Sourdough Cinnamon rolls make your mornings with fresh baked goods. Not much is better than waking up to that sweet, mouthwatering smell of cinnamon rolls. These Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are to die for and just begging to be part of your day.
Not all cinnamon rolls are created equal. The kind you can buy in a can and pop in the oven is ok in a pinch, but nothing really compares to making sourdough cinnamon rolls from scratch. Getting your hands messy and creating a truly delicious breakfast pastry is a great accomplishment to get your day started on the right foot.
What’s in Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls?
THE DOUGH
- Butter – you’ll want the butter to be cold so you can cut the butter into the dough.
- All-Purpose Flour – this is the binding agent that helps create the dough.
- Sourdough Starter Discard – don’t believe the name, sourdough starter discard is perfectly usable! You may not be able to use it for breads that call for an active starter, but it works very well in breads that use a smaller ratio of starter in the dough. How to Make Sourdough Starter From Scratch
- Milk – not only does milk moisten the dry ingredients and activate gluten, but it helps create the chemical reactions that change the texture and structure of your dough. It also helps the rolls to brown.
- Sugar – not only does sugar make your cinnamon rolls sweet, it is also instrumental in keeping bread moist.
- Salt – for enhancing flavor and working with the yeast.
- Baking Powder – makes the texture light and fluffy.
- Baking Soda – the leavening agent.
THE FILLING
Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, and Sugar: one of the best combinations and essential for the cinnamon roll flavor.
THE GLAZE
Powdered Sugar, Butter, Vanilla Extract, and Milk: if you’ve never made this glaze before, you’re in for a treat. It’s simple to make, absolutely delicious, and can be used on a variety of pastries.
Equipment Needed for Making Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Pastry Cutter (optional)
- Rolling Pin
- 12 Inch Cast Iron Skillet
How to Make Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- Toss your flour in a bowl then work in butter pats in with your hands.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the dough and mix them together well.
- Turn out your dough on a lightly floured flat surface. Roll it out into a rectangle.
- Create the filling by melting the butter then adding the cinnamon and sugar.
- Brush the filling onto the dough.
- Roll the dough toward you and pinch the ends together to make an enclosed log.
- Cut the rolls.
- Place the rolls into your sprayed cast iron skillet and bake them.
- Mix the glaze and top the rolls when they come out of the oven.
- Enjoy!
How to Freeze & Store Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Thankfully, Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls freeze well! You can freeze them at a variety of stages.
The first method is to freeze the dough after you cut the cinnamon rolls. Wrap the log tightly in plastic then freeze. Let the log thaw in the fridge overnight before baking in the morning.
The second method is to bake the rolls, let them cool, then freeze them. You can bake them all the way and just reheat later or you can bake them for maybe half the time, freeze them, and then finish baking until they brown after thawing. Either way, let them cool completely and wrap the whole pan in a couple of layers of plastic wrap before freezing.
The last method is to bake the Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls completely, add the glaze, let them cool, then just heat them up in the microwave. Each roll can be wrapped individually so you can reheat in portions if that’s helpful.
The rolls shouldn’t be kept in the freezer for more than two weeks, but any of these methods can be thawed overnight and be ready to bake in the morning! You can glaze them after reheating.
Tips and Tricks for Making Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- If you don’t like getting your hands messy, use a pastry cutter to mix the cold butter and the flour
- Don’t have a pastry brush? No worries! Carefully pour the melted butter over the rolled-out dough and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the butter. Use your hands to mix the butter and mixture together. Or just use your hands to get the mixture spread out.
- Once you have rolled the log and are ready to cut the rolls, place the pinched seam down on the cutting board so the rolls stay intact as you cut.
- Change the flavors of your glaze by using different extracts. Maple extract is tasty with cinnamon rolls. You can even add a little strong coffee to the mix!
More Homemade Baking Recipes
- Homemade White Bread
- Vintage Chocolate Potato Cake Recipe
- Cast Iron Skillet Bread Recipe
- Old Fashioned English Muffin Recipe
- Dark Chocolate Raspberry Scone Recipe
- Cast Iron Gingerbread Recipe
Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 8 tbsp Butter cold
- 2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/3 cup Sourdough Starter Discard
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Granulated Sugar
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- Cooking Spray
Filling
- 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 4 tbsp Butter Melted
Glaze
- 1 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 tbsp Butter Melted
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/2 tbsp Milk
Instructions
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Gather your ingredients.
Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.
Spray with cooking spray a 12” cast iron skillet.
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In a large bowl, add your flour. Cut your butter into pats and add to your flour. Using your hands, or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dough.
Crumbles should resemble pea size.
Add to your flour mixture, sourdough starter, milk, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix well.
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Lightly flour a flat surface and add your dough mixture. Roll your dough to a 12 x 22inches rectangle.
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Filling: Melt your butter in a small bowl. Add to your butter mixture your cinnamon and sugar. Mix.
Brush your cinnamon sugar mixture to your dough evenly, leaving space on the edges.
Roll your dough toward you long ways. Pinch the ends together.
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Cut your cinnamon rolls into 12 pieces. I suggest using a sharp knife, or breadknife. Cut in the middle to create two pieces, then cut again to create fourpieces, etc. until you have 12!
Place each piece of your cinnamon roll in your skillet with the swirl showing top to bottom. Place evenly so that each cinnamon roll has room.
Bake your cinnamon rolls for 35 to 40 minutes or until lightly brown.
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While your cinnamon rolls are baking, mixed together all of the ingredients for your glaze. Set aside.
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Once your cinnamon rolls are done remove them from the oven. Pour the glaze evenly over the cinnamon rolls.
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Serve and enjoy!
