Sourdough Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

Sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls are soft and fluffy. Glazed with a sweet browned butter glaze, these will be your new go to cinnamon roll.

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Sourdough Brioche Cinnamon Rolls FAQ

What is brioche compared to regular sourdough?

Brioche dough is a dough enriched with butter, milk and eggs. This makes for a very fluffy and rich tasting dough.

A sourdough bread that does not involve an enriched dough typically is made up of sourdough starter, flour, water and salt.

How long do my sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls need to rise?

I let my sourdough brioche cinnamon roll dough rise for about an hour or two on the counter before placing in the refrigerator to rise overnight.

In the morning, I take my dough out to roll and make my cinnamon rolls.

After my rolls are made and in the baking dish, I allow them to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size before baking.

What is the best way to roll out cinnamon roll dough?

The best way to roll out cinnamon roll dough is to generously flour the counter top or baking mat. Beginning with an unfloured surface can make rolling the log very difficult.

I then place my dough on the floured surface, generously rub flour on the top of the dough and use a floured dusted rolling pin to roll out a 14″ x 18″ rectangle.

How can I tell if the sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls are done?

Sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls will rise in the oven and turn a golden brown on top when they are done. They will not look raw or doughy. Different ovens and elevations can perform differently so if the rolls look doughy, increase the bake time.

Do sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls freeze?

Sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls freeze wonderfully. You can freeze the unbaked cinnamon roll dough to bake later straight from the freezer, or you can freeze them fully baked. Both options work well with this recipe.

Can I use sourdough discard for this recipe or does the starter have to be active?

I use a very bubbly active starter for fluffier rolls.

Tips

Preventing dry tops: I like to cover my sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls with a damp tea towel at the rising stage before baking. This will prevent the tops from drying out and maintain the softness we are looking for.

Sift your powdered sugar for a smooth frosting.

Rolling out the dough: If you need all grains to be well fermented or gluten free in baked goods, I suggest using a gluten free flour to dust the surface when rolling out the sourdough brioche cinnamon roll dough.

Pausing the process: If you need to pause the process of baking for whatever reason, place the unbaked dough or rolls in the refrigerator and resume when able.

Tools you may need

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5 quart mixing bowl (I glass or stainless when working with sourdough)

Stand mixer (this is nice but not necessary)

Dough whisk (or paddle attachment for the stand mixer)

Bowl scraper

Bench scraper

Silicone baking mat or parchment paper

9 x 13 baking dish or large cast iron pan

Pastry brush

Unflavored floss (or a very sharp knife to give you a clean slice)

Sifter

Tea towels, plastic wrap or beeswax wrap

Spatula

Measuring cups and measuring spoons

Kitchen scale

Water Filtration (I always use filtered water in my sourdough starter. This one is our favorite.)

Ingredients

Sourdough Brioche Cinnamon Roll Dough

• 1 cup active sourdough starter (220g)

• 1 cup of softened butter (220g)

• 3 cups of bread flour (435g)

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour (73g)

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50g)

• 4 large eggs

• 1/2 cup whole milk (4 oz. or 120g)

• Salt (10g)

Filling

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 tablespoons of butter (softened or slightly melted for ease of spreading)

Brown Butter Glaze

• 1 tablespoon of browned butter

• 1 3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons of whole milk (may add more for thinner consistency)

• Pinch of salt

Egg wash

• 1 egg (any size)

Alternative Toppings

These sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls would be delicious topped with the browned butter maple cream cheese frosting found at my Pumpkin Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Recipe HERE.

You can also top with candied or toasted pecans or walnuts.

Optional Add-ins

Adding raisins, pecans, walnuts or chocolate chips could be good add-ins to sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls.

Sourdough Brioche Cinnamon Rolls Baking Schedule

The day before:

The day before baking sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls, feed your sourdough starter in the morning. The time it takes for your starter to reach a bubbly status will depend on the warmth of your kitchen.

