Last Updated on August 21, 2026 by Deliciously Organic Editor
There’s nothing quite like a warm, gooey cinnamon roll fresh out of the oven—and this sourdough cinnamon roll recipe takes it to the next level. With a light, fluffy texture, a sweet cinnamon-sugar swirl, and a tangy depth from long fermentation, these rolls are truly special.
Not only are they perfect for holiday mornings or weekend baking projects, but the fermentation process makes them easier to digest and even reduces gluten content. In fact, slow fermentation (48 hours) can break down up to 97% of gluten while also enhancing flavor.
Why You’ll Love This Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Recipe
The Benefits of Sourdough Fermentation
- Easier to digest and gentler on the gut
- Natural fermentation improves flavor
- Helps break down gluten and sugars
Perfect for Special Occasions
Whether it’s Christmas morning, a birthday breakfast, or just a cozy Sunday at home, these cinnamon rolls are a crowd-pleasing treat.
Flexible Rise Times
You can make them with a 5-hour rise or an overnight rise, depending on your schedule. Overnight rolls tend to bake a bit taller, while the shorter rise keeps them uniform.
I absolutely love that I can let these rise on Christmas Eve night so I can just pop them in the oven for Christmas morning!
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Sweet Levain
- 100g organic all-purpose flour
- 100g water
- 125g bubbly starter
- 23g organic cane sugar
The Dough
- 210g unsalted organic butter, melted and cooled
- 250g spelt flour
- 250g organic all-purpose flour
- 250g sweet levain (from above)
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 75g organic cane sugar
- 45g whole milk, room temperature
- 9g Celtic sea salt
The Cinnamon Filling
- 253g organic brown sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
- 57g unsalted butter, softened
The Glaze
- 113g cream cheese, softened
- 14g whole milk
- 4g vanilla extract
- 154g organic powdered sugar
Step-by-Step: How to Make Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Build the Sweet Levain
The night before baking, mix flour, water, starter, and sugar. Cover and let ferment for 8–10 hours.
Make and Knead the Dough
In a standing mixer, combine the melted butter, flours, sweet levain, eggs, sugar, milk, and salt. Mix first with the paddle, then with the dough hook until smooth.
Stretch and Fold the Dough
Let dough rest 30 minutes, then stretch and fold four times, resting 30 minutes between each fold.
Slow Fermentation in the Refrigerator
Cover tightly and refrigerate for 48–72 hours to develop flavor, reduce the phytic acid and improve digestibility.
Shape, Fill, and Cut the Rolls
Roll dough into a rectangle, spread with butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Roll tightly, cut into 12 even rolls, and place in a buttered baking dish.
Rise Options: 5 Hours vs. Overnight
- 5-hour rise: rolls bake more evenly.
- Overnight rise: taller, fluffier rolls with the same flavor.
Bake Until Golden Perfection
Bake at 350°F for 50–60 minutes until golden brown.
Tips for Success with This Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Recipe
Choosing the Best Flour
Spelt flour adds softness, while all-purpose flour provides structure. Stick with organic flours for best fermentation. Organic flours are also free of bleach and synthetic additives.
How to Get Even Rolls
Use a bench scraper to cut rolls evenly. The 5-hour rise yields rolls that are closer in size.
Overnight Rise vs. Same-Day Rise
Overnight gives more height, same-day keeps them uniform. Both taste amazing!
Common Mistakes to Avoid
-
Underproofing the dough
-
Not using an active starter
-
Cutting the rolls too thin
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
How to Store Leftovers
Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheating for Best Taste
Warm rolls in the oven at 300°F for 10 minutes to restore their soft texture.
FAQs About Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Can I Use Active Starter Instead of Levain?
The sweet levain contains active starter, but still needs to be put together the night before.
Do I need to weight the ingredients?
Yes. This way you get the perfect rolls each time. Weighing ingredients isn’t super common in the US, but it’s actually very simple! Here’s the scale I recommend.
How Do I Know If My Rolls Are Proofed Enough?
They should feel puffy and spring back slightly when pressed.
More Sourdough Recipes You’ll Love
-
Fermented Sourdough Recipe (all you need is water, salt and flour!)
- Overnight Sourdough Pancakes
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family did!
PrintSourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Keep in mind that the nutrition facts for this recipe listed below probably aren’t correct. The nutrition analyzer doesn’t take into effect the fermentation process which breaks down sugars and such. This recipe was adapted from Min’s Kitchen brioche recipe. She has an amazing Instagram feed, so make sure to check her out!
