If you have been searching for a true Sourdough Cinnamon Roll - long-fermented, slightly tangy, and no commercial yeast - then look no further. These cinnamon rolls feature a tender, vanilla-scented dough, an ooey gooey buttery cinnamon filling, and a delicious cream cheese glaze. They are so fragrant and flavorful and such a fun way to use that bubbly sourdough starter!
Transform this dough into my Sourdough Star Bread aka snowflake bread for a holiday treat!
Recipe Background and Details
This recipe was inspired by my Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls that have been a HUGE hit. From that recipe, I have had a few requests for a cinnamon roll that did not use any commercial yeast. I thought about just adding instructions to that post, but I feel like that can get a bit confusing so I decided to give these sourdough cinnamon rolls the space they deserved. I love the convenience and speed of a discard recipe but I really love when I have time for a long-fermented, naturally leavened sourdough recipe like this. Yes it takes more time for those little wild yeasties to work, but it is so much more satisfying and flavorful in my opinion. And really just so magical! I'm about 5 years into my sourdough love-affair and the magic is just as strong as ever.
Be sure to check out my Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls which can easily be a discard recipe as well!
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Ingredients
The ingredients for these cinnamon rolls are super simple.
- milk: I usually use whole milk but have also made these with buttermilk powder (¼ cup mixed with 1 cup water). You could also make these with regular buttermilk, an alternative milk, goat or sheep milk, or half and half or cream thinned with a little water.
- sourdough starter: active and bubbly for this recipe - if you want to use discard or speed up the process use my Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Roll Recipe.
- sugar: I have used granulated sugar, sucanat, and brown sugar to make these. You can use honey or maple syrup but you'll need to add a bit more flour to make up for the added moisture.
- egg plus egg yolk: to add richness and softness to the dough.
- butter: soft, room temperature - unsalted or salted work fine in these cinnamon rolls or use a neutral oil or fat that you prefer.
- flour: I use unbleached, all-purpose flour.
- salt: I test all of my recipes with Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
As with all sourdough recipes, this process does take time but much of it is hands off. Be sure to check out the sample schedules I've included below for some ideas of how to fit this into your schedule.
- Place warmed milk, sourdough starter, egg, vanilla, and sugar in bowl of mixer and stir to combine.
- add flour, salt, and butter and mix with dough hook until a shaggy dough forms. Scrape sides and continue on speed two for about 5 minutes. Give it another scrape and mix for 5 more minutes on speed 2. Scrape sides one final time and proceed to bulk ferment.
- Transform this exact same dough into my Sourdough Star Bread aka snowflake bread for a holiday treat!
Optional: For the first 2 hours, perform stretch and folds every 30 minutes. This helps strengthen the dough but it is not essential to the recipe if you prefer to just leave it and walk away. I do it both ways depending on my schedule and they turn out great either way.
Tip: I like to flatten the dough in the bowl so I can get a good idea of when it has doubled. You can also make a mark on your bowl as a visual guide.
- Allow the covered dough to bulk ferment until doubled in size, this will take 6-8 hours at room temperature - I often do this overnight. Because this dough has butter and egg it is far less likely to over-ferment unless you have a very hot kitchen.
- Once dough has doubled, you can shape the rolls or what I prefer to do is place the dough in the refrigerator until cold (makes it much easier to shape) or up to 12 hours for some extra fermentation.
Shaping, Second Rise, and Baking
- When ready to shape the rolls, dump dough onto floured surface and roll dough into a large rectangle. The thinner you roll, the more swirls you will have.
- Spread dough with filling and roll up tightly into a log.
- Slice log into about 12 even pieces. I go for 1.5 to 2 inches per cinnamon roll.
- Place slices into a 9x13 baking dish, cover, and allow to rise until puffy which will take about 2-3 hours at room temperature. You can speed this up slightly if you place them in a warmer place.
- When rolls have risen, bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until golden and bubbly. Cover loosely with foil after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning.
- Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before frosting.
Can I Make These Without a Mixer?
Yes! There is no shame in my stand mixer game, but I know many sourdough bakers prefer to mix by hand.
If that is you: Mix the dough with a wooden spoon or dough whisk until a shaggy dough forms and then knead by hand for about 5 minutes on a floured surface. Then for the first 2 hours, perform stretch and folds every 30 minutes before proceeding with bulk ferment until dough has doubled in size.
