These delicious sourdough cinnamon rolls will be the star of your next brunch with family and friends! All you need is a little prep work and an active sourdough starter. Read more to learn how to make these sourdough cinnamon rolls with helpful options and easy substitutions.
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The Gift that Keeps on Giving
My first encounter with sourdough cinnamon rolls was shortly after our son was born. A dear friend dropped these off with baking instructions just in case I wasn’t ready to eat them that evening.
But, after I saw them and heard her explain how much her family loved them, we quickly changed our dinner plans from tacos to breakfast for dinner.
Don’t get me wrong; we all love cinnamon rolls from famous stores and grocery store bakeries – they are the epitome of convenience. But one thing that always frustrated me was how dry they tasted at the first bite or the next day.
I’m here to say that these cinnamon rolls do not suffer from the same fate. They are gooey on the inside, outside, and chock full of delicious cinnamon goodness. Each bite tastes like the best part of the roll.
That’s because there are two unique features of this recipe – the sourdough and the buttercream icing. Using sourdough instead of active yeast as the leavening prevents the rolls from drying out and gives them a depth of flavor that is out of this world. Trust me.
If you don’t have a sourdough starter yet, get “started” here!
The other unique feature is the buttercream icing. It is not as sweet or filling as the typical cream cheese icing so we prefer to add that on top of our rolls instead. You can also adjust the thickness of the icing to your preference.
We love to make sourdough cinnamon rolls as the star of the Saturday brunch with friends and family. Add some sausage links (or bacon) and scrambled eggs and it’s a feast.
It’s also an unspoken rule in our house that leftover sourdough cinnamon rolls (if that’s even a thing) can be warmed up and eaten for dessert.
How to Make Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Here are the ingredients you will need to make these delicious sourdough cinnamon rolls. You can make obvious substitutions (vegetable oil for coconut oil, etc) but we’ve found this combination to be our favorite.
Ingredients (Makes 12 rolls)
Cinnamon roll dough:
- 1/2 cup active sourdough starter
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 cups flour
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1 t baking soda
- 1 t baking powder
- 1/2 t salt
Cinnamon mixture:
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick @ room temperature)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 T cinnamon
Buttercream Icing:
1 stick butter (softened @ room temperature)
2 cups powdered sugar
2 t vanilla extract
1 T milk
Recommended Equipment
- Stand mixer with the dough hook attachment (and whisk attachment for icing)
- 12-inch cast iron skillet
- Plastic wrap (or my favorite baking hack – a plastic shower cap)
- Rolling pin
- Sharp knife or string to cut the rolls
Instructions
In a stand mixer combine active starter, water, flour, melted coconut oil, honey, and eggs. Mix using the dough hook attachment until smooth (the dough will pull away from the sides).
Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or shower cap overnight or up to 12 hours.
After 12 hours, (probably the next day) preheat oven to 375.
Place the dough back into the stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Add baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes.
While the dough is mixing, combine softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. (I personally like having a lot of cinnamon mixture…measure freely ❤️)
After the five minutes, take the dough mixture and roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1/4 inch thick.
Spread the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top of the dough evenly. Then, starting at the end closest to you, roll the dough up as tightly as you can. When you get to the end (or top of the dough), pinch together to make a smooth seam.
Using a sharp knife dipped in water to cut 12 even rolls. The water helps to keep the dough from sticking and damaging the rolls.
Place the rolls in an oiled cast iron 12-inch skillet. This recipe usually makes 12 large sourdough cinnamon rolls, but with little eaters in our house, we cut more and made each roll smaller.
Bake at 375 for 22-24 minutes (rolls should be lightly browned and center cooked through). This makes for free entertainment – just turn on the oven light!
While the sourdough cinnamon rolls are baking, prepare the buttercream icing by combining the softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a stand mixer using the whisk attachment. Slowly add 1 tablespoon of milk.
Spread over rolls as they are cooling. I never use all of the icing so save some for later with cookies or scones.
Options for Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
There are several ways to adapt this recipe to fit your family and schedule. Check out some of those options below:
- Cook in a 9×13 glass pan instead of a cast iron skillet – we are BIG fans of cast iron cookware for so many reasons, but the main point for this recipe is that you get to enjoy sourdough cinnamon rolls fresh from your oven. So, if you don’t have a cast iron skillet yet just place the rolls in a different pan. You should check the rolls more often to see how they are cooking and adjust baking times as needed.
- Make ahead and freeze until ready to bake – this recipe is great for prepping during the week and thawing on Saturday morning before baking. Just mix all ingredients, roll out the dough, and place each unbaked cinnamon roll in a disposable pan so that they are touching. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for up to three months. When you are ready to make the sourdough cinnamon rolls, allow them to thaw on the counter for 1-2 hours to come to room temperature, then bake as normal. If you’re only going to make these one day ahead you could keep them in the refrigerator instead of the freezer.
- Use simple substitutions for ingredients – I’ve been working to make healthier swaps when baking and cooking but sometimes I just don’t have certain ingredients on hand. If you have vegetable oil instead of coconut oil, then use it. This chart from Real Simple has been very helpful to have on hand when baking!
Let us know if you make these delicious sourdough cinnamon rolls – we love to see others enjoying from-scratch cooking – tag us on Instagram @circlecityhomestead. Thanks for stopping by the homestead.
Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls with Buttercream Icing
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 1 Large Bowl
- 1 Cover (plastic wrap)
- 1 Cast Iron Skillet or 9×13 pan
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Twine or sharp knife
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- ½ cup Active Sourdough Starter
- ½ cup Water
- 4 cups All-Purpose Flour (Unbleached)
- ½ cup Melted Coconut Oil
- ½ cup Honey
- 2 Eggs
- 1 t Baking Soda
- 1 t Baking Powder
- ½ t Salt
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
- ½ cup Butter (1 stick @ room temperature)
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp Cinnamon
Buttercream Icing
- ½ cup Butter (1 stick softened)
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 t Vanilla Extract
- 1 tbsp Milk
Instructions
- In a stand mixer combine active sourdough starter, flour, melted coconut oil, honey, and eggs. Mix using the dough hook attachment until smooth (the dough will pull away from the sides).
- Transfer dough to a greased bowl; cover with plastic wrap (or similar cover) and leave out overnight or up to 12 hours.
- After 12 hours, (probably the next day) preheat the oven to 375℉. Set out 2 sticks of butter to soften – one for the cinnamon mixture and one for the icing.
- Place dough back into the stand mixer with dough hook attachment.
- Add baking soda, baking powder and salt; mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes.
- While dough is mixing, combine softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
- After 5 minutes, remove the dough and roll into a rectangle shape on a lightly floured surface until it is around 1/4 inch thick.
- Spread the cinnamon mixture over the top of the dough evenly (don't forget the edges).
- Starting with the bottom of the rectangle closest to you, roll the dough up as tightly as you can. Pinch the end together to make a smooth seam.
- Using a sharp knife or piece of twine, cut 12 even rolls from the dough.
- Place the rolls in an oiled 12-inch cast iron skillet or 9×13 glass pan.
- Bake at 375℉ for 22-25 minutes until the rolls are slightly browned and cooked through.
- While rolls are baking, prepare the buttercream icing by adding the second stick of softened butter into the stand mixer.
- Using the whisk attachment, mix on low speed adding powdered sugar and vanilla to the bowl.
- Slowly pour in milk – add more for a thinner consistency.
- Turn up the speed on the mixer until icing/frosting texture emerges.
- Spread desired amount of icing over the rolls as they are cooling.
- Serve immediately. Store in airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 monhts (see note).
