Easy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

These easy sourdough cinnamon rolls are pillowy-soft, buttery, and easy to make without any complicated steps. The recipe takes advantage of many staple pantry ingredients, and uses an active sourdough starter instead of yeast. The warm cinnamon-sugar filling inside of these rolls contrasts perfectly with the sweet powdered sugar glaze on top of the rolls.

Why This Recipe Works

• Easy Dough: This is a straightforward dough where you’ll mix everything together in the same bowl. You can knead the dough by hand or use an electric stand mixer.
• Cinnamon-Sugar Paste Filling: Instead of spreading the dough with a layer of butter, then a layer of sugar and cinnamon, you’ll make a fluffy cinnamon-sugar paste for this recipe that is easy to spread on top of the rolled dough.
• Proofing Options to Fit Your Schedule: This is a very forgiving recipe. You can proof the dough at room temperature, in the fridge overnight, or using a combination of the two techniques – whatever works best for your schedule. I explain these options in more detail in the step-by-step instructions.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Bread Flour: Bread flour will create a chewier but still tender sourdough cinnamon roll. I used King Arthur brand bread flour.
• Whole Milk: The fat content in whole milk will make the cinnamon roll dough richer and more velvety.
• Sourdough Starter: You’ll need a fed and active sourdough starter for this recipe.
• Softened Butter: You can use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe. The room-temperature. softened butter will help to make a smooth, enriched dough, similar to a sourdough brioche dough like I’ve made before on this site.
• Brown Sugar: The rich molasses in brown sugar will bring a depth of flavor and sweetness to both the cinnamon roll dough and the cinnamon-sugar filling.
• Eggs: Show expertise with ingredient.
• Salt: I use kosher salt for this recipe, but you can also use sea salt or table salt.
• Powdered Sugar: Plain powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar) will come together with milk to make a wonderfully simple sugary glaze for these rolls.
• Vanilla Extract: This will take the powdered sugar and milk glaze to the next level and make the flavor pop.

Note: Check recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and quantities.

Substitutions and Additions

• All-Purpose Flour instead of Bread Flour: You can generally use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour for this recipe. The cinnamon rolls will still be chewy but slightly more tender.
• White Sugar instead of Brown Sugar: You can easily substitute the brown sugar for white sugar in the dough and filling of this recipe.
• Another Type of Milk Instead of Whole Milk: You can substitute the whole milk for skim milk or non-dairy milk in the dough and glaze for this recipe. The dough will end up being slightly less rich because of the lower fat content, but since the recipe contains butter anyway, you’ll barely notice.

Suggested Timeline

2-Day Timeline (Room Temperature Proof)

3-Day Timeline (Cold Proof)

Ingredient Amounts

Sourdough Starter Feeding

• Sourdough Starter, leftover – 25 grams
• Water – 100 grams
• Bread Flour – 100 grams

Main Dough

• Bread Flour – 400 grams
• Whole Milk – 150 grams
• Sourdough Starter, active – 200 grams
• Butter, softened – 75 grams
• Brown Sugar – 50 grams
• Eggs – 50 grams (1 egg)
• Salt – 6 grams

Cinnamon-Sugar Paste (Filling)

• Brown Sugar – 100 grams
• Butter, softened – 100 grams
• Cinnamon, ground – 5 grams

Powdered Sugar Glaze

• Powdered Sugar – 200 grams
• Whole Milk – 60 grams
• Vanilla Extract – 2 grams (1/2 tsp)

How to Make Easy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Step-by-Step Instructions

Feeding the Sourdough Starter

• The night before you make the dough, take 25 grams of sourdough starter out of the fridge. Add 100 grams of water and 100 grams of bread flour to the jar of starter. Mix everything together thoroughly until there aren’t any dry bits of flour left.
• Mark the top of the starter with a rubber band, cover it up loosely, and let the starter rise overnight for around 8-12 hours. The starter should have doubled in size and be ready to use the next day.

Mixing the Dough

• To a mixing bowl, add the milk, sourdough starter, softened butter, brown sugar, egg, and salt. Stir together gently to combine. Then, add the bread flour and mix thoroughly to form a cohesive dough.

Kneading

• Transfer the dough onto an un-floured surface and knead by hand for 8-10 minutes until the dough forms a smooth ball. Alternatively, you can mix the dough in a stand mixer for 8-10 minutes. Start mixing at low speed for 1-2 minutes and then continue mixing on medium-low speed for 6-8 minutes until the dough is finished kneading.
• Knead the dough a few times by hand to form a smooth ball of dough to prepare for the first rise.

Bulk Fermentation (the First Rise)

• Place the dough back into the mixing bowl, cover it up with a kitchen towel, and let the dough rise at room temperature for about 4-8 hours. The dough should double in size again during this time.
• Once the dough has risen, move it to the fridge to chill for 15-30 minutes while you make the cinnamon-sugar paste for the filling.

