Super Fluffy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

These Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect project. They come together super easily, are impossibly soft and fluffy, and are finished with a smooth cream cheese frosting.

Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Hi! Just popping in to share the recipe for these Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls with you. These Cinnamon Rolls, like most sourdough recipes, do take a few days to come together. However the process is incredibly hands off, and the end product is WELL worth the wait. They are some of the softest cinnamon rolls I have ever had, and they are so satisfying to make!

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Baked To Order by Ruth Tam

The recipe for these Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls comes from my friend Ruth's new book, 'Baked to Order'. Ruth and I have been internet friends for years now, and I was SO excited when she told me she was writing a book! Ruth's recipe writing is super meticulous and always so well explained, so I knew the recipes in this book would be nothing short of incredible.

Ruth is my go-to authority when it comes to sourdough baking. I tested out her everyday loaf from her book from her earlier this year, and have made it more than 20 times since. Her recipes are super easy to follow and written in a way that explains the process so, so well. There are plenty of sourdough recipes in the book I can't wait to try, but there are also some other amazing looking baking recipes in there too. The book is a must-own, in my opinion. Congrats, Ruth!

Baking with a Sourdough Starter

This recipe uses a stiff sourdough starter, which I hadn't worked with before. Lots of sourdough recipes use a starter at 100% hydration. The hydration of a dough or starter is calculated by the ratio of liquid to flour and is always calculated relative to the flour weight - so for example, for a starter to be at 100% hydration, it is fed with equal parts flour and water, for 85% hydration it means that the weight of the water is 85% the weight of the flour (so 85g water to 100g flour).

I maintain a starter at 100% hydration, and then just build the levain that the recipe asks for using some of that starter. Ruth does the same - the one she feeds every day is a 100% hydration, then uses it to build the levain for whatever recipe she is making.

This dough starts with a Stiff starter rather than a liquid one - you mix 100% hydration starter that is at it's peak with some bread flour and milk, to form a stiff dough, then leave it to rise until it has doubled and domed. I used a small glass jar for this and marked the level when I fed it so I could monitor the progress.

The stiff starter was super easy to make, and incorporated into the dough so nicely. It was super fun watching it puff up and be ready to use.

If you don't have a starter already, Ruth has a great guide on her site for starting your own, and a super adorable series in her Instagram highlights where her kids show you how to start a new one!

Steps for making Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

There are a few steps in this recipe. Sourdough recipes take a bit more planning than traditional bread recipes - you have to plan out your timing a wee bit to make sure your starter is at peak at the right time. However this one is pretty flexible - the dough can hang out in the fridge for 8-24 hours, so you can assemble whenever suits you best.

1. Feed your starter. I keep mine at 100%. It needs to be at peak when you build the levain so plan ahead.
2. Build the levain. This is a stiff starter, so you mix together some starter, bread flour, and milk into a stiff dough and leave it for 8-12 hours (I left mine overnight)
3. Autolyse the dough. This step lets the mix hydrate and the gluten starts to form.
4. Add salt and start to mix. Salt is left out of the dough for the autolyse because it inhibits the starter a little, so it is added a bit later to allow the starter a wee bit of a head start. The dough is mixed until it starts to come together.
5. Add the butter. The butter goes in a wee bit at a time, and is mixed until combined.
6. Mix the dough. This takes a bit! I let mine go for 15 to 20 minutes, and it goes through phases where it looks like it won't ever come together, but it will! Have trust.
7. Room temperature bulk - the dough is bulked at room temp, then transferred to the fridge for 8-24 hours. Note that it will only expand a little during this time, so don't worry if it doesn't look like anything is happening. Most of the rising happens when the rolls are assembled.
8. Assemble the cinnamon buns - roll out the dough, add the filling, and roll up into a log, then cut into buns.
9. Rise the buns - The cinnamon buns rise for about 8 hours at room temperature. During this time they will puff up loads. I proofed them in a little countertop oven on the proof setting, but a warm spot anywhere in your house will work great.
10. Bake the buns - The buns bake at 400°f / 200°c for about 15 to 20 minutes.
11. Finish with cream cheese frosting - you can either add a wee bit just after they come out and then the rest once cooled, or add it once the rolls are cooled.
12. Enjoy!

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Sample Baking Timeline for Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Here's a sample timeline for baking these. Remember that the temperature of your house will also affect rising time. If it's cold, look for a slightly warm spot to do the rise in, or increase your rise time by a wee bit.

• Day 1: Feed liquid starter, late morning to ensure it peaks that evening.
• Day 1: Build levain in evening, leave to sit 8-12 hours, overnight
• Day 2: Make dough early in the morning, leave to bulk at room temperature for 2 hours, then transfer to the fridge for 8 hours.
• Day 2: Just before bed, assemble cinnamon rolls and leave to proof at room temperature overnight.
• Day 3: Early morning, bake off cinnamon rolls and enjoy!

You can change this schedule to fit whatever you are working with - when I shot these I made the dough and then gave it overnight in the fridge, then assembled the buns SUPER early the next morning and left them to rise throughout the day, then baked them off early afternoon.

Frequently Asked Questions for Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

I don't have a sourdough starter! What should I do?
You can make your own, or you can buy them online! My friend Amanda sells hers dried if you are in the States, or often you can go to a bakery and ask if they will give you some of theirs. If you have any friends who bake sourdough you can ask them for some too - you only need a tiny bit to start off, and you can then feed it for a bit until it is healthy and ready to go. You can't adapt this recipe to not use a starter, so make sure you have one ready to go before starting.

Help! My dough isn't coming together!
The dough for these is super soft, and SO lovely to work with. However, it does take a while to come together in the mixer. Don't freak out if it looks super sloppy. If you've made the recipe by weight, you'll be fine. It will come together, just give it some more time. Mine took about 15 minutes in the stand mixer to come together into a smooth ball.

Can I make this by hand?
I don't think so. Not this one - it needs a really long mixing time to bring the dough together, which a stand mixer does the best job at.

A few wee tips for making sourdough cinnamon rolls

• Remember to account for the time needed in this recipe. You need to feed the stiff levain, then bulk the dough at room temp and in the fridge, then assemble and wait again for another rise before baking these off. Check out my sample baking timeline for an idea of how I did it.
• Make sure your starter is at peak for when you build the levain. I fed mine about lunch time and then built the levain in the evening before bed.
• These are super soft and fluffy, and store well at room temp. If you are planning on storing them, keep the frosting separate. Zap the rolls quickly in the microwave, and then add the frosting!
• If you are baking these off in the morning, see if your oven has a delay timer start! I often set my oven to preheat while I am still sleeping, so in this case I would set it to start preheating at 5.30 so when I got up at 6.30 it was all ready to pop my cinnamon buns in to bake off.

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