the butter and milk and replace them with a little cream cheese.

Q. Could the dough be made in a stand mixer?

A. Yes. Simply add dough ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer in the same order as we have above. You will want to use the dough hook attachment. 

Q. Could you use commercial yeast?

A. If you are worried about not getting enough dough rise from your active starter, you can also add 1 tsp instant yeast to your water at the start of your dough mixing.

Q. Can you roll the coated dough on the long side of the dough to get more cinnamon rolls? 

A. You could however a few things should be noted. They will not be as thick and they will take a little less time to bake.

Q. Could you use sourdough discard in place of the starter? 

A. You can make these as sourdough discard cinnamon rolls. Just know that it may take a little longer for your dough to rise. It may be a good idea to use added yeast to help it along.

Q. Could these be made in a cast iron skillet?

A. They sure can! Depending on the size of your cast-iron skillet you may need to bake in batches.