Brioche Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Soft, fluffy, buttery sourdough cinnamon rolls made with a tender brioche dough, filled with cinnamon sugar, and finished with a tangy cream cheese frosting. The dough is enriched with eggs, butter, and milk, which gives these rolls their rich, pillowy crumb. They can be made on a same-day schedule or prepped the night before for fresh, warm cinnamon rolls in the morning.

Key ingredients and why

The full ingredient amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Here is a breakdown of what each ingredient is doing and why it matters.

• Strong all-purpose flour or bread flour (around 11% protein): Provides the structure to support all the butter and eggs in the dough.
• Stiff sourdough starter: The natural leavening agent. A stiff starter is fed at a ratio of 1 part starter, 2 parts flour, 1 part water (so it has half the water of a regular starter). This keeps the dough strong and the flavour mild.
• Eggs, milk, and granulated sugar: The eggs and milk give the soft, tender crumb, and a little sugar in the dough tenderises it further.
• Butter: Worked into the dough in stages to make the brioche rich and tender, then used again in the filling and the frosting. Either salted or unsalted butter works.
• Cinnamon and soft brown sugar: The filling. Brown sugar gives a deeper, more caramel-like flavour than white sugar, and the cinnamon needs to be good quality and fresh. If your cinnamon has been sitting in the cupboard for a year, replace it before making these.
• Cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla: The frosting. The cream cheese adds a tangy edge that balances the sweetness perfectly.

Method

The evening before

1. Feed the stiff starter and leave it to rise until more than doubled and domed on top.

1. Add the flour, sugar, salt, eggs, starter, and milk to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed for around 5 minutes to bring the dough together and begin gluten development.

1. Gradually add the soft butter, a tablespoon at a time, on medium speed. Wait for each piece to fully incorporate before adding the next.

A note on dough temperature: If the dough gets too warm during kneading, the butter can separate out and the dough will struggle to come together no matter how long you keep mixing. You will notice it looking greasy rather than silky. If this happens, stop the mixer and pop the whole bowl into the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes to cool everything back down, then go back to mixing.

1. Keep mixing for around 15 minutes total, until the dough is smooth, glossy, and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl

1. Check for the window pane. Let the dough rest for a few minutes, then stretch a small piece between your fingers. It should stretch thin enough to see light through without tearing.

1. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it bulk ferment in a warm spot at around 25°C (76°F) until risen by 30 to 40%. This usually takes 4 to 6 hours.
2. Transfer the dough to the fridge for a cold rest of at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours. The cold rest firms up the butter so the dough is much easier to roll out.

Shaping

1. Turn the cold dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 30 x 45 cm (12 x 18 inch) rectangle.
2. Spread the softened butter for the filling evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Tightly roll up the dough from one of the long sides, working towards you, to form a log around 45 cm (18 inches) long.
3. Slice the log into 12 even pieces.

Proofing and baking

1. Place the rolls cut-side up in a greased 9 x 13 inch (22 x 33 cm) baking tray, leaving a little space between each one for spreading.
2. Cover the tray with a lightly damp tea towel and let the rolls proof in a warm spot until almost doubled in size and very puffy.

1. Bake until puffed up and deeply golden brown. If the tops are browning too quickly, loosely tent with foil.
2. While the rolls are baking, beat the cream cheese frosting ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Spread the frosting over the still-warm rolls and serve.

Tips for the best sourdough cinnamon rolls

• Add a touch of sugar to the stiff starter for extra mildness. If you find your rolls still come out too tangy, try adding 5g of sugar to the stiff starter when you mix it the night before. The yeast will use the sugar quickly, which keeps acidity production lower. The ratio I use is 20g starter, 80g flour, 40g water, and 5g sugar.
• Keep the dough cool when kneading. Brioche dough warms up fast in the mixer thanks to friction. If it feels warm or greasy at any point, pop the bowl in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes before continuing.
• Don’t skip the cold rest. The dough is far too soft and sticky to roll out neatly when it’s warm. The cold rest firms up the butter and makes the rolling and filling step actually pleasant.
• Roll the log tightly. Loose rolls unravel during proofing and baking. Roll firmly but not so tight that you squeeze the filling out the ends.
• Use unflavoured dental floss to slice the log. Slide a length of floss under the log, cross it over the top, and pull. It cuts cleanly without squashing the dough the way a knife can.
• Watch the proof, not the clock. Final proof times vary hugely depending on the temperature of your kitchen. The rolls are ready when they have visibly puffed up and feel soft and pillowy. A gentle press should leave a slow, slowly-rebounding indentation.

Storage and freezing

Sourdough cinnamon rolls are best eaten warm on the day they’re baked. The brioche crumb is at its softest within a few hours of baking.

Room temperature: Cover the rolls tightly and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Microwave individual rolls for 15 to 20 seconds to soften and warm them back up.

Freezing baked rolls: Cool completely, wrap each roll in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature and microwave briefly to refresh.

Freezing unbaked rolls: This is my favourite way to get ahead. Shape the rolls and place them in a greased baking tray. Let them proof until just starting to puff, then cover well and freeze in the tray. Once solid, transfer to a freezer bag. To bake, return them to the greased tray, cover, and let them thaw and proof at room temperature (this will take several hours, ideally overnight), then bake as usual.

FAQs about sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls

Why did my sourdough cinnamon rolls turn out sour?

A long fermentation time with a high-acidity starter is usually the cause. Make sure you’re using a stiff sourdough starter built fresh for the bake (not a long-stored starter from the back of the fridge), and try the sugar-in-starter tip above. Keeping the bulk fermentation to a 30 to 40% rise rather than pushing for a full doubling also helps keep the flavour mild.

Why are my cinnamon rolls dry?

