Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Before you start

These rolls rely entirely on wild yeast, with no commercial yeast to speed things up. Butter, sugar, egg and milk enrich the dough, and all of them slow sourdough fermentation, so expect a long bulk rise and a patient final proof. The reward is a rich, tender roll with a faint tang underneath the sweetness and a soft texture that stays fresh longer than a quick-yeasted roll.

The schedule works best split across two days: mix the dough in the afternoon, let it rise into the evening, shape the rolls and refrigerate them overnight, then proof and bake in the morning. Use a strong, recently fed starter; an enriched dough exposes a weak one quickly. A thermometer helps you pull the rolls when the centers are cooked but still soft.

Ingredients

• Dough150 g (⅔ cup) active sourdough starter — 100% hydration, at its peak
• 200 ml (¾ cup plus 1½ tbsp) whole milk — lukewarm
• 1 large plus 1 yolk egg — room temperature
• 70 g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar
• 480 g (3¾ cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose or bread flour
• 8 g (1⅓ tsp) fine salt
• 85 g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter — very soft
• Filling85 g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter — very soft, spreadable
• 150 g (¾ cup packed) light or dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp (16 g) ground cinnamon
• pinch fine salt
• Icing115 g (4 oz) cream cheese — softened
• 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter — softened
• 120 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tbsp milk

Method

1. Whisk the starter, milk, egg, yolk and sugar in the mixer bowl. Add the flour and salt and mix on low until a rough dough forms. Rest 20 minutes.
2. With the mixer on medium-low, add the soft butter a spoonful at a time, waiting until each addition disappears. Knead 8 to 10 minutes more, until the dough is smooth, glossy and pulls away from the bowl.
3. Cover and bulk ferment at about 25°C (77°F) for 6 to 8 hours, until the dough has grown by about 75 percent and feels light and airy. Enriched sourdough rises slowly; a warm spot helps.
4. Butter the pan. Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and pinch of salt for the filling. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and roll it into a 40 x 30 cm (16 x 12 in) rectangle with a long side facing you.
5. Spread the soft butter evenly to the edges, leaving a 2 cm (¾ in) bare strip along the far long side. Scatter the cinnamon sugar over the butter and press it in lightly.
6. Roll the dough up tightly from the near long side and pinch the seam to seal. Trim the ragged ends, then cut the 40 cm log into 12 even slices about 3 cm (1¼ in) thick using floss or a sharp knife. Arrange them cut side up in 3 rows of 4.
7. Cover and proof at warm room temperature for 3 to 4 hours, until the rolls are puffy and touching. Or refrigerate overnight and proof for 2 to 3 hours in the morning.
8. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and the center of a middle roll reads about 88°C (190°F). Tent with foil if they brown too fast.
9. Beat the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth, adding milk until spreadable. Let the rolls cool for 15 minutes, then spread the icing over them so it melts slightly into the swirls.

Tips for success

• Floss gives cleaner cuts than a knife: slide it under the log, cross the ends over the top and pull.
• Use butter for the filling that is as soft as mayonnaise. Cold butter tears the dough, and melted butter leaks out during baking.
• A pan of hot water on the oven floor with the door closed makes a warm, humid proofing box.

Substitutions

All-purpose flour

Bread flour gives a taller, chewier roll with more structure. Add 1 to 2 tbsp more milk if the dough feels stiff.

Cream cheese icing

A simple glaze of 150 g powdered sugar, 2 tbsp milk and 1 tsp vanilla gives a lighter, sweeter finish.

Whole milk

Unsweetened oat milk and a plant-based butter make a dairy-free dough with a slightly less rich flavor; use a dairy-free icing too.

Variations

Orange cardamom rolls

Add the zest of 1 orange to the dough and replace half the cinnamon with ground cardamom. Use orange juice in place of milk in the icing.

Pecan sticky bun base

Before adding the rolls, melt 85 g butter with 100 g brown sugar and 60 ml maple syrup in the pan and scatter 100 g chopped pecans over it. Invert after baking.

Troubleshooting

Rolls barely rose

The starter was weak or the room too cool for an enriched dough. Use starter at its peak, proof somewhere warm and judge by puffiness rather than time.

Filling leaked and burned in the pan

The filling butter was melted or the log was rolled loosely. Use soft but solid butter and roll tightly with a sealed seam.

Centers are gummy

The rolls were underbaked or underproofed. Bake until the middle roll reaches 88°C (190°F) and proof until they are visibly puffy and touching.

Strong sour taste

The bulk ran too long or the starter was overripe. Use starter at its peak and end bulk at about 75 percent rise.

Storage

Because of the cream cheese icing, refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container within 2 hours and eat within 4 days. Reheat a roll for 15 to 20 seconds in the microwave. Freeze un-iced rolls for up to 2 months.

Safety notes

Do not taste raw dough, which contains raw egg and flour. Contains wheat, egg and milk.