Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Surprise

Cinnamon rolls made with sourdough. That’s the Sourdough Surprises’ challenge for July. There were two different recipes we could use as an inspiration for making our sourdough cinnamon rolls. One version used self-rising flour, which I thought was kind of odd, and the other seemed like too much effort for cinnamon rolls. So I opted to use a different method altogether.

 

I had been itching to make the Sourdough Spelt Cinnamon Rolls from Classic Sourdoughs by Ed and Jean Wood for months so this was the perfect opportunity to try them.

 

Sadly, those cinnamon rolls didn’t turn out so well. I had to throw them away. I hate it when that happens, but I didn’t let that deter me from meeting this challenge head on.

 

I started over again a few days later and made the cinnamon rolls using regular all-purpose flour and my apple starter instead of all-purpose spelt flour and my spelt starter. I changed the formula to include more milk and flour and use less sourdough culture. I also omitted the raisins. The combination of raisins and sourdough just didn’t do it for me. I may try adding the raisins another time but for this version, I left them out.

I changed the bulk fermentation from 8 to 12 hours at room temperature to 8 to 12 hours in the refrigerator. It was hotter than 70 degrees in my kitchen so letting the dough proof that long at room temperature made the rolls too acidic, at least in my opinion.

The next day, I took the dough out of the refrigerator and let it warm up to room temperature for an hour or so before shaping the rolls. I reduced the final proof from 2 to 4 hours to about 1 hour, at room temperature. I also used a different baking pan and reduced the oven temperature.

I know this is a lot of changes to make all at once, but those were the things I didn’t like about the spelt version. The rolls were too sour, the raisins tasted nasty and the rolls didn’t rise well in the oven. Plus, they got burned on the bottom because the temperature was too high.

I was much more pleased with the second attempt. You can taste the sourdough but it’s not overwhelming. These cinnamon rolls are slightly tangy and are really good warm, especially with the powdered-sugar glaze drizzled over them.

 

Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from: Classic Sourdoughs by Ed and Jean Wood

Makes: 12 to 14 Rolls

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups sourdough culture (using this process)
• 1 cup almond milk (or whole milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Filling:

• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, more if desired
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Glaze:

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 4 teaspoons warm milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Directions:

1) Pour the sourdough culture into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the milk, vanilla, salt, and the 2 tablespoons of sugar and mix well using a Danish dough whish or wooden spoon. Add the flour a cup at a time and mix until you have a shaggy dough.

 

2) Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny.  This is the dough before being kneaded.

 

3) Place the dough in a large, clean bowl and cover the bowl with plastic. Let it proof in the refrigerator overnight (8 to 12 hours).

4) The next day, let the dough warm up to room temperature (an hour or so) and then gently transfer it to a floured surface. Let the dough rest on the counter for 30 minutes.  If it flattens a lot during this time, add in additional flour before rolling the dough out.

 

5) Roll the dough into a rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Brush it with melted butter. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle the mixture over the top of the dough. If you want to add raisins, now is the time to do it.

 

6) Starting from the long end, roll the rectangle up into a log.

 

7) Cut the log into 1-inch thick rolls. I used a knife, but you could also use floss. Place the rolls close together on a baking sheet or in cake pans and proof for an hour or until doubled in size. It’s hot in my kitchen right now so it doesn’t take long to proof.  If your kitchen is cooler, you might need to let them proof longer.

 

8) Bake the cinnamon rolls in a preheated 350 degrees F. oven for 25 to 35 minutes. Watch the rolls to make sure they don’t burn on the bottom.

9) Remove the rolls from the oven, and while they are still hot, drizzle the powdered-sugar glaze over them.

 

10) Carefully remove the rolls from the pan and serve them warm.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Frosted Cinnamon Rolls for Launch

The theme for this month’s Twelve Loaves is “share whatever bread you’d like” so I chose cinnamon rolls. Cinnamon Rolls are comfort food at their finest. I try not to indulge in sweet rolls or sweet breads too often, but every once in awhile, it’s nice to treat yourself. 

I had a project launch this past weekend so I made these cinnamon buns as my reward for having to work over the weekend. After focusing intently with my head down for several hours on Saturday, it was nice to take a break and enjoy one of these delicious sweet rolls.

Did you know?  Sticky buns (also known as cinnamon rolls) are ancient foods that most likely originated in Northern Europe. These delicious buns definitely owe some of their heritage to English cooking and baking. According to Elizabeth David in English Bread and Yeast Cookery, the Chelsea bun was a “sugary, spicy, sticky, square that was coiled like a Swiss Roll”.  She also states that these rolls are “a pretty hefty proposition.”   Source: Food Timeline

These sweet rolls do not include any honey, currants or raisins so they don’t qualify as Chelsea Buns. However, they would definitely be considered a hefty proposition because they are made with a mixture of white bread flour and home-milled whole-wheat flour and they are plenty big. They are rolled out, spread with melted butter and sprinkled with a brown sugar/cinnamon mixture, then coiled, and sliced before the final proofing.  Finally, they are baked to a golden brown perfection, and slathered with a cream cheese and powdered sugar frosting.  Are you hungry yet?