Making the Cinnamon-Sugar Paste (and Shaping the Rolls)

• To make the cinnamon-sugar paste, add the softened butter, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon to a mixing bowl. Whisk together the ingredients with a fork until it forms a light and fluffy paste.
• If the butter is too firm and the mixture becomes crumbly, heat up the paste in the microwave for 5 seconds and then try to whisk it again. 5-10 seconds in the microwave should melt the butter enough to make it whisk easily. Whisk thoroughly to form a spreadable paste.
• Take the dough out of the fridge, dust each side of the dough lightly with flour, and press it out on the counter to form a rough rectangle.
• Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to form a thin rectangle that measures roughly 18″x12″.

• Add the cinnamon-sugar paste to the dough in six dollops and spread it all over the dough. Cover the dough from end to end in the paste, leaving only a one inch gap of dough along the long end free of paste. This empty stretch of dough will help the dough seal and stick together when you roll up the cinnamon rolls.
• Starting on the long end of dough with the paste spread to the edge, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Try to keep the thickness of the roll as even as possible from end to end.
• To divide the roll into 9 large cinnamon rolls, slice the dough gently into three equal portions with a serrated knife, then slice each of those three portions into three smaller portions. This will give you nine rolls that are all close to 2″ in height.

Proofing

• Arrange the sliced sourdough cinnamon rolls, spiral-side-up, into a buttered 9×9″ square cake pan.
• Cover up the rolls with plastic wrap and allow them to proof. You have three proofing options: Option 1: Let the rolls rise for 2-3 hours at room temperature before baking. Option 2: Let the rolls rise for 2 hours at room temperature and then move them to the fridge until whenever you want to bake them the following day. Option 3: Move the shaped rolls straight to the fridge and let them proof in the cold environment for at least 8 hours but up to 48 hours.

Note on Room Temperature Proofing: Letting the rolls proof for a portion of the time at room temperature (options 1 or 2) will produce slightly fluffier rolls than if you only let them cold proof in the fridge (option 3).

Note on Baking from Cold: Cold-proofed sourdough cinnamon rolls can be baked the next day straight from the fridge; they do not need to reach room temperature first.

• 30 minutes before the rolls are done proofing, preheat your oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and let it preheat for half an hour.
• Once the easy sourdough cinnamon rolls have proofed, it’s time to bake the rolls and prepare the powdered sugar glaze.

Baking the Easy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

• Bake the sourdough cinnamon rolls on the middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes at 350ºF (180ºC). You don’t need to add any steam to the oven while baking.
• While the rolls bake, prepare the powdered sugar glaze by whisking together the milk and powdered sugar. Add a little more milk to thin out the glaze, or add a little more powdered sugar to make it thicker. Once you’ve got a consistency that you’re happy with, whisk in the vanilla extract and set the glaze aside.

• When the rolls come out of the oven, add the glaze in two stages. Pour half of the glaze onto the easy sourdough cinnamon rolls when they are fresh out of the oven. Then, let the rolls cool for 30 minutes. The warm rolls will soak up some of the glaze and the glaze will form a hardened shell as the rolls cool down. After 30 minutes, add the rest of the glaze and spread it out over the top of the rolls. Since the rolls are not piping hot anymore, the second layer of glaze will sit on top of the rolls without melting and pooling in the edges of the pan.
• Serve these easy sourdough cinnamon rolls directly from the baking cake pan, or carefully transfer them to another serving dish.

FAQs about Easy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

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Yield: 9 large rolls

Easy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

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These easy sourdough cinnamon rolls are pillowy-soft, buttery, and easy to make without any complicated steps. The recipe takes advantage of many staple pantry ingredients, and the warm cinnamon-sugar filling inside of the rolls contrasts perfectly with the sweet powdered sugar glaze on top.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Additional Time 21 hours

Total Time 21 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

Sourdough Starer Feeding

• Sourdough Starter, leftover - 25 grams
• Water - 100 grams
• Bread Flour - 100 grams

Main Dough

• Bread Flour - 400 grams
• Sourdough Starter, active - 200 grams
• Whole Milk - 150 grams
• Butter, softened - 75 grams
• Brown Sugar - 50 grams
• Eggs - 50 grams (1 egg)
• Salt - 6 grams

Cinnamon-Sugar Paste (Filling)

• Butter, softened - 100 grams
• Brown Sugar - 100 grams
• Cinnamon - 5 grams (2 tsp)

Instructions

Feeding the Sourdough Starter

• The night before you make the dough, take 25 grams of sourdough starter out of the fridge. Add 100 grams of water and 100 grams of bread flour to the jar of starter. Mix everything together thoroughly until there aren’t any dry bits of flour left.
• Mark the top of the starter with a rubber band, cover it up loosely, and let the starter rise overnight for around 8-12 hours. The starter should have doubled in size and be ready to use the next day.

