Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

My recipe for sourdough cinnamon rolls is easy with a flexible schedule and the best part, these cinnamon rolls are soft, fluffy and delicious with a delightful cream cheese glaze.

Would you call me silly for being excited about sharing this, another sourdough recipe with you? After some research, a lot of note-taking and planning, I arrived at a formula that I was happy to start with. My first batch in early November kicked off what would end up being three trials and tasting lots of sourdough cinnamon rolls…but no complaints here. The initial formula for my enriched dough proved to be a keeper though I made adjustments to the filling, the thickness of the rolls and baking temperature before getting here, sharing what are now my favorite cinnamon rolls.

Out of pure laziness, always reluctant to pull out my stand mixer from below-counter storage, I’ve not worked with enriched doughs very often. My now popular and much-loved recipe for Sourdough Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread is mostly a lean dough (no fats and minimal sugar) and doesn’t require a mixer. It has been my go-to for a cinnamon-based treat but I decided that, with Christmas approaching it, was time to step up my sourdough game with cinnamon rolls.

Now I can’t imagine buying cinnamon rolls ever again when I can prepare them fresh so easily. An advantage of using sourdough starter as the leavening agent is full-flavored bread, not to mention, the dough is also enriched with eggs, milk, butter and a little sugar (some will refer to this as a brioche dough). These rolls are soft and fluffy with defined swirls and a light texture rather than being “bread-y” or doughy. They have full cinnamon flavor, aren’t too sweet and of course, the cream cheese glaze adds just the right amount of creaminess, the literal icing on the cake.

I found myself eating one cinnamon roll (well, more like two!) a day until I realized how much of a head start I had been giving myself with the holiday pounds. I have always enjoyed cinnamon rolls but I didn’t understand how truly wonderful they could be. These remind me of the flavor of Cinnabon rolls without their cloying, oozy richness…but of course you can make these as sweet or as rich as you’d like. Now I understand why cinnamon rolls are a Christmas morning tradition for so many families. There’s no going back now.

(If you decide to try this recipe please keep reading for my notes and tips.)

A Summary of this Recipe

1. Small Batch: This recipe makes eight to ten medium-sized rolls but is easily scalable to make more.
2. Flexible Schedule: This is an overnight recipe calling for mixing and bulk fermentation on the first day, overnight refrigeration and rolling, filling, dividing, proofing and baking the rolls on the second day. However, it is possible to accelerate the process to do it all in one day (as long as conditions permit) or stretch it out to three days or longer without compromising the results. Enriched doughs require more rising time to begin with so borrowing a little more (to suit your schedule) and managing bulk fermentation by refrigeration makes sense. I tested my recipes breaking up bulk fermentation and final proof by refrigerating the dough mid-process didn’t hurt the flavor or texture of my cinnamon rolls. I’ve noted these points when you can slow down fermentation in my printable recipe below.

The Three Components of Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

1. The Dough: This dough is enriched with butter, sugar, egg and milk. These additions are what makes the rolls tender and light without being too sweet or doughy.
2. The Cinnamon-Sugar Filling: The goal is to have good balance of cinnamon flavor and sweetness. I like Penzeys Vietnamese Ground Cinnamon for its clean and concentrated cinnamon flavor. If you happen to use a different brand you can use a little more than the recipe calls for but it’s safe to start with the amount I recommend. For the sugar, I use light brown (also called golden brown) and in my third trial found that I preferred a reduced amount for just the right sweetness.
3. The Cream Cheese Glaze: For me, cinnamon rolls aren’t complete without a cream cheese topping. The glaze here is simple with just cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla bean paste. The recipe in this post is enough for a generous amount for this batch of cinnamon rolls.

My Notes and Tips:

1. Bulk Fermentation: Enriched dough takes longer to rise than lean dough and cooler winter temperatures slow the process further. You can break up bulk fermentation to suit your schedule by refrigerating the dough and continuing later (or even the next day). The key is to watch your dough rather than the clock. For this first rise you want the dough to rise 50-70%. With a cooler kitchen this could take several hours so don’t worry if your dough rises very slowly. This is normal.
2. Rolling out the Dough: Cold dough is easier to roll out than when it is at room temperature so the overnight rest called for in this recipe is to the baker’s advantage.
3. Ground Cinnamon: I like Penzey’s Vietnamese ground cinnamon (or their other cinnamon varieties). It has full, concentrated flavor without a powdery aftertaste. If you favor another brand that may be milder, you may need to add more ground cinnamon than recommended in my recipe.
4. Adding the Cinnamon-Sugar Filling: Spread the filling as evenly as you can with your hands or an offset spatula but leave a 1/2-inch border on the far, long edge that is free of filling. When you’re almost done rolling, moisten this edge with a small amount of water. The water will help the edge adhere to the rest of the dough. Pinch the seam to seal so that when you divide the log your rolls won’t fall apart.
5. Line your Baking Pan with Parchment Paper: Once the caramelized sugar that collects at the bottom of the pan cools, it will stick and make it difficult to cleanly transfer the baked rolls. The parchment paper makes the transfer much easier and cleaner. When done baking, allow the cinnamon rolls to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack but lift the parchment a little to keep the caramelized sugar from sticking.
6. Proof (Second Rise): This stage allows for time flexibility too. You want the rolls to rise/expand to near double but this also takes time. If time is scarce, you can refrigerate the rolls to suit your schedule and put them back on the counter when you’re ready to complete the final proof stage and bake.
7. Baking Temperature: I found 375ºF to be the ideal temperature for these cinnamon rolls. Baking at 400ºF, my cinnamon rolls weren’t as light and the sugar caramelized and hardened before the rolls could rise properly.
8. Don’t Overcook the Cinnamon Rolls: Your cinnamon rolls are ready when they’re just lightly brown at the edges. They will continue to cook out of the oven during the cooling period.
9. Reheating Cinnamon Rolls: Your baked and glazed cinnamon rolls will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days. Microwave for ten to 15 seconds to reheat.
10. How to Raise Temperature of Dough: If your kitchen stays on the cooler side in winter like mine, one way I help the dough’s temperature along is by using a seedling mat. I use one with a temperature setting.