Sample Bakers' Schedules
These are just examples of how this could fit into your schedule. I like to give these as a loose guide to help you especially if you are overwhelmed by the process. The great thing about a sourdough recipe is that at any point you can shove it in the refrigerator and pick up where you left off the next day. Stretching the process out over a few days makes it easier and it also allows it to ferment a little extra.
1st option:
- Feed starter late the night before making the dough.
- Make dough first thing in the morning and allow to bulk ferment into the afternoon until doubled.
- Shape rolls, allow to rise until puffy, bake right away or cover and place in refrigerator overnight to bake the next morning.
2nd option:
- The day before you want to bake rolls: feed starter in the morning when you wake up.
- Around noon when starter is bubbly and active, make dough.
- Bulk ferment until 8 or 9pm
- Cover dough and refrigerate overnight
- Next morning shape rolls and allow to rise for 2-3 hours.
- Bake rolls.
3rd option:
- Feed starter around noon.
- In the evening when starter is bubbly and active, make dough and allow to rise overnight at room temperature.
- Shape rolls in morning, allow to rise for a few hours and bake right away or place in refrigerator until ready to bake (up to 18 hours).
Storage
These cinnamon rolls will keep for 2-3 days covered at room temperature or up to a week covered in the refrigerator.
FAQ
Yes, in many recipes that rely on commercial yeast, sourdough starter can be substituted. See this helpful article on how to figure out the percentages: How to Replace Yeast with Sourdough Starter
Sourdough baking relies on sourdough starter. Sourdough starter is a colony of wild yeasts, so it works similarly to commercial yeast in that it makes dough rise but it takes much longer.
More Sourdough Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Triple Lemon Sourdough Scones
- Sourdough Discard Waffles
- Sourdough Discard Blondies
- Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Cookies
Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls (no yeast)
A true Sourdough Cinnamon Roll - long-fermented, slightly tangy, and no commercial yeast. These cinnamon rolls feature a tender, vanilla-scented dough, an ooey gooey buttery cinnamon filling, and a delicious cream cheese glaze. They are so fragrant and flavorful and such a fun way to use that bubbly sourdough starter!
- Total Time: 24 hours
- Yield: 12 cinnamon rolls
Ingredients
dough:
150 grams (roughly ¾ cup) active sourdough starter
1 cup (240 grams) whole milk, warmed to 100-110 degrees F
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup (50 grams) granulated cane sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
450 grams (3 and ¾ cups) flour
4 tablespoons (56 grams) butter, soft room temperature
filling:
4 tablespoons butter (56 grams) soft room temperature
½ cup brown sugar (104 grams)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (16.6 grams)
frosting:
2 ounces cream cheese (56 grams)
2 ounces butter (56 grams)
1 cup powdered sugar (125 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (6 grams)
optional: 4 tablespoons cream or milk (61 grams) or enough to create a thinner, more glaze-like consistency
Instructions
- Place warmed milk, sourdough starter, egg and egg yolk, vanilla, and sugar in bowl of mixer and stir to combine.
- Add flour, salt, and butter and mix with dough hook until a shaggy dough forms. Scrape sides and continue on speed two for 5 minutes. Scrape sides again and mix for another 5 minutes on speed 2. Scrape one final time, cover, and let rise until doubled.
- Optional: For the first 2 hours, perform stretch and folds every 30 minutes. This helps strengthen the dough but it is not essential to the recipe if you prefer to just leave it and walk away.
- Allow the dough to bulk ferment, covered at room temperature for 6-8 hours or overnight. Because this dough has butter and egg it is far less likely to over-ferment unless you have a very hot kitchen.
- Once dough has doubled, you can shape the rolls or what I prefer to do is place the dough in the refrigerator until cold (makes it much easier to shape) or up to 12 hours for some extra fermentation.
- When ready to shape the rolls, dump dough onto floured surface and roll dough to a large rectangle. The thinner you roll, the more swirls you will have.
- Mix all filling ingredients in a small bowl until combined and creamy. Spread dough with filling and roll up into a log.
- Slice log into about 12 even pieces. I go for 1.5 to 2 inches per cinnamon roll.
- Place slices into a 9x13 baking dish and allow to rise until puffy which will take about 2-3 hours at room temperature. You can speed this up slightly if you place them in a warmer place like the oven with light on or a proofing box.
- Optional: Place risen rolls in refrigerator overnight to bake the next morning.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake rolls in center of oven for 35-45 minutes. Tent with foil if they are browning too quickly. The rolls should reach an internal temperature between 190-200 degrees F.
- Prepare frosting while rolls cool for a few minutes and slather the frosting onto warm rolls.
frosting: mix cream cheese and butter until combined and very creamy - I like to use a hand mixer for this. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue mixing. Optional: Add milk to thin and mix until you reach your desired texture.
Notes
see sample schedules in body of post for some options on how to fit this recipe into your schedule.
Transform this dough into my Sourdough Star Bread aka snowflake bread for a holiday treat!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: sourdough, breads, breakfast, fall
- Method: sourdough, baking
- Cuisine: American
Ella says
I have a potato flake starter as compared to a traditional one, will this recipe still work for me or is there a way to adjust some things to still make this one turn out?
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi Ella! I do not have experience with a potato flake starter, but after doing a bit of quick research it looks like you can use it in this recipe but you may need to use less liquid or more flour since the potato flake starter is a bit more liquidy than a traditional sourdough starter. So I'd say go for it, and if your dough seems extra sticky add more flour until it is more like the dough in the photos. Let me know if this helps! Thanks - Anita
Bree says
Would I need to let the formed rolls come back to room temp before baking if I choose to keep them in the fridge overnight?
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi Bree. If they have already risen before you refrigerate them, then no you can just bake them straight from the fridge. If you place them in the fridge before they've risen, then yes you'll need to let them rise until doubled and puffy before baking. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks - Anita
Dayyna says
I just made these, it is my new cinnamon roll go to. They are beautiful. The dough was fantastic to work with. I found that doing the pull and stretch method made the dough nicer than using my mixer. I’ve just started my sourdough journey and I am making something new everyday. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Amity Heinbuch says
I mixed the filling according to the directions and it was not the same consistency. Not sure what others experiences were but I had to soften the butter to just before melting.
Otherwise it’s a great recipe!
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi Amity! Yes the butter does need to be very soft in order to mix with the sugar and cinnamon. I'll add a note to make sure that is more clear in the instructions. I'm glad you liked the recipe! Thanks for your feedback. - Anita
Sadie says
These are excellent cinnamon rolls, and a great way to make use of excess sourdough discard. They're soft and moist and easy to make. I didn't make the filling and frosting listed with the recipe, but followed the dough recipe without any tweaks other than to add a bit more flour to get the right consistency. The dough came together with little effort. I kneaded it for about 12 minutes until it passed the window pane test, rested it at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then let it rise in the fridge for a few hours until doubled. I've found that cold dough is easier to roll and slices cleaner than room temperature dough. I put the filled rolls in the fridge overnight, then let them sit at room temperature in the morning for about an hour till they were puffed and touching before baking. The tip to stagger them when placing in the pan works well.
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi Sadie! I am so happy you enjoyed my cinnamon roll recipe! Thank you for this kind and detailed feedback - it is so appreciated and very helpful for others! I think you might have meant this comment for my sourdough discard cinnamon rolls. I just wanted to point that out to anyone reading this comment! Again, thank you so very much! - Anita
Sydney Eckert says
Hi!
I plan on making these this weekend but I am dairy free. Would oatmilk be okay to use?
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi Sydney! Yes that will work just fine 🙂
Wendy says
The BEST cinnamon roll recipe!!! I love that it doesn’t use any yeast
Brooke says
Great recipe! awesome that sourdough is the only leavening agent! that's been a frustration of mine with other recipes.
Michelle says
I’ve been baking sourdough for just over a year and have tried plenty of recipes and this one is by far the best! Also my customers love them.
Morgan says
These cinnamon rolls will be a yearly regular for family holidays! So yummy!
I substituted all dairy ingredients for dairy free ones and the recipe turned out great still.
Quintin says
These were a huge hit Christmas morning! They were soft with just the right amount of chew and sourdough flavor. Also, just the right amount of frosting. It made me realize other recipes are way higher in sugar and fat than they need to be!
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi Quintin! I am so happy to read this! I'm honored these were a part of your Christmas morning and I'm so happy you enjoyed them! Thank you for this kind feedback. Big hugs and best wishes for a very happy new year!
Ashlee says
Made these for Christmas morning! I added about 5 heaping spoons of flour to my dough when mixing because it had more of a batter consistency to it. And I let it BF on my counter from 7pm-6am. It had risen all the way to the top of my kitchenaid mixing bowl. I put it in the fridge for 2 hours then shaped. I don’t eat refined white sugar so I made half with date sugar & cinnamon. Icing was: Greek yogurt, heavy whipping cream, maple syrup, vanilla + almond extract, and a splash of coffee!
I also added 2/3 cup of warm heavy whipping cream right before baking
Everyone loved them!
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi Ashlee - Merry Christmas! Thank you for this wonderful feedback! I'm so glad your family enjoyed this recipe. That icing sounds lovely! I'm curious how long your second rise was if you have a minute. It's always nice for others to see. Thanks again and I wish you and your family a very happy new year! xo - Anita
Quintin says
Your dough was a liquidy batter consistency to start? That's surprising! Mine was thick, but soft/malleable. No soupiness at all. Wonder if too much milk?
Sarah says
These were AMAZING!! Will make many times again. So forgiving and so delicious thank you for a fantastic recipe
Mary says
Can this recipe be made without a stand mixer? (Hand mixer or just by hand?)
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi Mary! Yes, I include those instructions in the blog post but I should add them to the recipe card notes: If you want to make this without a mixer, mix the dough with a wooden spoon or dough whisk until a shaggy dough forms and then knead by hand for about 5 minutes on a floured surface - the dough will be sticky. Then for the first 2 hours of the bulk ferment, perform stretch and folds every 30 minutes before covering and allowing to rise until dough has doubled in size. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks! - Anita
Miranda says
Hi, I am new to sourdough. I want to make these to have for Christmas morning. Could I make these and freeze them raw so they are ready to bake ahead of time?
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi Miranda! Welcome to the sourdough club! If you froze these as raw cinnamon rolls, you'd need to let them thaw in the refrigerator which will take about 8-12 hours and then rise at room temperature which could take another 8 hours - make sure they are covered during both to prevent the dough from drying out. Just keep in mind that the rising will take longer since the dough will be cold. So what you could do is let them thaw all day in the fridge on Christmas Eve and then let them rise at room temperature overnight to bake on Christmas morning. Let me know if you have any other questions. Merry Christmas!
Amber says
These were the best cinnamon rolls ever! Making a 2nd time right now! 🙂 thank you!
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Thank you Amber!! I'm so happy you enjoy this recipe - isn't sourdough just SO FUN?! I just (just!) published a star bread recipe using this exact same dough! A super fun treat for the holidays or for a snow day. Thanks again so much for this great feedback and for trying my recipe! Big hugs - Anita
Kelly says
So delicious!
Brittany says
Hi,
I tried making these and I noticed my dough was extremely wet. I’m not sure if there was a measurement discrepancy on the discard but I found my dough didn’t get firm after kneading.
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi Brittany. This recipe calls for active starter - not discard. I just wanted to make sure you were aware of that. I do have a discard cinnamon roll as well that is linked in the blog post. But yes, this a pretty soft dough and will not get firm after kneading. The softness of the dough is what contributes to the soft, fluffy cinnamon roll texture. Since all starters are different, I can't predict how hydrated your starter will be when making this recipe (it is truly one of the challenges of creating sourdough recipes). If your dough is extremely wet and soupy, you can always add a touch more flour to bring it together but keep in mind you do not want this to be a hard, firm dough ball. As it bulk ferments and as you perform one or two stretch and folds it will build gluten structure and rise to a beautiful cinnamon roll dough.
Michelle says
Yes i thought the same thing initally when i first made it so i added 20-30g more flour and then after the stretch and folds it was much stronger of a dough.
Lolo says
So worth making this recipe. It’s hands down the best I’ve ever made.
Nelly says
Have you tried to make these ahead of time and freeze before baking?
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi Nelly. I have with my discard cinnamon rolls but never with these. I know it has been done though. You'll just freeze them after cutting and arranging in the pan - make sure they are well covered to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then let them rise at room temperature until nice and puffy which could take longer since they'll be cold. Let me know if you have any other questions.