 

Cinnamon Rolls with cream cheese frosting

Makes: 12 Large Rolls

Adapted from: Homemade Bread from the Editors of Hobby Farm Home Magazine

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1 cup warm almond milk (105 – 115 degrees F.)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup raw sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 cup whole wheat flour

Filling:

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Frosting:

• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoons almond milk

 

Directions:

Lightly butter a 9x13 baking pan and set aside.

1) Mix the Dough

Mix the yeast and warm water in a small bowl and let it stand until it is foamy, about 10 minutes.

Combine the butter, eggs, sugar and salt in a large bowl, then add the yeast mixture and bread flour and mix until it is thoroughly combined and a dough starts to form.

 

2) Knead the Dough

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until it is soft and pliable, about 10 minutes. 

 

3) Bulk Fermentation

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and turn to fully coat it with oil.  Cover it with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and place in the oven with the light on to proof for one hour, or until the dough doubles in volume.

 

4) Prepare the Filling

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

 

5) Shape the Buns

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

 

Roll the dough into a rectangle, about 16”x12”. 

 

Spread the softened butter on the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top.  As you can see, I had some clumps in my brown sugar.  It didn’t matter once it was baked though.

 

Roll the dough up into a log lengthwise like a jelly roll.

 

Cut the log into 12 pieces, about 1 3/4 inches thick each.  Place the buns in the buttered baking pan.

 

6) Proof the Buns

Cover the buns with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rise for 30 minutes or until they are nearly doubled in size.  I think mine rose a bit too much.

 

7) Bake the Cinnamon Rolls

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

While the rolls are baking, make the frosting by combining the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk in a medium bowl.  Mix until smooth. I did this with my small Danish dough whisk, but if your cream cheese and butter aren’t soft enough, you might need to use a mixer for this part.

 

8) Frost and Enjoy the Buns

When the rolls are finished baking, spoon or spread the frosting over the tops and enjoy them warm.  I used a knife for this part because the frosting is thick.

 

I made these Friday night and they tasted great warmed over on Saturday and for several days in a row.  They have a great flavor and texture. 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

 

Cinnamon Raisin Bread and Rolls: HBinFive

For the May 15th HBinFive Bread Braid, I made Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread and Cinnamon Rolls using the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes Milk and Honey dough.

For the dough, I used a mixture of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour as the recipe suggested, but I added more raisins than the recipe called for and I also added some cinnamon powder.  I let the raisins soak in the warm water a little bit to soften.  The raisins tasted much better that way.


Fermenting the Dough

After the dough had rested on the counter for 2 hours, I put it in the refrigerator to ferment for a couple of days.  Then I took it out and divided it into 3 equal pieces.

Making the Cinnamon Swirl Bread

I used two of the pieces for the cinnamon raisin swirl bread.



Shaping the Loaves

To shape the loaves, sprinkle flour on the counter and use your fingers to flatten and spread each piece of dough into a 5” x 8” rectangle.  Then sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the top.

And roll the dough up jelly roll style

to form the loaf

Pinch the seams together and roll the loaf until the seam is on the bottom.

Proofing the Loaves

Place each loaf in a 4 1/2 x 8 1/2-inch loaf pan and sprayed them with spray oil and covered them with plastic.

I let the loaves proof for about 90 minutes.

Bake the loaves for about 25 to 35 minutes, then remove them to a cooling rack. Brush the loaves with butter and sprinkle more cinnamon sugar over the tops.

This made for an over-the-top flavor.  Yummy!  This bread tastes really good toasted with butter.  It also tasted really good plain.

I still had one more ball of dough left…


So I decided to make Cinnamon Rolls.



Making Cinnamon Rolls

Spread out the dough the same way as for the loaves, but make the rectangle a little bit bigger.  Then sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top.

And roll it up into a very tight jelly roll.  Then cover it with plastic and place it in the refrigerator for a little while to make it easier to cut.  I ended up keeping mine in the refrigerator overnight because I ran out of time (well mostly energy).

When you're ready to bake the rolls, take the jelly roll out of the refrigerator and cut it into 1-inch pieces.

Place the rolls on a greased baking sheet and cover them with plastic. Let them rise for about 90 minutes or so until they are doubled in size.

Bake them in a 350 degrees oven for about 25 minutes.

Then dribble white fondant (glaze) over the tops.  This is the best part!  I made the fondant with about 2 cups of powered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/4 cup of warm milk.  Delicious!

These cinnamon rolls were really good.  They taste like cinnamon raisin bread with a delicious glaze on top.

I really liked this dough.  It’s very versatile and tastes great!  I especially like the addition of the cinnamon powder and the extra raisins.  I think walnuts or pecans would enhance it so maybe I’ll try that next time.

Thanks for joining me in the bread-baking blog.  Check out the blog BigBlackDog to see the May 15th Bread Braid roundup.

Happy Baking!
Cathy

About the HBinFive Baking Group

The HBinFive Baking Group, started by Michelle of Big Black Dogs, is baking through all of the breads in the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes book. For more information on the new HBinFive baking group, check out Michelle's blog.