Overnight Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

This overnight sourdough cinnamon roll recipe makes tender, fluffy, light cinnamon rolls with amazing flavor. They’re simple to make, and perfect for a nice breakfast that you can partially make the night before to save on time in the morning.

I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who didn’t like cinnamon rolls, but I wouldn’t be surprised if my kids love them a little more than average. They get downright excited when we make cinnamon rolls!

So, several years ago, I knew that with my kids’ love of them – and all things bread, really – I needed to start making them a little more gut-health-friendly.

Enter sourdough.

These have become a favorite indulgent treat. Often, when I feed my sourdough to make sandwich bread, I’ll reserve a 1/3 cup to use for cinnamon rolls. They’re my go-to dessert for our bible study group meet-ups, and I never come home with leftovers.

What makes this recipe work:

Butter in this recipe makes the dough more tender and easier to roll out, as well as richer and more indulgent.

Giving the dough overnight proof in the fridge makes it ready to come to life after bulk fermentation and rise nice and fluffy after being warmed up and rolled into cinnamon buns.

The addition of an egg adds extra protein, and along with the fat from the yolk (plus the butter), helps keep the rolls soft and moist long after they’ve cooled off – days, even.

I’ve noticed some sourdough cinnamon roll recipes add baking soda or baking powder to the dough before rolling out and baking. This recipe does not do that. We rely on fermentation to do all the work. This makes it easier and uses fewer ingredients.

Ingredients for Overnight Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

The nice thing about making cinnamon rolls is that you make a delicious, craveable breakfast pastry with really ordinary ingredients.

• Sourdough starter (flour and water)
• Whole Milk
• Egg
• Butter – I use salted, but you can use unsalted butter if you prefer
• All Purpose Flour
• Salt
• Brown sugar
• Cinnamon

Substitutions and FAQs

Can I make these vegan? Yes. Simply replace the milk with water or vegan milk, Adding an extra 2-3 tablespoons to replace the egg. Then, replace the butter with coconut oil or another butter substitute. I often use light olive oil instead of butter in rolls with good success. Replacing the milk with water will make your rolls slightly less rich, but they will still be soft and fluffy.

One thing to note is that with the loss of fat and protein in the milk and egg, your rolls will dry out a little faster, so I wouldn’t recommend making them too far in advance when making these changes.

I don’t have brown sugar. just use white! You can also use sucanat raw sugar, coconut sugar, etc., instead of brown sugar. All these substitutes will change the flavor of your cinnamon-sugar filling slightly, but feel free to use what you prefer. 

I don’t have a sourdough starter. Then you can’t make sourdough rolls. First, build your starter, then come back to the recipe. I recommend Zourdough dried starter or this recipe for cultivating your own.

How to make Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

First, create an active sourdough starter.

1. In the morning, feed your sourdough starter by adding 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour to an existing 1/3 cup of starter and enough water to make a thick batter similar in texture to muffin batter or very thick pancake batter.
2. Set in a warm place, loosely covered until the starter peaks. This should take 4-6 hours.
3. Stir dough starter, measure out 1/3 cup for your recipe, put a lid on the rest, and place in the refrigerator until needed again.

Make the dough

1. Melt butter
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour and salt
   
3. Add egg, milk, sourdough starter, and butter, and mix with a dough hook until a ball of dough forms
   
4. Continue kneading dough for about five minutes, until the ball has smoothed out, and is no longer shaggy
   
5. Cover and allow to proof at room temperature for 4-5 hours, then place in the refrigerator overnight.

Make the rolls

1. In the morning, remove your cinnamon roll dough from the refrigerator
   
2. Melt butter for the filling, and set aside, (you can also just use softened butter and spread it with an offset spatula)
3. Combine cinnamon and brown sugar in a smaller bowl and set aside
   
4. Dump a dough ball from the bowl onto a clean, smooth surface. If your dough is kneaded correctly, you shouldn’t need to use flour to dust the surface, but if not, no worries! Sprinkle a little flour on the countertop, as well as onto your rolling pin as needed
   
5. Roll dough into an 18×10-inch rectangle
   
6. Brush with melted butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.
   
7. Roll dough along the short side (making a long, skinnier log rather than a shorter, fatter one)
8. Cut into 12 1 1/2 inch rolls using either a sharp knife or dental floss
   
9. Arranged in a greased or parchment paper lined 9×13 inch baking dish, or 15 inch cast iron skillet
   
10. Cover, and allow to proof in a warm place for about 30 minutes
    
11. Preheat oven to 350º
12. Bake rolls for 25-30 minutes, until they begin to turn golden on top
    
13. Optional: ice rolls with your preference of frosting after the rolls have cooled enough to handle. You can make a simple icing with 1/4 cup of butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons milk, and 1 cup powdered sugar, or use a cream cheese frosting if you prefer. 

How to store leftovers

Leftover rolls can be placed in a single layer in an airtight container and stored on the countertop for up to two or three days. I don’t recommend refrigerating them, as refrigeration can dry out baked goods. However, if you don’t want to refrigerate the rolls so that they last longer, you can do so in the same airtight container. Consider sprinkling them with water and heating them up in the oven when ready to eat.

To freeze: place rolls in a container or ziplock bag in a single layer and freeze. To thaw, place on the countertop, still in the container, for 1-2 hours.

Note: the single layer is so icing doesn’t stick to the bottoms of rolls.

More recipes you’ll like:

• Caramel apple sourdough cinnamon rolls
• Gluten-Free cinnamon rolls
• Flaky Sourdough Biscuits
• Sourdough waffles recipe
• How to dehydrate sourdough starter

 

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