This sourdough cinnamon rolls recipe is the only cinnamon roll recipe you’ll ever need. Heaven in a bite. Smells like home. What more could you ask from an humble cinnamon roll?

A pan of sourdough cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing, baked in a cast iron skillet and cooling on a wooden cutting board.

Okay, confession time. Before I made sourdough cinnamon rolls, I really wasn’t a huge fan of cinnamon rolls. I know! I know. They’re good, but not my favorite. Certainly nothing I’d go out of my way to get. I’ve tried making cinnamon rolls before, but each recipe I tried wasn’t anything that inspired me to write about it or share it here.

I’m more of a cookie kinda gal than a pastry lover. Anyone that’s hung out around here long enough knows that. But last summer during quarantine and pandemic craziness, I discovered the world of sourdough baking and in my never-ending quest for new recipes to try, I found the most amazing hidden gem in a simple cinnamon roll recipe.

A cast iron skillet with sourdough cinnamon rolls that have doubled in size and are ready to bake.

I don’t know what it is exactly that makes these so perfect. But the combination of the tanginess of the sourdough that fluffs into perfectly pillowy rolls, the caramelized butter & brown sugar, and cream cheese icing elevates this recipe from just a basic dessert into a heavenly eating experience. Or maybe I’m crazy. Give them a try for yourself and decide! I’ve been baking these for a year now (update….4 years now!) and haven’t tired of them yet.

If you don’t have a sourdough starter, this recipe alone is worth making and keeping one. This is a good guide here for learning how to make a starter. One day I’ll post my own directions for a lazy gal’s guide to a starter, but that’s a story for another day.

A pan of baked sourdough cinnamon rolls waiting to be frosted.

Notes before you begin:

As with most sourdough recipes, this one takes an overnight rise in a warm place and then another few hours after rolling the dough, they will need to rise again before baking. I typically plan for a full 24 hours until the rolls are actually ready. Don’t be intimidated by the long time. The ingredients are simple and the steps are easy, just spaced out. I actually prefer this method now-it’s quick to prep the dough in the evening, and know that I don’t have to do anything else with it until the next day.

Sourdough is an exercise in patience, but don’t let that detract you. These cinnamon rolls are well worth the wait!

When I was first beginning baking with sourdough, I was most confused about timing, (when to feed my starter to have it ready for baking when I wanted), and how to plan backwards from when I wanted the finished baked good. Now that I’m a year in, I’ve got my starter process pretty dialed in. I love blog posts that included timelines so you can get a general idea of when to feed your sourdough to have it ready, so I’ve included mine below.

Here’s what you need to make sourdough cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting

For the dough: starter, milk, sugar, salt, butter, and flour. Filling: brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon. Frosting: butter, cream cheese, salt, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla.

Is it better to use bread flour for cinnamon rolls?

Bread flour can be used interchangeably in this sourdough cinnamon rolls recipe. White Lily Bread Flour and King Arthur All Purpose Flour have the same protein content, and I have used both for this recipe. Using a flour with a higher protein helps these rolls achieve more height, fluffiness, and chewiness that make these the perfect cinnamon rolls.

How do you make cinnamon rolls soft?

Here are two secrets to keeping cinnamon rolls soft: roll the dough thick and don’t overbake them! Bake the rolls at 375 degrees F, in the lower third of the oven to prevent too much browning before they’re fully baked. Bake only 18 to 20 minutes – the tops should be pale in color with just a hint of golden around the edges. In my experience, if you wait until the tops are golden brown, the rolls turn tough & firm and won’t soften even after adding the icing.

Can I use a glass pan to bake cinnamon rolls?

You can use a glass pan for cinnamon rolls. I either use a 9 x 13 Pyrex dish to bake cinnamon rolls in, or a large cast iron skillet. Both work very well!

Are sourdough cinnamon rolls really sour?

The sourness or tanginess of sourdough depends on a few things, but in general, the longer you ferment the dough, the more pronounced the “tang” will be. I prefer a longer bulk rise or bulk fermentation period for these cinnamon rolls, because that sourdough flavor really shines here when mixed with the filling and cream cheese frosting. The taste is incredible! However, if you’re wanting a milder flavor, you can reduce the bulk rise time to around 8 hours.

A cast iron skillet with iced sourdough cinnamon rolls

Baker’s timeline: To have sourdough cinnamon rolls ready the next afternoon

Day 1: Feed Starter and Prepare Dough

12 pm: I pull my starter jar from the fridge and set out on the counter to come to room temp before I feed it.
3 pm: I typically feed my starter around 3-ish in the afternoon (mine takes 4-6 hours to be fully ready depending on the temp in the kitchen. 4 hours on warm days and typically 6 on the coldest). This recipe requires 1/2 cup of fed & bubbly starter, so I take 4 oz. of starter and feed it 4 oz. warm water, and 4 oz. all purpose flour. This will make about 1 1/4 cups of starter, plenty for the recipe and enough leftover to continue your starter.
7-8 pm: When my starter is fully active and ready, I prepare the dough, and then cover it and put it in the oven overnight to rise. (I put mine in the oven to protect it from little hands that come along and try and poke the dough!)

Day 2: Prepare rolls, second rise, and bake!

7 am: I’ll check on the dough around 7 the next morning. If it hasn’t risen all the way yet (most of the time it hasn’t unless it’s a super warm night), I’ll give it a few more hours to rise. I’ll go ahead and set out the filling and icing ingredients now so they’ll be at room temp when I need them.
9-10 am: Check the dough again. If it’s doubled, it’s time to roll out and fill the dough, then slice it into rolls.
10 am: Begin second rise. Once the rolls have been placed into a pan, cover them with plastic wrap or a towel and sit them in a warm place to rise. This usually takes around 2 hours, but could be more depending on the temp.
11 am: Check to see how the rolls are rising. They should be around halfway to doubled in size. I usually preheat my oven at this point.
12 pm: If the cinnamon rolls have doubled in size and look puffy and are all touching each other or the sides of the pan, it’s time to bake! While the rolls are baking, make the icing.
12:20: Pull the cinnamon rolls out of the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, then pour icing over and enjoy!

A cast iron skillet with baked sourdough cinnamon rolls, cooling and waiting to be frosted.

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