Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls (Overnight Recipe) - Soft & Fluffy (2024)

Looking for the best cinnamon rolls? Make them with sourdough! Trendy sophistication of sourdough meets home comfort in these Soft and Fluffy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls! Elevating the classic, these tasty treats boast the signature tanginess of sourdough, beautifully complemented by the velvety richness of cream cheese frosting.

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Why Make These Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls?

So many reasons to love these Sourdough Cinnamon Buns! Where do I begin?

• Distinct Tangy Flavor: Taste the contrast to the traditional sweetness of regular cinnamon rolls, as our recipe introduces the unique tanginess from the sourdough fermentation process.
• Elevated by Long Fermentation: A lengthy fermentation process allows flavours to develop, resulting in a depth of taste that goes beyond regular cinnamon rolls. Plus, just like regular sourdough bread, these rolls are easier to digest!
• Harnessing the Power of Wild Yeast: Say goodbye to commercial yeast and welcome the magic of wild yeast.

Find more exciting sourdough recipes that aren’t just bread here!

Love Baking With Sourdough?

Us too! As a matter of fact, we hardly ever use commercial yeast in our baking these days! Have a look at our ever-growing collection of Sourdough recipes.

• Stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment
• Dough scraper
• Large bowl
• Baking tray (about 24x24cm) with high rims.
• Baking parchment paper
• Rolling pin: we highly recommend using a stainless steel one.
• Sharp knife or dental floss (see Tips & Tricks section).

Ingredient List

These cinnamon buns have three distinct elements: dough, cinnamon filling and cream cheese frosting.

Dough Ingredients

• strong white flour: also known as bread flour. This type of flour has higher gluten content, and therefore helps the dough rise and keep shape. You may replace up to 100g of flour with whole wheat flour.
• caster sugar: also known as castor or superfine sugar. Granulated white sugar will work well too.
• ground cinnamon.
• active sourdough starter: 100% hydration: active starter is what we rely on to make the dough rise.Read more about it in the section: A Note on Sourdough Starter below.
• milk: we typically use whole milk (full-fat).
• egg:large in the UK, extra large in the US.
• butter:softened. You may use salted or unsalted butter – your choice!

Cinnamon Sugar Filling Ingredients

• light brown sugar: can be replaced with dark brown sugar.
• butter: softened. We typically use unsalted butter, but salted butter works beautifully and cuts through the sweetness.
• ground cinnamon.

Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients

• butter: use either unsalted butter and a pinch of salt, or salted butter. Salt helps cut through the sweetness.
• cream cheese:at room temperature. It is also known as soft cheese in the UK.
• icing sugar: also known as powdered sugar or confectioners sugar.
• milk: to loosen the texture of the icing.
• vanilla bean paste: You may also use vanilla extract or seeds from a vanilla pod.

Variations

• Why not incorporate some autumnal fruit, like apples or pears into your Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls? We have a great recipe for Apple and Cinnamon Sourdough Rolls.
• Chop up some buttery nuts, like pecans or walnuts and spread them across the surface of the dough alongside cinnamon sugar.
• Skip the cream cheese frosting, and drizzle your rolls with a mixture of icing sugar and milk. Easy does it!

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Baker’s Schedule

Day 1:

• 10:00 AM Feed Sourdough Starter
• 2:00 PM Make the dough
• 2:30 PM Proof in a warm spot for 4-5 hours
• 7:30 PM Transfer the dough to the fridge to finish proofing overnight

Day 2:

• 8:00 AM Make cinnamon sugar
• 8:15 AM Fill and shape the buns
• 9:00 AM Second proof in a warm spot
• 1:00 PM Bake
• 3:00 PM Frost and enjoy!

Step-By-Step Method

This recipe is made over two days. On day 1, we feed the starter, make the dough and leave it to proof in a warm spot before transferring it to the fridge overnight to finish its first rise. On day 2, we fill, shape, proof the buns again and then bake and ice.

​Before You Begin: A Note On Sourdough Starter

Unlike traditional cinnamon rolls, this sourdough version takes advantage of natural leavening and does not rely on commercial yeast to achieve the dough’s rise. Because of this, it’s imperative to have a robust and active sourdough starter.

• Use sourdough starter with low acidity for optimal results. This entails frequently refreshing your starter prior to incorporating it into the dough. The cinnamon roll dough, enriched with milk, butter, eggs and sugar, benefits from the innate vigour of wild yeast to facilitate proper dough rise. We recommend feeding your starter over the course of 2-3 consecutive days before making this recipe. Consistent feedings will ensure both a low acidity level and strong yeast activity. If you want to learn more, download our FREE Guide to Sourdough Starter For Beginners by filling in the form below.

• Equally important is the timing of using your sourdough starter. Use it when it reaches its peak v(never after it begins to deflate unless the recipe explicitly mentions “sourdough discard”). After the last feeding prior to making the dough, leave your starter in a warm place for 3-5 hours. It should double in volume (and perhaps even triple), signifying its readiness. If your starter doesn’t double within 5 hours at a temperature of 20-24°C, you might need to continue feeding it for a couple more days until it reaches its optimum state for baking.