That night or when your sourdough starter is nice and bubbly, mix up your dough by adding all dough ingredients to a stand mixer or large 5 quart mixing bowl. To ensure my cinnamon rolls are nice and fluffy, I like to use a bubbly active sourdough starter.

Using a dough hook, turn the mixer to medium low speed and knead until the dough comes together looking smooth and glossy. This should take about 5-7 minutes.

Once the sourdough brioche cinnamon roll dough is nice and smooth looking, cover with plastic wrap or an air tight bowl and allow to rest. The dough will look and feel very wet. This is normal and good so do not add more flour.

After 30 minutes, use a bowl scraper to help stretch and fold the dough around all four sides. Getting the scraper a little wet can help the dough not stick as much.

Allow the dough to rest another 30 minutes and then repeat.

Once you have completed the two sets of stretch and folds, cover again with plastic wrap, beeswax wrap, a wet towel or an air tight lid to prevent the top of the dough from drying out.

Place the bowl in the refrigerator to proof overnight for the benefits of longer fermentation of the dough.

(If you are beginning the morning with an active starter and want to bake your rolls the same day, allow the dough to double in size on the counter and continue with the instructions below.)

The next morning:

The next morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator.

Next mix up your cinnamon filling ingredients so your filling is ready to go. I like to melt the butter slightly so that my filling spreads easier.

Then, lay out a silicone baking mat or a large sheet of parchment paper. Dust generously with flour. If you are concerned about the flour grains being less fermented you can use rice flour or gluten free flour for this step.

Place the sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls dough on the well floured surface.

Using a well floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle about 14″ X 18″ and 1/4″ thick.

Then, taking a pastry brush or a spatula, begin spreading the filling evenly across the dough.

Once the filling is evenly distributed, begin using the parchment paper or baking mat to gently roll the rectangle from long edge to long edge. Take your time at this step to ensure the dough does not stick to the surface. I like to use a bench scraper to help assist this process.

After you have a rolled log in uniform size across lengthwise, use an unflavored dental floss to pinch off rolls. The rolls will be about 1 1/2″ thick.

To ensure the uniform size of cinnamon rolls, I like to make a small mark using my bench scraper or knife on my log at the halfway point.

• From the halfway mark make another mark splitting those halves into thirds.

• Make another mark splitting each of those sections in half.

• This will leave you with 12 sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls measuring about 1 1/2″ thick.

Continue with the floss method of cutting/pinching.

Place the cut rolls into a 9 x 13 buttered baking dish or large cast iron pan.

Final Rise

Cover the rolls with a wet tea towel and allow to rise for 1-2 hours in a warm spot of the kitchen.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

While the oven is preheating, mix up the brown butter glaze topping.

Browning Butter

Add the unsalted butter for the glaze to a small sauce pan on the stove top.

On medium heat, melt the butter and stir until it smells slightly toasty and darkens in color a bit. This should take 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat to cool.

Cinnamon Roll Glaze

After the butter has cooled for a few minutes, mix up the glaze ingredients.

I like to begin by sifting the powdered sugar to ensure that no clumps are formed and my frosting is smooth. Then you can add in the browned butter, vanilla, whole milk and salt.

If the glaze feels too thick to be able to pour over the rolls, add in 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of whole milk at a time to thin slightly until you reach your desired consistency. It’s always easier to start with less and add more later.

After the glaze is well combined and smooth, set aside.

Baking

When ready to bake the sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls, mix up one egg and brush a light egg wash over the rolls.

Bake the rolls on the middle oven rack for 35 minutes or until slightly golden on the top and risen a bit.

Remove from the oven.

Topping

While the sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls are still warm, pour and spread the glaze evenly over the top.

Enjoy!

Discover More Sourdough Recipes:

• Pumpkin Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
• Maple Sourdough Discard Scones
• Sourdough Blueberry Bread
• Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

I would love to know your experience with this recipe in the comments below!

Any other recipes you would love to see?