There's nothing better than ooey gooey sticky cinnamon rolls on a Sunday morning. I like adding sourdough to mine because it makes it a tad more healthy and easier to digest. This is a simple sourdough recipe that's good for beginners or anyone who wants to dive into sourdough!
Ingredients
Dough
- 160 g (2/3 cup) whole milk (raw or low vat pasteurized)
- 28 g (2 tbsp) butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 100 g (1/2 cup) active sourdough starter
- 25 g sugar
- 300 g (2½ cups) organic all-purpose flour
- 5 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt
- olive oil cooking spray, or butter for coating
Filling
- 100 g butter, softened
- 100 g brown sugar
- 10 g cinnamon
Icing
- 2-4 tbsp butter, softened
- 1 8oz block cream cheese, room temperature
- 3/4-1 cup organic powdered sugar, sifted (add more if you like it sweet!)
- 3-4 tbsp whole milk (raw or low vat pasteurized)
Directions
1. In the evening: Combine the melted butter and milk in a small bowl. Cool slightly before using.
2. Add the egg, sourdough starter, and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix to combine. With the machine running, slowly pour in the milk mixture. Add the flour and salt. Continue mixing until a rough, sticky dough forms, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
3. After the dough has rested, switch to the dough hook. Knead on medium-low speed for 6-8 minutes. The dough should feel soft, supple and pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it’s too sticky add a small bit of flour to firm it up.
4. Transfer the dough to a medium-size bowl coated in butter or olive oil spray. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise overnight until double in size, about 8-12+ hrs.
5. Stretch and fold the dough about 30 minutes into the bulk rise stretch and fold the dough: grab a portion of the dough and stretch it upward. Fold it over toward the center of the bowl. Give the bowl a 1/4 turn; stretch and fold the dough again. Continue this until you’ve come full circle around the bowl. This step will increase the overall volume of the rolls and aerate the dough.
6. In the morning: Line a 9-inch cast iron pan with parchment paper. I like to scrunch the paper into a ball first, open it up, and then line the inside with enough excess to hang over the sides so I can easily lift it out when done.
7. Lightly oil and flour your countertop to prevent sticking. Remove the dough from the bowl. Gently pat into a rough rectangle. Let rest for 10 minutes for easier rolling.
8. Dust the dough (and your rolling pin) with flour. Roll the dough into a 16 x 12-ish rectangle using a tape measure for accuracy if you need to. If the dough resists, let rest for 5-10 minutes and try again.
9. Make the filling by combining all the filling ingredients into a bowl. Spread filling on top of dough.
10. Starting on the long side of the dough (16-inch), roll it into a log pressing down gently as you go. The log needs to be tight so the swirls stay in tact. You should end up seam side down.
11. Cut the dough into 2-inch sections using a bench scraper. I lightly “mark” the dough first to make sure each piece is roughly the same size.
12. Place the rolls into the lined cast iron and let rest for 1- 2 hours, or until the dough puffs up.
13. Preheat oven to 350º F. Bake the dough onto the center rack and bake for 35-40 minutes (check at the 30 minute mark). The tops should turn light golden brown when ready.
14. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 15 minutes. This helps the butter to absorb back into the dough. Then lift up the rolls, while still on the parchment paper, and transfer to a wire rack.
15. While the rolls are baking or cooling make the glaze. Add softened butter, whipped cream cheese and sifted powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until smooth. Add milk to thin out. The ingredients must be soft and at room temperature for best results. If you need to you can add more milk to thin it out to your desired consistency. I like mine thicker.
16. To serve, top the rolls with some of the glaze. These rolls are best served warm on the same day they are baked. But, they can be saved in an air tight container and reheated.