Step 1: Make The Dough

Once your sourdough starter is active and bubbly, start making the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine strong flour, sugar and cinnamon. Add the sourdough starter, milk and egg. Min the dough in our stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook attachment for 4-5 minutes until combined (it does not have to be smooth and elastic at this point). Cover the bowl, and leave the dough to rest for 10 minutes.

Run the mixer on low speed again, and bit by bit, add the softened butter. Increase the mixer to medium speed and keep on kneading for about 10 minutes, or until the dough has reached the windowpane effect (until you can stretch the dough so thin that you can see through it without tearing it). The dough will be soft and elastic, but a little less sticky than sourdough brioche dough.

Step 2: Bulk Fermentation

Tip the dough onto a work surface, shape it into a ball and place it into a large lightly oiled bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place to proof for 4-5 hours, until it almost doubles in volume. Whilst plastic wrap is not environmentally friendly, we do not recommend using a damp towel to cover the dough. It dries out quickly and doesn’t protect the dough from a dry environment well, so your dough may form a crust.

Transfer the bowl to the fridge and leave it to finish proofing overnight (8-16 hours).

Step 3: Cinnamon Sugar Filling and Shaping

The next morning, take the butter out of the fridge and leave it to come to room temperature (it should be very soft and spreadable).

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon. Grease a 24x24cm baking dish with butter (alternatively, line the baking tray with a sheet of parchment paper). You will want a dish with high rims so that you can cover the top without the top of the dough touching the cover as it rises.

Scoop the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. It should be quite firm and not sticky. Using a stainless steel rolling pin (or a floured rolling pin), roll the dough out into a rectangle measuring approx. 55x25cm.

Spread the soft butter across the surface of the rolled-out dough, gently pressing it with the back of a spoon.

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar all over the butter in an even layer.

Roll the dough along the long side into a tight sausage. Then cut your roll into 9 even pieces (about 6 cm thick), and arrange them in a prepared baking dish.

Step 4: Second Rise

Cover your unbaked rolls with a lightly oiled cling film and leave the cinnamon rolls for 4 hours for their final rise. Choose a warm spot (22-25°C is ideal). If your kitchen is colder, you may need to leave them to rise for longer. Your buns should have bulked up by about 75% when they are ready to bake.

Step 5: Baking Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Preheat the oven to 180°C Fan. Place the buns in the centre of the oven for approx 25-30 minutes, until they are golden brown. Once baked, remove them from the oven and leave them to cool down in the tray for 15 minutes, whilst you make the cream cheese frosting.

Step 6: Cream Cheese Frosting

Place softened butter in a bowl and, using an electric handheld mixer, beat until smooth and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and vanilla bean paste, and beat again. Finally, add the icing sugar, and beat until fully incorporated.

Little by little, start adding the milk and mix until you have a thick but pourable consistency of your cream cheese frosting.

Pour the icing on then warm buns. You may want to spread the icing using the back of the spoon on top of your Sourdough Cinnamon rolls.

Enjoy the buns warm or at room temperature. They are at their best on the day they are baked!

​Tips and Tricks

We believe that these easy sourdough cinnamon rolls can be made without much trouble, even if you are not a confident baker. But if it’s your first time making them, or you are not familiar with baking with sourdough, here are some tips and tricks that may help you achieve fluffy sourdough cinnamon rolls on your first try:

• Do not be tempted to add too much flour to the dough. The dough may appear quite sticky and difficult to handle at first, but it will become more elastic as the gluten develops in the kneading process. What is more, the dough will chill in the fridge and firm up before shaping the buns.
• When mixing the dough ingredients, keep an eye out on the sides of the bowl: butter tends to stick to the sides! You want every gram incorporated into the dough!
• This recipe is for a heavily enriched dough (we added butter, sugar, milk and eggs to it), so it may take longer to proof. Rise times in the recipe are approximate and will depend on the temperature of your kitchen as well as how strong colonies of yeast are in your sourdough starter. What is more, go by how much the dough has risen, rather than a specific time.
• Use a sharp thin-bladed knife to cut your roll into buns. Apply pressure and cut the pieces in one swift motion (as opposed to a sawing motion). Alternatively, use a thin string or unflavored dental floss to cut the cinnamon rolls.
• If your buns are browning too much on top. cover them with a sheet of aluminium foil.

Recipe FAQs

Storage & Reheating

These Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls are best on the day that they are baked. However, you can store uniced buns in an airtight container for up to 2 days. If you wish, reheat the rolls in the oven for 5 minutes, then frost and enjoy! They will taste almost as good as freshly made.

To freeze, tightly wrap the unfrosted baked sourdough cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap and aluminium foil before placing them in the freezer. The double wrap will protect them from freezer burn. When you’re ready to enjoy them, allow the rolls to thaw and reheat in the oven until they are heated all the way through.

Other Sourdough Recipes

If you liked this sourdough cinnamon roll recipe, you are sure to like our and Sourodugh Cinnamon Babka. Some of our other favourite sweet sourdough bakes include: