Long fermented dough with the perfect touch of soft sweetness, rolled up with browned butter, coconut sugar, vanilla, and spice… and baked to perfection. Sounds perfect, right? Just wait til you top these with the vanilla almond Cream Cheese Icing! Easy cinnamon roll perfection with all of the sourdough benefits – let’s go!

Looking for a holiday morning recipe, or just a special breakfast for any time of year? I have got you beyond covered with these gorgeous sourdough CINNAMON ROLLS.

Feed your starter 6-12 hours prior so it’s nice and active and bubbly, then put it to work in this subtly sweet cinnamon roll dough.

Once mixed up, it ferments and doubles in size overnight so you can roll up with filling and bake by the next morning.

Timing not working out for exactly when you need your cinnamon rolls ready to serve? Check the “notes” section of my recipe for when & how to refrigerate or freeze your cinnamon rolls and bake whenever you’re ready.

These are bound to please any crowd with the brown butter cinnamon vanilla filling. & Don’t forget that cream cheese icing – it’s perfection smoothed over top of the whole pan or even one by one as you serve.

Can’t wait for y’all to try these. Tag me on Instagram so I can see! @justjessieb

Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Easy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

Simple to make, with a delicious browned butter coconut sugar filling, these cinnamon rolls will become a go to for holidays and beyond. Don't forget the cream cheese icing, and the "make ahead" notes below!
Prep Time13 hours
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Keyword: sourdough
Servings: 12 cinnamon rolls

Equipment

  • stand mixer (optional
  • 9 x 13" baking pan

Ingredients

DOUGH

  • 200 g milk
  • 120 g active sourdough starter
  • 70 g honey
  • 1 egg
  • 430 g all purpose or bread flour
  • 5 g salt
  • 6 tbsp butter softened

FILLING

  • 8 tbsp butter melted (+ browned if you like)
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg

CREAM CHEESE ICING

  • 4 tbsp butter melted
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 1 tbsp milk

Instructions

IN THE EVENING

  • Mix the milk and starter together then add the honey and egg.  Stir in the flour and salt until a dough forms, then mix in the softened butter.  Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes.
  • Knead the dough for about 10 minutes either by hand or with a mixer, until the dough is nice and smooth and tight.
  • Cover the bowl and let the dough ferment on the counter for 8-12 hours (depending on the warmth of your kitchen).  I let mine go overnight, until the dough is doubled in size.

IN THE MORNING

  • Make the filling by melting the butter (you can let it brown a bit for extra warm, nutty flavor) then mixing it with coconut sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
  • Dust your surface with flour then turn out the dough, lightly shaping it into a flat square.  Use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 16 x 16” square.
  • Spread the filling evenly over top, leaving the uneven edges free to be trimmed into a neat square.  Leave a 1” space along the top of the dough square free of filling where you can press the cinnamon rolls together.
  • Use a pizza cutter to trim any uneven edges on the sides and bottom, then slice the square into 12 even strips.
  • Roll each strip up, pressing the edge to seal each roll.
  • Arrange the rolls into a 9 x 13” pan then cover with a light towel.  Let the rolls rise for about 2 hours, or until they puff up.  If you want to speed this up, place your pan near the preheating oven.

BAKING THE ROLLS

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF and bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, or until big and golden.
  • Make the frosting by combining the melted butter and cream cheese until mixed, then whipping in the sugar.  Add the vanilla, almond, and milk and continue to mix until nice and creamy & smooth.
  • Allow the rolls to cool for a few minutes before frosting the whole pan or frosting one by one. Enjoy warm, and save the extra in the fridge for reheating.

Notes

MAKE AHEAD / FRIDGE & FREEZER OPTIONS
  • To make ahead for baking later, cover the pan of unbaked rolls (step 9) tightly with plastic and move them to the refrigerator (up to 24 hours) or freezer (up to 1 week).  When ready, pull them out and allow them to come to room temperature.  Once they’ve puffed up from their second rise, proceed with step 10.
  • You can also refrigerate baked and frosted rolls and reheat when ready to enjoy!