Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

I have combined the Japanese Milk Bread starter method with my sourdough to create these incredible sourdough rolls… But don’t feel intimidated… all you have to do is make a flour paste!

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Once I got confident baking my own sourdough bread I tried to use my starter in pretty much anything I could! I made sourdough hot cross buns, sourdough cinnamon bread and used my discard to make scones and cake.

What’s next on the sourdough baking bucket list? Cinnamon rolls of course! I adore them (I mean, who doesn’t?!) and I simply just HAD to try a sourdough cinnamon roll recipe!

I experimented adapting an older recipe of mine and the results were lovely but they lacked the fluffiness and softness of yeast cinnamon rolls.

Then I had a brainwave… what if I combined the Japanese milk bread starter with sourdough? This incredibly fluffy milk bread uses a water roux (tangzhong) in addition to yeast. What would happen if I added this flour paste to my sourdough cinnamon rolls?

Ok I won’t keep you in suspense… these are the Best cinnamon rolls ever!! And they are even easy to make, you just need to be a bit patient to allow them to rise. The aroma of freshly baked cinnamon buns is probably my favoritest thing ever!

Ingredients

• Active sourdough starter – if you haven’t raised your own starter you can get your it from a friend, or buy sourdough starter online or from a local bakery.
• Flour and water to make the tangzhong starter (flour paste)
• Bread flour – this is higher in protein and will give your rolls a better rise. I used strong Canadian bread flour.
• Cinnamon, soft brown sugar and salt
• Unsalted butter
• Eggs
• Whole milk or you can use buttermilk or even yogurt
• Icing sugar, milk and vanilla extract for the glaze

How to Make Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

↓ For the full ingredients and detailed method, jump to the recipe card.

Feed Your Starter

• Feed your starter so it is bubbly, active and rearing to go! You will need to do this a few hours before making your cinnamon rolls and use it when it is at its peak. It should have almost doubled in size and pass the float test (check that a spoonful floats in water).

Prepare the Dough

• Make the water roux starter (pictured below) – combine flour and water in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until a paste forms and your wire whisk leaves a trail. Cool before using.

• Put the milk and butter in a measuring jug and blast in the microwave (or heat in a saucepan) for 30-40 seconds, or until the butter starts to melt. You don’t want to scald the milk – it just needs to be warm, not hot! Leave this to cool until it is tepid and then add the eggs and stir to combine. Measure the sourdough starter into a mixing bowl. Add the milk/butter/eggs and stir to combine.

• Stir in the cooled water roux (tangzhong) and add the sugar and salt. Mix well to combine.

• Add the flour and stir until it is well hydrated. Coat your hands with a little vegetable oil and then use your hands to mix the last of the flour in – the dough will be sticky.

• Transfer to a greased container (I brushed with mine with melted butter) and rest for 30 minutes. Do one set of stretching and folding. Pull a section of the dough from the underside and stretch it upwards. Fold this over the rest of the dough. Rotate the bowl as you do this so you stretch the entire dough. Cover the container and allow the dough to rise until almost doubled. This can take several hours (see tip below).

Baker’s tip

Watch the dough, not the clock

Temperature and the strength of your starter will determine how long you need to prove the dough. If you run out of time you can place it in the fridge and resume the recipe the following day, allowing the dough to come to room temperature and double. Remember to watch the dough not the clock!

• Spray the worktop with a little oil or water and tip the dough on it. Stretch the dough to form a rectangle and allow it to rest for a few minutes to relax it.

• Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and use a spray bottle to mist it.

• Roll the dough into a tight log. Use string to slice into nine even pieces

• Place in a large lined and greased baking pan, spaced slightly apart. If you have any leftover melted butter you can brush it over the rolls. Cover and allow the rolls to rise for 45 minutes to 2 hours (again, depends on how warm it is) until they have puffed up and have doubled in size (they should be touching each other and filling the pan).

• Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes. Mix together the ingredients for the glaze and drizzle over the warm cinnamon rolls. HEAVENLY!

These sourdough cinnamon rolls taste best fresh out of the oven. You can keep them in an airtight container for a couple of days and warm them up slightly before serving.

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