Soft Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls With Labneh Frosting

Sourdough cinnamon rolls topped with white frosting in a cast iron skillet.

5 from 1 vote

Soft Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls With Labneh Frosting

Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls are soft, fluffy, naturally leavened rolls with buttery layers and a gooey coconut sugar cinnamon swirl. The dough is made with active sourdough starter and honey, then shaped the day before and refrigerated overnight so they’re ready to proof and bake for Christmas morning or a cozy weekend breakfast. Instead of a super-sweet cream cheese icing, I top them with homemade honey-vanilla labneh frosting that’s thick, creamy, tangy, and just sweet enough.

Prep Time40

Cook Time25

Fermentation & Proofing Time16

Total Time17 5

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 266kcal

Author: Nadia

Equipment

1 Stand mixer with dough hook
1 Digital Kitchen Scale
1 Mixing Bowl
1 Rolling Pin
1 12 inch Cast Iron Skillet
1 Bench scraper or sharp knife
1 Instant Read Thermomitor optional

Ingredients

Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Dough

100 g Active Sourdough Starter about ½ cup, 100% hydration and at or near peak
225 g Whole Milk scant 1 cup, slightly warm
40 g Honey about 2 tablespoons
1 Large egg about 50 g
390 g Unbleached All-purpose Flour about 3¼ cups
8 g Fine Sea Salt about 1½ teaspoons
75 g Unsalted Butter about 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon, weighed before melting, then melted and slightly cooled

Coconut Sugar Cinnamon Filling

55 g Unsalted Butter about 4 tablespoons, melted
150 g Coconut Sugar ¾ cup
1½ tablespoons Ground Cinnamon

Honey Labneh Frosting

225 g Prepared Labneh about 1 cup, made using my Turkish labneh recipe
15 g Honey plus more to taste
5 g Vanilla Bean Paste

Instructions

Mix and knead the dough. Add the active sourdough starter, whole milk, honey, egg, flour, sea salt, and melted butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low for 2–3 minutes, then knead on medium-low for another 8–12 minutes, until the dough is smooth, soft, elastic, and slightly tacky.
100 g Active Sourdough Starter, 225 g Whole Milk, 40 g Honey, 1 Large egg, 390 g Unbleached All-purpose Flour, 8 g Fine Sea Salt, 75 g Unsalted Butter
Bulk ferment. Transfer the dough to a lightly buttered bowl or straight-sided container and cover. Let it rise in a warm place, ideally around 78–82°F, until it has increased in volume by about 50–75%. This will usually take about 5–7 hours, but go by the look and feel of the dough rather than the clock.
Roll out the dough and add the filling. In a small bowl, stir together the coconut sugar and cinnamon. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into roughly a 12 x 18-inch rectangle. Spread all 55 g of butter evenly over the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon-coconut sugar mixture evenly over the top.
150 g Coconut Sugar, 1½ tablespoons Ground Cinnamon, 55 g Unsalted Butter
Roll, cut, and refrigerate. Starting with one of the long sides, roll the dough into a snug log. Cut into 12 even rolls, about 1½ inches wide each, then place them in a buttered 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
Finish proofing. The next morning, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and keep them covered while they come to room temperature and finish proofing. This usually takes about 1½–3 hours. They are ready when they look noticeably puffy, soft, and expanded into one another.
Bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F while the rolls finish proofing. Bake on the center rack for about 22–25 minutes, or until the center rolls are baked through and still soft. If using an instant-read thermometer, look for about 190–195°F in the center. Do not keep baking just to get deeply golden tops.
Make the labneh frosting. Stir together the prepared labneh, 15 g honey, and vanilla bean paste until smooth and creamy. I prefer the frosting tangy and only lightly sweet, but you can add more honey if you want it sweeter.
225 g Prepared Labneh, 15 g Honey, 5 g Vanilla Bean Paste
Frost and serve. Let the cinnamon rolls cool for about 10 minutes, then spread the labneh frosting over the warm rolls and serve.

Notes

Nadia’s Expert Tips & Notes

Start with a strong starter: This dough contains milk, egg, honey, and butter, so it needs an active starter with enough strength to lift an enriched dough. I use mine when it is bubbly, risen, and at or near its peak.
Don’t panic if the dough rises slowly: During testing, my dough barely moved during the first few hours. Once it had more time in a warm spot, the fermentation became much more noticeable. Look for a 50–75% increase instead of expecting it to double on a strict timeline.
Let the shaped rolls get really puffy: The final proof matters if you want soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls. They should look noticeably larger, feel light, and expand into each other before you bake them.
Use all of the filling butter: Make sure the butter reaches almost all the way to the edges before adding the cinnamon-coconut sugar mixture. It helps keep those spiraled layers rich and soft.
Don’t chase a dark golden top: My rolls were fully baked before the tops became deeply golden. Use the center of the rolls as your guide and check for an internal temperature around 190–195°F so you don’t dry them out just for more color.

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