- Prep Time: 79 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 80 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: Makes 12 rolls
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Sweet Levain:
- 100g organic all-purpose flour
- 100g water
- 125g bubbly starter
- 23g organic cane sugar
For the Dough:
- 210g unsalted organic butter, melted and cooled
- 250g spelt flour (you can sub with all-purpose flour if you'd like)
- 250g organic all purpose flour
- 250g sweet levain (from above)
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 75g organic cane sugar
- 45g whole milk, room temperature
- 9g Celtic sea salt
For the Cinnamon Filling:
- 253g organic brown sugar
- 1g tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1g Celtic sea salt salt
- 57g unsalted butter, softened
For the Glaze:
- 113g cream cheese, softened
- 14g whole milk
- 4g vanilla extract
- 154g organic powdered sugar
Instructions
- For the Levain: The night before you want to make the dough, put flour, water, starter, and organic cane sugar in a mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients together until combined. Cover with a clean cloth and let sit overnight for at least 8-10 hours.
- For the Dough: Place the butter, spelt, flour, sweet levain build (from above), eggs, cane sugar, whole milk and sea salt in the bowl of a standing mixer. Mix on low using the beater attachment for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the beater attachment and put on the dough hook. Mix for 8 minutes on medium.
- Stretch and Fold: Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and let sit for 30 minutes. Stretch and fold the dough four times (watch this video and start at the 1:01 minute mark). After you stretch and fold the first time, place a clean cloth over the dough and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then, stretch and fold the dough again, place a clean cloth over the dough and let sit for another 30 minutes. Repeat two more times for a total of four times.
- After the stretch and fold process, cover the dough really well with plastic wrap (or a lid, if you have one) and place the dough in the refrigerator. Let the dough ferment for 48-72 hours.
- To Make the Cinnamon Rolls: Roll the dough out to an 12×14-inch rectangle. Using an offset spatula, spread the softened butter over the dough and then top with the combined sugar, cinnamon and salt. Roll up and cut into 12 rolls. Put rolls in a buttered 13×9-inch pan, cover with a cloth and let sit for 5 hours at room temp (they won’t rise much until they go into the oven).
- Or, if you’d like to bake the cinnamon rolls for breakfast, let the rolls sit, covered, at room temperature overnight for 8-10 hours. Keep in mind, because there will be a longer rising time, the rolls will rise a bit more when baked than if you only let them rise for 5 hours. They will taste exactly the same as the 5 hour rise option, but the rolls will be much taller.
- To Bake: Preheat the oven to 350ºF and adjust the rack to the middle position. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until golden brown on top.
- For the Glaze: Whisk together the cream cheese, milk, vanilla and powdered sugar until smooth. Using an offset spatula, spread the glaze evenly over the warm cinnamon rolls.
Photo Credit: Becky Winkler
Well, that was painful – trying to convert all these ingredients. I appreciate keeping up with the rest of the world, but could the standard measures be included for those of us not conversant with metric or using a scale?
It’s standard practice to use metrics for sourdough baking recipes. I worked really hard on this recipe and am very proud to share it with everyone. A scale and a bowl are all you need. Measuring isn’t as hard as it sounds!
Great response! Weight is the only accurate method for baking.
Your video on stretch and fold technique is a broken link
I have a step-by-step video in the post above. I’d check that out!
I appreciate you using weight measurements!
Thank you
You’re welcome!
Can you address a question I have— I thought the molecular structure of gluten & thyroid were so similar that the brain couldn’t differentiate so if someone has Hashimotos and eats gluten the brain would attack the thyroid because it’s confused. Is this correct thinking or have I misunderstood? So even though this says the fermenting process removes 97% of gluten – if someone doesn’t have their antibodies in remission- should we not attempt a recipe like this yet? Would that be the same with Spelt & Einkorn flour? I’ve often been confused by that. Thanks.
When there is guy dysbiosis, then yes, you want to avoid all gluten because the molecular structure is very similar. But, when steps have been taken to heal the gut, then most people can add back properly prepared grains/gluten back into their diet. So, I only recommend adding something like fermented sourdough after the gut is healed, there has been remarkable improvement in symptoms and labs and when your practitioner says it’s ok to try adding it back.
Is there nutrition info on this, so that we can figure out how many carbs are in a serving, specified by weight I guess, either oz or grams; I can convert. Also same question for the cream cheese frosting? Got to keep track for my father in law who is on special diets for medical/health reasons.
You’re welcome to plug any recipes into an app like MyFitnessPal to see the nutrition info, but for a fermented sourdough, you have to keep in mind that it’s fermented, so this changes the carbs and sugars in the recipe by a lot. Without 3rd party testing on this recipe, I don’t know how you’d be able to get that info for this specific recipe.
Can you convert this to cups and tablespoons, teaspoons? Please mail to me 😁! I find these great recipes but they don’t have the option for metric, cups….
Thank you Sue
I spent many hours perfecting this recipe and writing this post and am excited to share it with everyone. I realize weighing ingredients is not the norm for us here in the US, but this is standard practice for sourdough recipes. You’re welcome to do the conversions yourself if weighing with a bowl and scale is too complicated. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did.
