Easy Fresh Milled Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Tender, gooey, and topped with cream cheese frosting, these fresh milled sourdough cinnamon rolls are the perfect healthy (but oh so delicious!) recipe for Christmas morning breakfast.

Made with freshly milled flour, they contain a wealth of nutrients, minerals, and amino acids, and combined with active sourdough starter, they are easier to digest.

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Fresh Milled Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Tender, gooey, and full of nutrients, these fresh milled sourdough cinnamon rolls are the perfect recipe for Christmas morning.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Fermenting/Proofing Time 12 hours hrs

Total Time 13 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Calories 452 kcal

Equipment

• Electric stand mixer
• Grain mill

Ingredients

  

Cinnamon Roll Dough

• ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 cup milk room temperature
• 2 Tbsp honey
• ¾ cup active sourdough starter
• ½ tsp salt
• 3½ cups fresh milled flour spooned and leveled

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Filling

• 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
• ¾ cup brown sugar packed
• 1 Tbs + 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 Tbsp cream cheese softened
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
• ¾ tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp whole milk

Instructions

 

• To mix the sourdough cinnamon roll dough, combine the softened butter, whole milk, active sourdough starter, honey, salt, and half of the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Turn to low speed and allow to mix until combined, adding the remaining flour as it mixes. Knead on low for about one minute (do not overknead). Dough will not have pulled from the sides of the bowl, but this is fine.
• Remove the dough to a greased medium mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap or damp towel. Allow to sit at room temperature for 8-12 hours (depending on how warm your room is), or until dough is puffy.
• To make the cinnamon brown sugar filling, use an electric hand mixer to mix the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pinch of salt until well combined. Store at room temperature until ready to assemble the cinnamon rolls.
• When ready to assemble, roll the sourdough cinnamon roll dough out on a lightly floured surface until it reaches a 16-inch by 12-inch large rectangle. Spread the cinnamon brown sugar filling evenly over the rectangle.
• Roll the dough up, starting with one long side and working towards the other long side. Once rolled up, pinch the long edge of the dough to the roll to help the cinnamon rolls not unwind/separate. Using thread or dental floss, cut the cinnamon roll dough log into 12 individual equal-sized rolls and place in a prepared 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover and allow to rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
• When the cinnamon rolls have almost finished rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once preheated, bake the fresh milled cinnamon rolls for about 30-35 minutes, or until lightly golden. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
• While they cool slightly, add the softened cream cheese and butter to a small mixing bowl and combine until creamy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix. Once the frosting is well mixed with no clumps, spread on the slightly warm fresh milled sourdough cinnamon rolls and enjoy.

Notes

Cut the rolls with thread – Use a thread or dental floss to divide the log into rolls by laying the log over the thread, and then bringing both ends of the thread up and pinching them together. 

PRO TIP: Faster Rise – To speed up the final rise, preheat your oven for about 30 seconds and then turn off. Place the cinnamon rolls in the VERY lightly warmed oven and allow to rise for about 30 minutes before taking out and preheating the oven to bake them.

Spoon and level the flour – Spooning and leveling the flour helps the flour not pack and gives a more consistent measurement. If you simply scoop the flour, you may end up with a denser or tougher cinnamon roll. 

Keyword Christmas breakfast, cream cheese frosting, fall, fresh milled flour, fresh milled sourdough, fresh milled sourdough cinnamon rolls, overnight recipe

Kitchen Equipment

Ingredients to Note

Active sourdough starter – You’ll want your sourdough starter nice and bubbly (fed 4-12 hours before mixing) for this recipe in order to have fluffy cinnamon rolls that aren’t overly sour.

Fresh milled flour – I used about 2 1/2 cups of hard white wheat berries for this recipe. If you substitute a different type of wheat berry, you may need to adjust the amount of flour slightly.

Butter – Use unsalted butter for best control of salt content; if you use salted butter, cut down the salt in the recipe by 1/8 tsp.

Milk – Use full fat milk for the most tender dough.

Cream cheese – Use full fat cream cheese for best results.

Tips for Fresh Milled Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Cut the rolls with thread – Use a thread or dental floss to divide the log into rolls by laying the log over the thread, and then bringing both ends of the thread up and pinching them together. Using a knife will squish your cinnamon roll log and squish the filling out.

