This Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Recipe Is Packed With Sugary-Spiced Goodness and Easy for Any Home Baker

Nailing a crusty and fluffy loaf of sourdough bread is a home baker’s dreamer. However, your sourdough starter can do more than just bake a tasty bread loaf. In fact, you can prepare cinnamon rolls that are sweet with hints of that signature sourdough tanginess. These homemade cinnamon rolls are worth the extra effort because their rich aroma will waft through your kitchen during baking. If sourdough cinnamon rolls sound enticing to you, read on for pointers on how to make them at home!  

What are sourdough cinnamon rolls?

The cinnamon rolls we all know and love consist of a yeast dough that’s filled with a cinnamon sugar mixture before it’s sliced, baked and glazed. These rolls are known for their sweet, spiced and buttery taste–no wonder it’s hard to eat just one. Sourdough cinnamon rolls take a similar approach, however, the dough contains sourdough starter (a leavener containing flour, water and wild yeast from the air). 

This starter helps the dough rise and infuses it with a sour flavor that won’t overpower the sweet ingredients in your cinnamon rolls. It’s also a great way to use up your starter as there will be some discard, aka leftovers, from the feeding and maintenance process. (Read about the health benefits of sourdough for gut health, blood sugar control and chronic disease risk.)

3 tips for preparing perfect sourdough cinnamon rolls

Transforming your sourdough starter into homemade cinnamon rolls doesn’t have to be daunting. Just keep these three tips in mind for a smooth and delicious bake.

1. Make sure your sourdough starter is active.

Before baking with your starter, always double-check that it’s active. This step is key for ensuring that the dough rises and creates fluffy cinnamon rolls. King Arthur Baking has a helpful guide on testing sourdough starter on their website for best results.

2. Swap bread flour for all-purpose when preparing the dough mixture.

The more gluten in the dough, the better as it helps the rolls rise and maintain their shape during baking. Substituting bread flour for the all-purpose kind encourages gluten development thanks to its high protein content. Doing this will create cinnamon rolls that are light and fluffy rather than dense and chewy. 

3. Use this stretching technique to further strengthen the dough.

Rather than kneading the dough for about 10 minutes, you’ll often find sourdough cinnamon roll recipes using a stretch and fold technique. This involves pulling various corners of the dough and bringing them to the center, and then letting the dough rest before doing it again. What this does is make the dough more elastic and easier to shape before rolling it out. Although your desired recipe will provide guidance for doing stretch and folds, this video on the Wholesome House Life YouTube channel shows how to do them.

A delectable sourdough cinnamon rolls recipe

Below, baking expert Elaine Boddy shares a recipe for Enriched Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls recipe from her upcoming cookbook, The Sourdough Bible. “When I tested this recipe, all my taste testers gave it a double thumbs-up; that was everything I needed to know!” she says. Boddy notes that prefers these rolls without icing. However, feel free to top the rolls with a homemade plain icing or this coffee-infused glaze once they’re baked and cooled. 

Enriched Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

Dough:

• ½ cup (100 grams) sourdough starter
• 1 scant cup (270 grams) milk, cold or at room temperature (I use reduced-fat or 2% milk, but you can also use full-fat or whole milk)
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• ¼ cup (50 grams) butter (I use slightly salted butter), at room temperature
• ¼ cup (50 grams) runny honey
• 4 cups (500 grams) strong white bread flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tsp. (7 grams) salt, or to taste

Filling:

• ½ cup (100 grams) softened butter (I use slightly salted butter)
• ½ cup (100 grams) honey
• 1 tsp. (7 grams) ground cinnamon

Directions:

• Yield: 12 cinnamon rolls

1. In large bowl, roughly mix together all ingredients, except butter, honey and cinnamon for filling. Cover and leave bowl on the counter. 
2. After 2 hours, perform a set of pulls and folds on dough. Cover and leave it on the counter. After 1 hour, perform two more sets of pulls and folds. Cover and leave after each time. 
3. Leave dough to proof until it has doubled in size. Place covered bowl of dough in fridge at least 1 hour. Turn out dough onto floured surface. Using your fingers, push and stretch dough into 15-inch square. 
4. In small bowl, prepare filling: Mix together the butter, honey and cinnamon and spread it evenly over the dough, then roll one side of dough toward the other, pulling the dough into tight, fat sausage. 
5. Cut roll of dough into 12 equal-sized pieces and place them, cut side up, in prepared pan. Cover pan with its lid and allow rolls to proof again at room temperature, or in fridge, until doubled in size. 
6. To bake, either preheat oven to 400°F convection or 425°F conventional, or bake from cold start. Bake, with pan lid on, at above temperatures 35 to 40 minutes from preheated, or 40 to 45 minutes from cold start. Remove lid and bake additional 10 minutes. 
7. Remove pan from oven, let cool briefly and serve plain or top with icing. Enjoy!

Reprinted with permission from The Sourdough Bible by Elaine Boddy. Page Street Publishing Co. 2024. Photo credit: James Kennedy.