I never dreamed that my whole grain sourdough starter could make anything fluffy, but Maurizio Leo showed me the way in his book, The Perfect Loaf. The key is to use a tiny bit of your starter to build a levain with all-purpose flour and from there mix, ferment, shape, and proof.
Timing is everything with breakfast breads. I like to get most of the work done on Day 1 then “cold proof” the shaped rolls in the refrigerator. That way, on Day 2/bake day, you’re only looking at a 2–3 hour room temperature proof, preheating the oven, and baking.
Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from Maurizio Leo, The Perfect Loaf; makes 10 rolls
Ingredients
Levain
- 71 grams white flour (11–13.5% protein) Wheat Montana blue bag, 13.3% protein
- 71 grams water
- 71 grams ripe sourdough starter, 100% hydration
Dough
- 508 grams white flour
- 197 grams whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- 46 grams granulated sugar
- 12 grams salt
- 213 grams levain
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Filling
- 175 grams dark brown sugar
- 28 grams unsalted butter, melted 2 tablespoons
- 12 grams all-purpose white flour
- 6 grams ground cinnamon 2¼ teaspoons
- 1 pinch salt
Icing
- 175 grams powdered sugar
- 28 grams whole milk 2 tablespoons
- 14 grams unsalted butter, melted 1 tablespoon
- 2 grams vanilla extract ½ teaspoon
Instructions
Levain (3 hours)
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In a pint-sized jar mix the levain ingredients together and loosely cover. Store in a warm place for 3 hours.
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At this point I like to prepare the butter: cut into tablespoon-sized pats, place on a plate, and allow to sit at room temperature until softened.
Dough
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Check the levain, it should show signs of ripeness with moderate bubbles. If not, allow it to ferment for 30 minutes more and check again.
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To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the flour, milk, egg, sugar, salt, and ripe levain. Mix for a couple minutes until combined. Increase speed to medium and mix for 3–4 minutes until dough wraps to the dough hook (continue mixing until this happens), then let rest for 10 minutes.
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Test the butter by pressing it with your finger, it should show an indentation but not be melted. If too warm, place in freezer for a few minutes and test again. If too firm, microwave on a low setting for 10 seconds, and test again.
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With the mixer on low speed, add the butter, one pat at a time, until absorbed into the dough. Stop every so often to scrape down the sides of the bowl and the dough hook. Continue until all of the butter is added, about 5–8 minutes.
Increase mixer speed to medium and mix for a couple minutes more until the dough is smooth and clings to the dough hook once again. The dough will be smooth and have a sheen. Transfer to a large bowl for fermentation and cover tightly with a reusable silicone lid or plastic wrap.
Fermentation (4 hours)
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Set bowl in warm place to ferment. At 1 hour, do a set of slap and folds on the counter then return dough to bowl and if it seemed smooth and strong, allow to rest for the remaining 3 hours. (If dough felt loose, do another set of stretch and folds at 30 minutes.)
At the conclusion of fermentation, dough should have risen about 20–30%, if not, allow to ferment for an additional 30 minutes and check again.
Chill
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Chill dough for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Shape
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Liberally butter the bottom and sides of a 9- by 13-inch baking pan.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the filling: dark brown sugar, melted butter, flour, cinnamon, and pinch of salt.
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Lightly flour work surface, scoop out dough, and pull to shape into approximate square. Lightly dust flour on top of dough and roll it out into an approximate 14-inch square. Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the edge farthest from you. Roll up the dough tightly, starting with the edge closest to you, pinching to seal along the far side (along the length of the roll). Gently roll to smooth and get seam-side down.
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Cut a slice off each end to neaten the roll. Slice roll into 10 rolls and place in the prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to cold proof overnight.
Proof and Bake
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Remove pan from refrigerator and place in a warm place to proof for 2–3 hours, until rolls are puffy.
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Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove plastic wrap and bake rolls for 20–25 minutes until tops are beginning to brown. Internal temperature should reach 192°F.
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Allow the rolls to cool in the pan then frost with the icing.
Icing
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter, and vanilla until creamy and soft.
