Go Back
+ servings
Save This Recipe Form

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get more great recipes and tips from us each week!

a pan of sourdough cinnamon rolls slathered with cream cheese frosting

Overnight Pillowy Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

An overnight bulk rise makes these soft and fluffy sourdough cinnamon rolls a breeze to make! With a layer of delicious cream cheese frosting and cinnamon in each bite, they are a delight to eat.
Author: Amanda Paa
Yield: 8 rolls
Prep Time :20 minutes
Cook Time :30 minutes
Additional Time :12 hours
Total Time :12 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 300 grams all purpose flour
  • 20 grams bread flour (Or this can be all purpose flour. I like the little bit of chew that bread flour adds.)
  • 20 grams whole wheat flour
  • 30 grams organic cane sugar
  • 7 grams sea salt
  • 180 grams whole milk, room temperature
  • 130 grams active sourdough starter
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 75 grams room temperature softened unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 tablespoon chunks

Filling

  • 3 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
  • 80 grams organic cane sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • pinch of salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 ounces full fat ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions 

  • Add flours, sugar, and salt to bowl of a stand mixer. Stir together. Whisk egg, milk, and starter together in separate bowl until no lumps of starter remain. 
  • Attach hook to mixer, and turn on on Kitchenaid speed 2, and gradually add liquid ingredients, until all dry bits are gone. When most of the flour is absorbed, turn mixer to speed 4 and knead for 30 seconds. Mixture will not look smooth, just shaggy. Let sit for 15 minutes. 
  • Turn mixer onto speed 2 (using Kitchenaid Stand Mixer) and add one chunk of butter at a time to the dough, only adding another chunk once the previous is fully incorporated into the dough. Keep doing this until the butter is all added to the dough.
  • Once all the butter is in the dough, turn KitchenAid up to speed 4 and continue kneading for 7 minutes - the dough will be smooth, and cleaning the sides of the bowl. It will be slightly sticky to the touch still. 
  • Overnight rise: Once kneading is done, place the dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth, or place bowl inside garbage bag. Leave at room temp to rise until double, about 9-10 hours if your home is at 70 degrees F. It will take longer if your home is cooler, less time if your home is warmer. *Because this is a brioche dough, it takes significantly longer to rise - don't be alarmed.
  • In the morning, the dough will have doubled, have a smooth top and be domed. Turn it out onto a heavily floured counter. Gently pat it into a rectangle shape and let rest for 10 minutes. 
  • Using a floured rolling pin, roll it into a large rectangle roughly 17″x 12, making the rectangle so that one of the longest sides is closest to you.
  • To make the filling: Use your fingers to spread the softened butter onto the dough keeping 1/2" away from edges.
    This will seem odd, but this technique prevents the filling from leaking out while rising.
    Mix cinnamon, sugar, and salt in small bowl. Evenly distribute the mixture on top of butter.
  • Then use your bench scraper to begin rolling up the dough into a log starting with the long edge closest to you. Use a little extra flour on the bench scraper each time to help pick the dough up from the surface. Don’t worry if it sticks a little, just use a little more flour dust. Roll it down to the top edge and pinch the edge to the dough log to seal it.
  • You should have a long log of dough roughly 17″ long.
    Now cut the dough log with your bench scraper, at 1 1/2 to 2" intervals (you should get 8 or 9 rolls) and place the rolls into a liberally buttered or greased 9 x 13 inch aluminum pan.
  • Place the pan inside a clean garbage bag and fold the opening over so that no air gets inside. Leave at room temp (in a warm spot if possible) to proof until rolls have risen about 50% in size, this takes about 2ish hours if your house is at 70 degrees (less if it is warm in your home or summer time). If you have a warm spot in your home, put them there to speed things up.They should look like the picture above in the post, denoted with a caption that says, "after proofing, ready for oven."
  • When the rolls are done proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place pan in oven, turn down to 375 degrees F, and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown at the edges, set in the middles and smelling done. Remove and let cool for 15 minutes.
  • Make the Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth and airy. When rolls have cooled for 15 minutes, frost them. This will allow the icing to melt into them a bit and create the most fabulous icing.

Notes

* Baker's schedule options are listed above in blog post.
* Plan ahead! You'll want your butter to room temperature, so that you can add it to the dough while it's being kneaded in your stand mixer. If it's too warm, it will make the dough greasy. Too cold, it won't blend into the dough.
* I strongly suggest having a bench scraper for this recipe. It makes this easier!
* Recipe inspired by and adapted from Ashley Marie Farm and Bakery, and The Perfect Loaf.