Easy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Recipe (Soft and Fluffy)

Servings: 6 large cinnamon rolls

Author: Jenny Prior

Put one tablespoon of sourdough starter into a clean container or pint size jar. Feed it with 60g water and 60g white flour. Stir until no dry flour is left. Let it sit at room temp 6-12 hours until active (doubled in volume, full of large bubbles, and smells fragrant like ripe fruit)

Scald the milk: Add more whole milk than the recipe calls for to allow for evaporation. Heat the milk over medium to medium-high heat until it is steaming and proteins begin to stick to the pot. Temperature will be 130 to 140 degrees F. Don't let it foam. Transfer 100g of your scalded milk to the bowl of a stand mixer, large bowl, or a separate glass carafe to cool down to 90-100 degrees F.
Once your milk is cooled, add it to the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, add the sugar, 100g of the active sourdough starter, and flour mixture. Stir with a dough hook attachment about 4 times around the bowl or with a large spoon if you are mixing by hand for 1 to 2 minutes until ingredients are beginning to combine and it looks like a shaggy dough mixture. Add the vanilla and egg. Continue mixing the dough until it becomes completely combined and soft.

Knead your dough into a smooth, soft ball. It will take 5 to 8 minutes to get combined and soft until it pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. Kneading by hand will take 8 to 12 minutes.
Now, it is time to knead in the softened unsalted butter. Add it one tablespoon at a time with kneading in between each addition. Continue kneading until the butter is completely incorporated into your dough and it pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl or kneading surface and is a soft smooth ball.

Place your cinnamon roll dough into an airtight container or use a large clean bowl covered with plastic wrap. Keep your dough at room temperature for 4 to 8 hours for the bulk fermentation or first rise until it doubles.

Mix the cinnamon filling: Beat the softened 100g of unsalted butter with the 80g brown sugar until creamy. Add the cinnamon. I use a paddle attachment in the stand mixer for this, a hand mixer with beaters would work well too. Scrape the sides of the bowl and the paddle attachment(s) with a spatula and set aside.
Prepare a baking dish like a casserole dish or a rimmed baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into rectangle that is is 8 inches by 12 inches wide.
Spread the filling onto the center of the dough leaving 1 inch along the 12-inch edges bare. Roll up the dough from one 12-inch edge to the other. Pinch the seam together to form a tight seal. Then cut the roll into six 2-inch pieces. I recommend using a serrated bread knife to more easily cut through the rolled dough without smashing it. Place the rolls inside side up (the cut side facing up) on the prepared baking dish equally spread apart in 2 rows of 3 rolls. Cover the cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap.

Let the covered dough sit at room temperature for the proof or second rise for 2 to 4 hours. The rolls should rise and spread until 1.5 to 2 times larger. The dough should feel soft to touch.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes until outside is golden brown just on edges. To test doneness inside the rolls, use a cooking thermometer inserted into the center of the bread. Enriched bread that is baked through should be 190 to 195 degrees F.

Cool cinnamon rolls in the original baking dish or baking sheet while you mix the icing for at least 10 minutes.

Whisk icing ingredients well. The consistency should easily run off the whisk and when you drizzle it in a figure 8 it should leave a defined shape. Add milk slowly 1 t. at a time to achieve the correct consistency. Pour icing over the center of each roll, rotating outward in a circle to get even coverage over the whole roll. Then enjoy!