Room temperature milk – Using room temperature milk helps the dough remain tender as you mix it and gives you a more accurate idea of its consistency. If you use cold milk, it will cause the softened butter to become harder and make the dough appear to be stiff/too dry when it is not.

Spoon and level the flour – Spooning and leveling the flour helps the flour not pack and gives a more consistent measurement. If you simple scoop the flour, you may end up with a denser or tougher apple pie cinnamon roll. (See below for instructions on spooning and leveling flour.)

Storage Instructions for the Cinnamon Rolls

To store these fresh milled sourdough cinnamon rolls, keep them glazed or unglazed in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

How to Spoon and Level Flour

Spooning and leveling flour keeps the flour measurement more exact and prevents packing of the flour.

To spoon and level the flour, simply scoop the freshly milled flour with a spoon into your measuring cup, and then, without shaking the flour down, use the flat side of a butter knife to level the extra flour off the top of the measuring cup. Repeat for each measuring cup of flour.

Why use freshly milled flour?

Freshly milled flour is such an amazing superfood (containing vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, iron, folate, zinc, vitamin B6, antioxidants, and enzymes, just to name some).

Our of the 44 essential nutrients the human body needs, freshly milled flour contains 40 of them! Who knew fresh milled cinnamon rolls could contain so may nutrients?

Many of the nutrients in the freshly milled flour, however, will begin to deteriorate when exposed to oxygen (which occurs when the wheat berries are milled).

Most sources agree that consuming the flour within 72 hours of milling is the best way to utilize all the amazing benefits of freshly milled flour before their deteriorate.

For more info on the amazing benefits of milling your own flour, check out this article.

What kind of wheat berry should I use?

While there are some general uses for different wheat berries, it really boils to personal preference. In this recipe I used hard white wheat berries. Below are a few general guidelines if you are new to the terms.

Hard red wheat – These wheat berries produce a flour high in protein, and therefore are great for bread recipes as they develop a nice amount of gluten. They will yield a hearty whole wheat bread!

Hard white wheat – Hard white wheat berries still have a decent amount of protein, but have a milder flavor, making them ideal for bread, but also other baked goods such as tortillas, and cookies.

Soft white wheat – Thes wheat berries have a lower protein and gluten content and yield a more delicate crumb, making them ideal for pastries and cakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Step by Step Instructions

1. To mix the sourdough cinnamon roll dough, combine the softened butter, whole milk, active sourdough starter, honey, salt, and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Turn to low speed and allow to mix until combined, or for about one minutes. Do not over knead. The dough will feel slightly sticky and not have pulled from the side of the bowl; this is fine.
2. Remove the dough to a greased medium mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap or damp towel. Allow to sit at room temperature for 8-12 hours, or until dough is puffy.

3. To make the cinnamon brown sugar filling, use an electric hand mixer to mix the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pinch of salt until well combined. Store at room temperature until ready to assemble the cinnamon rolls.

4. When ready to assemble, roll the sourdough cinnamon roll dough out on a lightly floured surface until it reaches a 16-inch by 12-inch large rectangle. Spread the cinnamon brown sugar filling evenly over the rectangle.

5. Roll the dough up, starting with one long side and working towards the other long side. Once rolled up, pinch the long edge of the dough to the roll to help the cinnamon rolls not unwind/separate. Using thread or dental floss, cut the cinnamon roll dough log into 12 individual equal-sized rolls and place in a greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover and allow to rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours.

6. When the cinnamon rolls are almost risen, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once preheated, bake the fresh milled cinnamon rolls for about 35-40 minutes, or until lightly golden. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

7. While they cool slightly, add the softened cream cheese and butter to a small mixing bowl and combine until creamy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix. Once the frosting is well mixed with no clumps, spread on the slightly warm fresh milled sourdough cinnamon rolls and enjoy.

More Fresh Milled Recipes

Looking for more fresh milled flour recipes? Check these out!

Easy Fresh Milled Sourdough Garlic Knots

Fresh Milled Sourdough Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

Fresh Milled Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies