These are the best long fermented sourdough cinnamon rolls – they’re super soft and melt in your mouth, thanks to the pre-bake cream pourover and cream cheese glaze! I included a quick discard version of the recipe below, as well as notes for using fresh milled flour if that’s your preference!
Quick Recipe Overview: Long Fermented Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
🕒 Ready In: ~8–16 hours total (hands-on time is minimal; includes long fermentation + second rise)
👪 Serves: 12 cinnamon rolls
🍽 Calories: 386 kcal per 1 cinnamon roll.
🥣 Main Ingredients: Milk + water, active sourdough starter (or discard + yeast option), all-purpose flour (or fresh-milled hard white), butter, cane sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, heavy cream, cream cheese glaze.
📖 Dietary Info: Vegetarian, long-fermented sourdough, sourdough discard/yeast same-day option, fresh-milled flour option, make-ahead friendly (bake now or freeze baked/unbaked)
⭐ Why You’ll Love It: These sourdough cinnamon rolls are pillowy-soft and perfectly sweet (not chewy or overly tangy), with an ultra-gooey center thanks to the warm cream pourover and a dreamy cream cheese glaze.
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I double thiss recipe and make 12 giant cinnamon rolls, everyone in my family loves them! Plus they’re perfect for evening prep, overnight cold proof, and morning bake for breakfast! – Steph
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft & Sweet: you get the benefits of long-fermenting without a chewy, sour final product. These cinnamon rolls are super soft and sweet!
- Long Fermented: They’re long fermented, which breaks down gluten and phytic acid in the flour, making these cinnamon rolls more digestible.
- Discard Option: I have notes below for converting this recipe to a sourdough discard option with yeast to cut the rise times down significantly.
- Fresh-milled flour: the recipe below calls for all-purpose flour, but I’ve included measurements and notes for using fresh-milled flour, too!
If you need a super quick cinnamon roll recipe, check out my 30-minute sourdough discard cinnamon rolls. There’s no rise time, and they’re done in 30 minutes start to finish! This recipe is perfect for making overnight sourdough cinnamon rolls that are ready to bake for breakfast.
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Make my sourdough cinnamon rolls recipe with me in my kitchen!
Key Ingredients
Precise measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Milk & Water: This combination creates a soft, enriched dough while keeping it light. Adding milk to the dough adds tenderness and flavor.
- Active Sourdough Starter: Provides natural leavening, structure, and that subtle sourdough depth. Use a bubbly, active starter for the best rise and texture. See notes below if using discard.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works well here, creating a balanced dough that’s soft but sturdy enough to hold the filling.
- Butter: I use grass-fed butter in everything! It’s one of my favorite whole foods. It adds richness and tenderness to the dough, helping create a soft, brioche-style, pillowy crumb.
- Organic Cane Sugar: Lightly sweetens the dough and supports fermentation without overpowering the flavor. Maple syrup or honey can be substituted.
- Cream: Poured over the rolls before baking to create an ultra-soft, gooey interior.
- Cream Cheese: Forms the base of the glaze, adding tang and a smooth, creamy finish.
- Brown Sugar: Superior to cane sugar when used in the filling for deep, caramel-like sweetness and moisture.
Fresh Milled Flour Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
TLDR: Use 3 ½ cups hard white wheat flour (465 grams) for structure and a soft, fluffy rise. Increase flour slightly as needed. If you’re measuring the grain first, you’ll need 2 ⅓ cups hard white wheat berries
- Helpful Tip: After mixing, allow the dough to rest for 15–20 minutes before adding more flour. This gives the bran time to absorb moisture and prevents over-flouring.
- Best Wheat Variety: Hard white wheat works well in this dough because its higher protein content provides strength and structure while still producing a tender crumb when properly hydrated. I get my wheat berries from Azure Standard.
- Flour Conversion: Fresh-milled hard white wheat is supposed to be 1:1 with all-purpose flour. Gradually add more flour if needed until the dough is soft and slightly tacky but not sticky.
- Texture & Flavor:
Using freshly milled hard white wheat adds a mild, wheaty sweetness and deeper flavor while supporting a good rise and soft interior.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1 – Make the Dough: Whisk dry ingredients together, then add wet ingredients and mix/knead until smooth. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a towel to rise at room temperature for 4-12 hours, or until almost doubled in size.
Step 2 – Assemble the Rolls: Roll the dough out into a 12″ x 18″ rectangle and whisk the filling ingredients together.
Step 3 – Cut Rolls for Second Rise: Spread the filling evenly over the dough, then roll it into a log starting from the short side. Use a thread, floss, or a sharp knife to cut 12 rolls. Place the rolls on a lined baking sheet or in a greased 9″ x 12″ pan, cover, and let rise 2-4 hours or until puffy.
Step 3 – Bake Cinnamon Rolls and Make Glaze: Spoon or pour warm cream over the cinnamon rolls, then bake in a preheated oven (350F) for 20 minutes or until internal temperature is 190F.
Step 4 – Glaze the Roll: When rolls are slightly cooled but still warm, pour glaze over the top and serve.
If you need help with sourdough vocabulary, check out my Complete Guide to Sourdough Terminology!
Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Baking Timelines
Discard (Same-Day)
2-3 Hours Total
- 8 am: Add 1 tablespoon yeast to the ingredients, then mix and knead the dough. Cover and let bulk ferment at room temperature until doubled.
- 10 am: Roll out the dough, spread filling, roll up, and cut into rolls. Let the rolls rise until puffy.
- 11 am: Pour cream over rolls & bake. Glaze and serve warm.
Long-Fermented
DAY 1
- Morning – Afternoon: Feed your starter so it’s active.
- Evening: Mix and knead the dough. Cover and bulk ferment overnight at room temperature.
DAY 2
- Morning: Roll out dough, add filling, roll up, cut, and arrange in baking dish for final rise.
- Noon: Pour cream over puffy rolls. Bake, glaze, and serve.
Long Fermented Sourdough Cinnamon Roll FAQs
Sourdough cinnamon rolls are often considered better because they have more depth of flavor and improved digestibility. The sourdough adds complexity without making the rolls taste sour.
Yes, sourdough dough works very well for cinnamon rolls. High hydration, brioche-style sourdough dough creates soft, fluffy rolls with excellent structure and flavor, making it ideal for cinnamon rolls.
The biggest mistake beginners make with sourdough cinnamon rolls is under-proofing the dough. If the dough hasn’t risen enough before baking, the rolls will be dense instead of light and fluffy.
Sourdough cinnamon rolls are usually not fluffy if the dough is under-proofed, the starter is weak, or too much flour was added. Let the dough rise until visibly puffy and soft before baking for the best texture.
Expert Tips for Making Soft Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- Don’t rush the rise. – The dough should look visibly puffy and soft before shaping and before baking. Under-proofed dough is the #1 reason cinnamon rolls turn out dense instead of fluffy.
- Use a strong, active starter for long fermentation. Make sure your starter is bubbly and recently fed. A weak starter won’t give you the lift this dough needs.
- Add flour gradually. This dough should feel soft and slightly tacky, not dry. Too much flour during mixing leads to heavy, dense rolls.
- Warm the cream before pouring. Slightly warm cream absorbs better into the rolls and helps create an ultra-soft, gooey interior without slowing the bake.
- Bake to temperature, not just color. Cinnamon rolls are done when the internal temperature reaches 190–195°F. Golden tops don’t always mean the centers are baked through.
- Glaze while warm, not hot. Let the rolls cool for 5–10 minutes before glazing so the glaze melts smoothly without disappearing into the rolls.
Storage
Fresh: Cinnamon rolls are best enjoyed the same day, while warm and soft.
Room Temperature: Store baked rolls (unglazed or glazed) in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Refrigerator: Refrigerate up to 5 days. Reheat gently to restore softness.
Freezer (Baked): Freeze fully baked rolls (unglazed is best) for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight and reheat before glazing.
Freezer (Unbaked): After shaping, freeze rolls on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw, allow to rise until puffy, then bake as directed.
Looking for super soft sourdough sandwich bread? Try my sourdough Pullman loaf next. Or if you’ve got a sweet tooth, sourdough discard chocolate cake is a must!
More Long Fermented Sourdough Bakes
If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐ 5-star ⭐ rating below! If you have questions or suggestions – drop a comment!
Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Mix all dough ingredients except the cream, then knead until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky (by hand or mixer).
- Bulk ferment: cover and let rise at room temperature until puffy and about 60–75% risen.
- Prepare the cinnamon-sugar filling by whisking all ingredients in a small bowl.
- Roll the dough into a 12" x 18" rectangle on a lightly floured surface and spread cinnamon-sugar filling evenly over the dough.
- Roll up tightly from the short side into a log. Use a thread to cut or sharp knife to slice into 12 even rolls and place in a greased baking dish.
- Final rise: Cover and let the rolls rise at room temperature until puffy and touching, but not collapsing.
- Preheat the oven and pour the cream over the risen rolls. Bake in preheated oven at 350F for 20 minutes until the rolls are lightly golden and set through the center. (internal temp 190F)
- Prepare the glaze: Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add milk a little at a time until smooth and spreadable or pourable.
- Let rolls cool slightly, then pour the glaze over and serve.
Nutrition
Notes
- For the long-fermented version, use a bubbly, recently fed starter for the best rise.
- Don’t rush proofing—rolls should be visibly puffy before baking (under-proofing = dense rolls).
- Dough should be soft and slightly tacky; add flour gradually to avoid dry, heavy rolls.
- Use softened butter for the filling, not melted. Melted butter will cause the filling to ooze out of the rolls as you cut them, it’s a huge mess!
- Warm the cream before pouring it over the risen rolls for the softest, gooey interior.
- Bake until centers reach 190–195°F, not just until browned.
- For a same-day discard version, add 1 Tbsp yeast to the dough before mixing to shorten the rise time.
- Fresh-milled option: use 465 grams hard white wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour; if measuring the grain, mill 2 ⅓ cups hard white wheat berries, which = 3 ½ cups flour. Let the dough rest 15–20 minutes after mixing before adding extra flour (FMF absorbs more).
- Glaze when rolls are warm (not hot)—cool 5–10 minutes so it melts without disappearing.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!About the Author
Welcome to Hopewell Heights, I’m Steph – seasoned sourdough baker, homesteader, homemaker, homeschooling mom of 5, and creator behind this Heritage American food blog. I hope you enjoy my family’s favorite, from-scratch recipes!
Super recette je valide !!!!
I double thiss recipe and make 12 giant cinnamon rolls, everyone in my family loves them! Plus they’re perfect for evening prep, overnight cold proof, and morning bake for breakfast!
Did you use wheat flour or Einkorn flour?
These are awesome! It’s summer time, so my rise time was a little different. The first rise was about 15 hours, and then I did the second rise overnight ~7 hours. I was so impressed with the flavor and how well these rose. Thank you for this recipe!
These look absolutely delicious!!!! Thank you for the recipe!
I am going to get these started today to enjoy Saturday. I will tag you when they’re done 🙂 Thanks SO much!!
These look absolutely DELISH. Also a great way to bake while yeast is hard to come by!
Oh my yummy! These look great, I’ll be making these!
Holy smokes these look amazing!! Cant wait to make them!