Sourdough Cinnamon Buns
These Sourdough Cinnamon Buns are the best cinnamon rolls ever! There’s a bonus “sticky bun” layer at the bottom & cream cheese frosting on top. WOW!
Does anything in the world smell as good as freshly baked Cinnamon Buns? I know, stupid question.
I think we can all agree that even a bad cinnamon bun (aka cinnamon roll) is pretty good. But we can do better. Two things set this recipe apart from other Cinnamon Bun recipes.
First and foremost, the dough is made with sourdough starter instead of commercial yeast. If you love to bake bread but haven’t delved into the world of sourdough yet, I encourage you to dive-in head first.
If you don’t already have one, I can show you how to make a sourdough starter and how to feed a sourdough starter.
You cannot imagine how a little sourdough starter enhances the taste and texture of any bread recipe. That’s a long-winded way of saying that these Sourdough Cinnamon Buns are extra yummy because of the starter.
Click through the slideshow to see how to assemble Sourdough Cinnamon Buns:
The other thing that sets this recipe apart is the result of a happy-mistake. Because I wanted lots of cinnamon sugar in the buns, I sprinkled a whole cup of sugar over the dough before rolling it up to form the buns.
This is an “overnight” recipe, so the assembled buns spend a night in the refrigerator. That’s great because you can do most of the work the day before and then bake the buns in the morning.
The first time I tested the recipe I found that during the overnight rest in the refrigerator some of the sugar “melted” and formed a syrup at the bottom of the pan.
But, hey, you know what? That syrup bakes up to form a sticky, gooey bottom layer on the buns, which is really quite nice. So I embraced the “mistake” and it’s now part of the recipe.
Tips for making great Sourdough Cinnamon Buns (sourdough cinnamon rolls)
- To work ahead the logs can be wrapped tightly in two layers of plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the dough overnight in the refrigerator, then proceed with the recipe as listed.
- To bake the buns the same day instead of putting the pan in the refrigerator, let the the buns rise at room temperature until they almost fill the pan. Bake as directed.
- To get the chilled buns active I like to warm them up a bit. Turn on the oven for just a minute or two to get it just a little warm. Turn off the oven then place the pan with the buns in the barely warm oven. Once they’re starting to rise remove the pan from the oven. You can then preheat the oven while the buns finish rising.
So it’s kind of a twofer recipe; sticky bun on the bottom and iced cinnamon bun on top. Who’s going to complain about that? Not me!
I know you hate to throw away that sourdough discard. Check out these recipes that use sourdough discard.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, please consider giving it a 5-star review.
Overnight Sourdough Cinnamon Buns
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 8 oz active sourdough starter (1 cup, 100% hydration)
- 2 oz warm water (¼ cup)
- 8 oz whole milk (1 cup, scalded and cooled)
- 20 oz unbleached all purpose flour (4 cups, see note)
- 3 oz sugar (⅓ cup)
- 2 oz unsalted butter (¼ cup, melted)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon table salt
For Assembly:
- 2 oz unsalted butter (¼ cup, melted)
- 4 oz granulated sugar (½ cup)
- 4 oz brown sugar (½ cup)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 egg for egg wash
For the Icing
- 2 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 3 oz confectioner’s sugar (¾ cup)
- 2 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- In a mixer bowl combine 8 oz active sourdough starter, 2 oz warm water, 8 oz whole milk and 2 cups (10 oz) of the flour. Mix to form a thick batter. Cover the bowl and set aside to rise for 30 minutes.
- Add 3 oz sugar, melted 2 oz unsalted butter, 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon table salt then mix to combine. Change to the dough hook if using a stand mixer. With mixer on low add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time. The dough should be soft and elastic, will clear the sides of the bowl and gather on the hook. Knead for 5 minutes. If mixing by hand continue mixing and then kneading in the flour by hand. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead into a smooth ball.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough. Cover the bowl and set it aside at room temperature. After 30 minutes uncover the bowl, lift one side of the dough over into the middle of the dough. Repeat with the other three sides of the dough then flip the dough over. Cover the bowl and every 60 minutes repeat the procedure for a total of 3 hours fermentation time. By now the dough should be lively, elastic and airy. If the dough is still sluggish give it another hour or two at room temperature.