Mixing the Dough

• To a mixing bowl, add the milk, sourdough starter, softened butter, brown sugar, egg, and salt. Stir together gently to combine. Then, add the bread flour and mix thoroughly to form a cohesive dough.

Kneading

• Transfer the dough onto an un-floured surface and knead by hand for 8-10 minutes until the dough forms a smooth ball. Alternatively, you can mix the dough in a stand mixer for 8-10 minutes. Start mixing at low speed for 1-2 minutes and then continue mixing on medium-low speed for 6-8 minutes until the dough is finished kneading.
• Knead the dough a few times by hand to form a smooth ball of dough to prepare for the first rise.

Bulk Fermentation (The First Rise)

• Place the dough back into the mixing bowl, cover it up with a kitchen towel, and let the dough rise at room temperature for about 4-8 hours. The dough should double in size again during this time.
• Once the dough has risen, move it to the fridge to chill for 15-30 minutes while you make the cinnamon-sugar paste for the filling.

Making the Cinnamon-Sugar Paste (and Shaping the Rolls)

• To make the cinnamon-sugar paste, add the softened butter, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon to a mixing bowl. Whisk together the ingredients with a fork until it forms a light and fluffy paste.
• If the butter is too firm and the mixture becomes crumbly, heat up the paste in the microwave for 5 seconds and then try to whisk it again. 5-10 seconds in the microwave should melt the butter enough to make it whisk easily. Whisk thoroughly to form a spreadable paste.
• Take the dough out of the fridge, dust each side of the dough lightly with flour, and press it out on the counter to form a rough rectangle.
• Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to form a thin rectangle that measures roughly 18″x12″.
• Add the cinnamon-sugar paste to the dough in six dollops and spread it all over the dough. Cover the dough from end to end in the paste, leaving only a one inch gap of dough along the long end free of paste. This empty stretch of dough will help the dough seal and stick together when you roll up the cinnamon rolls.
• Starting on the long end of dough with the paste spread to the edge, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Try to keep the thickness of the roll as even as possible from end to end.
• To divide the roll into 9 large cinnamon rolls, slice the dough gently into three equal portions with a serrated knife, then slice each of those three portions into three smaller portions. This will give you nine rolls that are all close to 2″ in height.

Proofing (The Second Rise)

• Arrange the sliced sourdough cinnamon rolls, spiral-side-up, into a buttered 9×9″ square cake pan.
• Cover up the rolls with plastic wrap and allow them to proof. You have three proofing options: Option 1: Let the rolls rise for 2-3 hours at room temperature before baking. Option 2: Let the rolls rise for 2 hours at room temperature and then move them to the fridge until whenever you want to bake them the following day. Option 3: Move the shaped rolls straight to the fridge and let them proof in the cold environment for at least 8 hours but up to 48 hours
• .30 minutes before the rolls are done proofing, preheat your oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and let it preheat for half an hour.
• Once the easy sourdough cinnamon rolls have proofed, it’s time to bake the rolls and prepare the powdered sugar glaze.

Baking the Easy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

• Bake the sourdough cinnamon rolls on the middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes at 350ºF (180ºC). You don’t need to add any steam to the oven while baking.
• While the rolls bake, prepare the powdered sugar glaze by whisking together the milk and powdered sugar. Add a little more milk to thin out the glaze, or add a little more powdered sugar to make it thicker. Once you’ve got a consistency that you’re happy with, whisk in the vanilla extract and set the glaze aside.
• When the rolls come out of the oven, add the glaze in two stages. Pour half of the glaze onto the easy sourdough cinnamon rolls when they are fresh out of the oven. Then, let the rolls cool for 30 minutes. The warm rolls will soak up some of the glaze and the glaze will form a hardened shell as the rolls cool down. After 30 minutes, add the rest of the glaze and spread it out over the top of the rolls. Since the rolls are not piping hot anymore, the second layer of glaze will sit on top of the rolls without melting and pooling in the edges of the pan.
• Serve these easy sourdough cinnamon rolls directly from the baking cake pan, or carefully transfer them to another serving dish.

Notes

• Note on Room Temperature Proofing: Letting the rolls proof for a portion of the time at room temperature (options 1 or 2) will produce slightly fluffier rolls than if you only let them cold proof in the fridge (option 3).

• Note on Baking from Cold: Cold-proofed sourdough cinnamon rolls can be baked the next day straight from the fridge; they do not need to reach room temperature first.
• You can use any frosting you want to top these sourdough cinnamon rolls. Cream cheese frosting would work great. I’ve also made these with a velvety smooth frosting in my ebook, as well as a sweet orange glaze in my Sourdough Holiday Handbook.