Thank you SO much for his recipe, I’m so excited! I’ve never made sourdough bread or cinnamon rolls. In the instructions portion of the recipe, under step 3, it says to “watch this video”, however there does not seem to be a link. I’m happy to find the link, can you direct me to the link? Thank you again for sharing your recipes.
The video does not work unfortunately. Hopefully not watching it won’t effect the outcome for Christmas morning. 😕
No, if you want sourdough recipes as well as well-made precise recipes, then get a food scale. Otherwise you’ll have to convert on your own. Google the conversions.
You mentioned a video to fold the dough, but there’s no link.
I fixed it!
The video link seems to be broken! Thanks!
I just tried it and it’s working on my end. Where does the link take you?
I made these rolls this week and they are delicious! This was only my 3rd sourdough recipe but it is so well written and easy to follow that I wasn’t too intimidated to give it a try. I worried early on that I had messed up because I mixed all of the dough ingredients at once and ended up with sugar clumps, but I mix by hand–maybe this isn’t an issue with a mixer? Or maybe the clumps are intentional? I mean the rolls still turned out amazing, I just wasn’t sure if I had done it right. (I was thinking next time I will cream the butter, sugar, and eggs, then add the milk & sweet levain, then the flours & salt.) Thank you for sharing it! (Also, based on these comments, if you are an amazon affiliate you might consider adding a link to a scale! ha!)
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I’ve never had an issue with sugar clumps, so I’m not sure what the issue was for that.
I made these again this week and just had to come back and say WOW! Seriously the best cinnamon buns I’ve ever had! I also realized that I misread the recipe last time; I used softened butter and not melted-then-cooled. So that explains my clumping issue. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! We all love it so much!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Is it possible to substitute the whole milk so that dairy free people can enjoy these?
I haven’t tested this recipe with substitutions, so I’m not sure which ingredients would lend the exact same texture and flavor. I do have a wonderful dairy-free, grain-free cinnamon roll recipe in my cookbook, The Grain-Free Family Table!
I have found that when I long ferment my dough in the fridge that it becomes very slack and too sticky. My guess is that it has overproofed. I have been having issues with my Fridge. Do you think the lack of temperature control or too warm temps may be causing this?
It probably has something to do with the inconsistent temperature.
send me info
Thank-you from Canada for weight ingridients, it’s the only way for the world to have a consistent measure as cups in America vs Canada vs Europe are not the same. I appreciate you taking the time… People really need to get a scale Amazon has great prices it will change your baking game especially for Sourdough as you put it!
You’re welcome!
Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe. A friend of mine shared the recipe with me. I gotta admit the recipe initially looked daunting to me. So I put it away for a couple days. But came back to it and it wasn’t hard at all. I’ve gotten multiple complements when I made them. I love that they aren’t super sweet! I’m actually starting a double batch as I type this! Thank you for all your hard work on this recipe! Great easy instructions!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!!
The video link does not work.. I believe it worked when I made these last year.
The one in the recipe instructions? I just clicked on it and it works.
Hi Carrie! Is it possible to make these without the paddle attachment? I don’t own a stand mixer… yet 🙂
You could use a spoon and then knead by hand.
Is there a mistake in the amount of sugar for the cinnamon sugar on the
Inside of roll? I used coconut sugar and it was way too much and all fell out. Next Time I will mix with the butter and then spread to make sure the ratios are good for me.
Also my dough was quite sticky. I did leave in fridge almost one extra day then intended so maybe that was why.
Excited to eat these later today, though!
The recipe is written correctly. Coconut sugar doesn’t contain moisture like brown sugar does, so that is probably why it fell out.
Thank you so much! I measured out 250 g of the levain. I then had some left over. Is that correct? Anything I can do with the leftover levain? Doing the prep now so that we can bake these Christmas morning! 🙂
Hi, I am making these for Christmas morning, can’t wait! But I have just one question, how is the dough able to sit out overnight the 8-10 hours before baking when the dough has egg and milk?
Thanks!
Would allowing the dough to ferment for 96 hours (as instructed, chilled) be appropriate? Is it just a matter of trial and error or would there be a reason to forego? Thanks, Carrie!
I think that would be ok, but the dough would probably be much more sour.
We LOVE this recipe! I’ve made it for Christmas for the past two years. I also use the long ferment sourdough bread recipe twice a week.
Any tips or suggestions for maybe freezing the rolls so I can prep them ahead of time? Some extended family is coming to town a couple days after Christmas and have requested them but I’d love to prep them early.
I’m so glad you like them! I’m making them for the family for Christmas and I’m so excited! You can make them the night before and let them rise, this is what I personally do. You could also bake them, not frost them and then freeze. Let fully thaw, reheat in the oven and then frost. Merry Christmas!