- Generously brush a 9” x 13” baking pan with some of the melted butter, reserve the rest. In a small bowl, combine 4 oz granulated sugar, 4 oz brown sugar and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon. Turn the dough onto a floured surface without kneading out the air. Roll the dough to a 18" x 16" (46cmx41cm) rectangle. Generously brush the surface of the dough with egg wash. You should use almost 1/2 the egg wash to get a good coating so the cinnamon sugar will stick. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the egg washed dough. Use your hands to smooth out the cinnamon sugar to an even layer all the way to the edge of the dough.
- Working from the long side, tightly roll the dough into a log, pinch the seam to seal. Straighten out the log so it's of even thickness and is 18" 46cm) long (see note).
- Use a serrated knife to cut the log into twelve 1.5" (3.5cm) wide buns. Place the buns in the prepared pan. Generously brush the tops of the buns with the melted butter. Cover the buns with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (see note).
- In the morning take the pan out of the refrigerator. You’ll see some melted sugar in the bottom of the pan, this will form a sticky bottom as the buns bake. Allow the buns to proof at room temperature until they’re puffy and almost filling the pan, about 1.5 – 2 hours. The exact time needed for proofing will vary depending how active your starter was and the temperature of your kitchen.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°c) Bake the buns until they’re until golden brown and set in the center, 25-30 minutes.
- While the buns are baking, make the icing. Combine 2 oz unsalted butter and 3 oz confectioner’s sugar in a mixing bowl and cream until well combined. Add the 2 oz cream cheese and whip until well aerated. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and optional 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice. The lemon juice will spark the flavor of the icing but it's ok to go without.
- Remove the buns from the pan to a serving plate while they are still warm. Spread cream cheese icing generously over the buns and indulge.
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My family didn’t want to wait so I added a little yeast and did them on the day – I don’t think this changed them much because they were so light and fluffy. Next time I will do them overnight to compare.
Leaving the rolls overnight for a long slow rise at a cool temp gives the rolls great flavor. But they still taste good made in one day.
Doing another batch now and leaving overnight. Doing a double batch so I can also try apple and cinnamon. Will let you know how it goes
Apple cinnamon…mmmmm…
Apple and cinnamon turned out amazing
A friend of mine just made these buns and had nothing but good things to say about them. I’m hoping to make them next weekend, but want to use non-dairy milk and butter. Do you have a recommendation on which non-dairy milk to use? I usually lean towards oat milk
Hi Elaine. I don’t have a lot of experience with non diary milk. The dairy milk is contributing water, fat and milk solids (protein). As long as you get a similar mix it should work.
I made these with almond milk and they turned out fantastic!
Great, thanks for the tip.
In the first step, when you let it rise for 30 minutes, how much rise should I be expecting? Double in size? A lot less?
During the first hour you’ll see very little rise. I generally see the dough “wake up” during the second hour.
And while you answer this, how much rise should you get from step 3 and all of the folding?
I left my 1st review a little over a week ago. I have to date made these buns 5 times. Twice for my family and 3 batches for my husband and son to take to work. I have gotten rave reviews from everyone.
I can’t really take the credit though, after all I found the recipe here. Thank you Eileen for sharing such a scrumptious recipe.
Thanks!
Amazing— came out perfectly— even for this sourdough novice! Just wondering how long they will stay fresh in the refrigerator? Thank you!!!
Ideally they shouldn’t be refrigerated. Like all breads, the refrigerator makes them stale faster. If they’re already iced you could leave them at room temp for a day and then freeze. If they’re uniced they can stay at room temp for a couple of days and ice them as you eat them. I eat what we want the first day then freeze the baked buns (uniced) in a freezer bag. I put a sandwich bag of the icing in the bag with the buns. This way you can defrost and ice only as many buns as you will eat that day.
Thank you!! They were so good, we will probably finish them in a day or two anyway!!