By Kristen on February 5, 2025 – Updated on February 2, 2026

This heart-shaped sourdough cinnamon roll is the ideal addition to your special occasion and is so much fun to make! Whether it’s Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or another special day when you want to say “I love you,” this is the perfect recipe. Using our favorite sourdough cinnamon rolls recipe, we turn our rolls into the perfect sweetheart cinnamon rolls with this heart-shaped design!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Dough Ingredients:
- ½ – ¾ cup active sourdough starter
- 4 cups organic unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ cup room temperature or warm milk or filtered water
- 1 stick grass-fed salted or unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon salt
Filling Ingredients:
- 1 stick softened butter
- 1 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Glaze Ingredients:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons milk or cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons melted butter

SUBSTITUTES

Butter – can be substituted with coconut oil.
Milk– can be substituted with water.
Honey – Maple Syrup works great as well. I have mixed maple syrup and honey if I do not have enough of each ingredient.
All-Purpose Flour – bread flour will also work. Freshly milled wheat is always enjoyable and gives you that whole wheat flour.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

Stand Mixer with a large mixing bowl and dough hook
Rolling Pin
Parchment paper
Baking sheet

Instructions

The Night Before

1. Prepare the dough for your first rise:

Make sure your starter is well fed and active. For best results, I like to feed my starter in the morning and start my dough late afternoon/early evening to bake between 6-10 a.m. the next morning.
In a bowl of a stand mixer, on low/medium speed, combine the flour, active sourdough starter, milk, melted or room temperature butter, eggs, salt, and honey with a dough hook attachment.
Mix until it has come together well. You want to be able to stretch your dough slightly without it ripping or becoming sticky.
Let your dough rest in your mixer or a separate bowl, and set it in a warm spot overnight for your overnight dough rise (first rise). Cover with plastic wrap or beeswax.
Dough will double through the night if you are using an active sourdough starter.

The Next Day/Next Morning

2. Prepare your oven and work surface:

Preheat your oven to 350°F
Clean and prepare a lightly floured surface to roll your dough out on.

3. Prepare the filling:

Transfer your dough to your lightly floured work surface.
Roll the dough out into a large rectangle
Two options for your filling: combine your softened butter, coconut sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl, then spread onto your dough. Or spread room-temperature butter out on the surface of the dough, then whisk together your sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle your cinnamon mixture filling over your butter.
Spread evenly over your dough, then fold your dough over to the other side. Gently roll it out to a rectangle again.

sourdough pastry rolled out on floured surface

cinnamon butter mixture on rolled out dough

sourdough cinnamon pastry dough folded over

Braid Your Dough & Assemble Into the Shape of a Heart

To make your heart shape, you will take your bread dough with the cinnamon filling and fold your dough over to the other side. Roll it out carefully into a rectangle again.
Take a pizza cutter, bench knife, or sharp knife, and from the top of the dough (long side), cut the dough down the middle. Then cut each side into 3 pieces, making 6 long pieces of pastry dough.
Fold each piece of dough and then turn it on its side.
Start at one long end, gather three pieces of dough, gently pinch or twist the 3 ends bringing them together, and then begin your braid. To braid your dough, take the middle piece and bring it over the right piece, then grab the new middle piece and bring it over the left piece, grab the new middle piece and bring it over the right piece, and so on. Continue until you finish. Pinch or gently wrap your ends together. After you have braided one side, repeat that process on the other 3 pieces of dough.
Transfer your two braids to your baking sheet and shape them into a heart, gently wrapping and pinching them together.
Allow your sourdough heart to rest for 15-30 minutes for a second rise.

sourdough cinnamon pastry dough cut into six pieces

hand folding strip of sourdough cinnamon pastry dough

5. Bake Your Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Pastry:

Once the heart has slightly risen, bake it in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven, let it cool, and prep your glaze as your cinnamon rolls cool.
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk (or cream), and vanilla extract until smooth. Set aside until cinnamon rolls have lightly cooled.
Then, gently begin to remove the cinnamon filling that came out during the baking. Before glazing, I gently transfer my pastry to a new piece of parchment paper or dish.
Add your glaze.
Cut into equal parts or as desired.

How to Store Your Braided Sourdough Cinnamon Pastry

Store in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap on the counter.