Baking Instructions

Overview

Questions

• How do you prepare the sourdough cinnamon rolls?

Objectives

• Be able to produce a batch of delicious cinnamon rolls
• Understand how to adjust proofing time

The Night Before

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Mix the dough:

• Use a box grater to shred the cold butter into a large mixing bowl.
• Add the flour to the bowl and use a fork, bench scraper, or pastry cutter (if you have one) to cut the butter into the flour.
• Add the sourdough starter discard, buttermilk, honey and salt.
• Use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix until the ingredients are well incorporated.
• Cover the bowl and let it rest for 10-12 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen (more time for cooler kitchens, less time for warmer ones).

The Next Morning

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Make cinnamon sugar filling and glaze:

• Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
• In a separate bowl, mix the glaze ingredients.
• Preheat oven to 375°F (290°C) and butter a 12” cast iron skillet or deep baking container (glass or enamel will work just fine).

Add leavening agents to dough:

If using active sourdough starter, skip this step.

• Use a fork to mix the baking powder and baking soda in a small bowl until they are evenly mixed with no clumps.
• Sprinkle the mixture evenly on top of the dough and use your hands to mix it in, distributing it evenly throughout the dough.

Roll out the dough:

• Flour your work surface generously and tip the dough out of the bowl onto it.
• Sprinkle flour across the top of the dough.
• Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a roughly 12” x 24” (30cm x 61cm) rectangle, which should be about 1/4” (0.5cm) thick.

Cut out rolls:

• Use a pastry brush to coat the top of the dough with melted butter. If you don’t have a pastry brush, you can drizzle it and use a finger to spread it somewhat evenly.
• Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the surface of the rolls so that it sticks to the melted butter, leaving a half inch (1cm) bare along the edges.
• Starting on one of the long sides of the rectangle, roll the dough into a log shape, so the log is about 24” (61cm) long
• Use the bench scraper or a knife to cut the log into 12 pieces, approximately 2 inches (5cm) long.
• Arrange the pieces in the baking vessel so the “swirls” are upright, leaving space in between each piece so they can expand while baking.

Callout

You may freeze the rolls after they are cut out and placed in a pan and bake directly. Be careful if your baking vessel is glass! You may instead want to place into a metal baking vessel before freezing.

Bake:

• Bake the cinnamon rolls for 35-40 minutes or until the tops show a nice golden-brown color.
• Remove from the oven and drizzle glaze over the rolls while they are still hot.

A batch of cinnamon rolls partway through baking, wafting a very tempting aroma throughout the kitchen.