Brioche cinnamon rolls do dry out faster than yeasted rolls because of the high egg and butter content. They are at their best on the day they’re baked. To revive day-old rolls, microwave them for 15 to 20 seconds to soften them back up, or warm in a low oven covered with foil.

Can I make the dough by hand?

Yes, but the flavour will be slightly more tangy and the dough a touch stickier. Substitute around 120g of active 100% hydration starter for the stiff starter, and you may need to reduce the milk by a little to compensate for the extra water.

Related recipes

If you enjoyed these brioche cinnamon rolls, you might also like:

• Sourdough brioche bread, the dough this recipe is based on
• Sourdough chocolate babka, the same brioche dough swirled with chocolate
• Sourdough cinnamon babka, babka but with a cinnamon filling
• Sourdough monkey bread, pull-apart cinnamon balls in a bundt tin
• Sourdough sticky buns, brioche rolls with a sticky pecan caramel topping
• Sourdough Swedish cardamom buns, the same kind of enriched dough with cardamom

Looking for these without sourdough? Here is my brioche cinnamon rolls recipe on Baking With Butter.

For more enriched sourdough recipes, browse my enriched sourdough hub or the main sourdough hub.

Brioche Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Elien Lewis

These brioche sourdough cinnamon rolls are super soft and fluffy, filled with sweet cinnamon sugar, and topped with a cream cheese glaze.

4.89 from 18 votes

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Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Additional Time 1 day d 12 hours hrs

Total Time 1 day d 13 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course Sourdough

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Calories 493 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Stiff starter* (See notes)

• 30 g starter
• 60 g flour
• 30 g water

Brioche dough

• 550 g strong all-purpose flour with around 11% protein
• 50 g granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 125 g milk
• All the stiff starter
• 8 g salt
• 180 g unsalted butter room temperature, cut into cubes

Cinnamon filling

• 75 g unsalted butter softened
• 100 g soft brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Frosting

• 60 g cream cheese at room temperature
• 150 g powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp milk at room temperature
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

 

The night before, feed the starter

• Mix 30g starter with 60g flour and 30g water. Knead into a soft dough ball.
• Place into a lightly oiled jar. Brush the top with a little water so it doesn’t dry out overnight. Loosely cover with a lid and leave to rise for 8 to 12 hours, until more than doubled and domed on top.

The dough

• Add the flour, sugar, salt, eggs, milk, and stiff starter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low until you have a thick, shaggy dough.
• Mix on medium-low for around 5 minutes to begin developing the gluten.
• Add the cubed butter a tablespoon at a time, on medium speed. Wait for each piece to fully incorporate before adding the next.
• Continue mixing on medium for around 15 minutes total, until the dough is smooth, glossy, and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. Don’t be tempted to add more flour.
• Let the dough rest for a few minutes, then check the window pane. Stretch a small piece of dough between your fingers. If it stretches thin enough to see light through without tearing, it’s ready.
• Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place into a large greased bowl.

Bulk fermentation

• Cover the bowl and place in a warm spot, ideally around 25°C / 76°F. Let the dough bulk ferment until risen by 30 to 40%. This usually takes 4 to 6 hours but will change depending on temperature.

Cold rest

• Cover the bowl tightly and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours.

Shaping

• Turn the cold dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 30 x 45 cm (12 x 18 inch) rectangle.
• Spread the softened butter for the filling evenly over the dough. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle evenly over the butter.
• Tightly roll up the dough from one of the long sides to form a 45 cm (18 inch) log. Slice into 12 even pieces (using unflavoured dental floss gives the cleanest cut).

Final proof

• Place the rolls cut-side up in a greased 9 x 13 inch (22 x 33 cm) baking tray, leaving a little space between each. Cover with plastic wrap or a dampened towel and let proof in a warm spot until almost doubled and very puffy.

Bake

• Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
• Bake for around 30 minutes, until puffed up and golden brown. If they are browning too quickly, loosely cover with foil.

Frosting

• Beat the cream cheese in a mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk and beat until creamy.
• Spread the frosting over the still-warm rolls and serve.

Notes

Stiff starter substitute: You can use 120g of active 100% hydration starter instead. Reduce the milk by 15g to compensate for the extra water. The flavour will be slightly tangier.

Sugar in the starter for milder flavour: If you find the rolls come out too tangy, add 5g of sugar to the stiff starter when you mix it the night before. The yeast uses the sugar quickly, which keeps acidity production lower. Use 20g starter, 80g flour, 40g water, and 5g sugar.

If the dough overheats during kneading: If the dough looks greasy or slick rather than silky, the butter has started to separate. Stop the mixer, put the whole bowl in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes to cool everything down, then continue kneading.

Bulk fermentation in cool kitchens: Enriched doughs need warmth. If your kitchen is below 20°C, use a turned-off oven with a mug of hot water inside to keep the dough warm. Replace the water with freshly boiled water if it cools down.

Overnight option: For fresh rolls in the morning, shape the rolls in the evening, place them in the greased tray, cover well, and leave at room temperature overnight (only works in kitchens under 22°C / 72°F). Bake in the morning when puffy. In warmer kitchens, refrigerate the shaped rolls overnight and pull them out 2 to 3 hours before baking to finish proofing in the warmth.

Freezing unbaked rolls: Shape the rolls and place them in a greased tray. Let them proof until just starting to puff, then cover well and freeze. Once solid, transfer to a freezer bag. To bake, return them to a greased tray, cover, and let thaw and proof at room temperature (this takes several hours, ideally overnight), then bake as usual.

Storage: Cover and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Microwave individual rolls for 15 to 20 seconds to soften and warm them back up.

Nutrition

Serving: 1rollCalories: 493kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 10gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 114mgSodium: 314mgFiber: 2gSugar: 26g

Keyword Brioche, cinnamon rolls, Sourdough

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