Easy Overnight Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

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By Kristen on June 15, 2024 – Updated on December 22, 2025

This recipe has been updated to reflect our change of ingredients and method of making.

Easy Overnight Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

These are the best cinnamon rolls and the perfect overnight sourdough cinnamon roll recipe! I love throwing this together in the evening and baking in the morning for those fresh homemade cinnamon rolls. We prefer the overnight process for health benefits, best results, and because we love those tangy, fluffy sourdough cinnamon rolls. I like to make sure my dough is set aside in a warm place and covered for about 12 hours for the best flavor and rise when using an active starter.

Cinnamon rolls were my introduction to baking with sourdough, so these are a family favorite! We have loved creating sweet traditions with these rolls for our first day back to school, as well as our last day of school, Christmas morning, and Saturday morning family breakfasts! These rolls have also been loved by many of our Seasonal Grains customers!

If you do not have a stand mixer with a dough hook, you can combine all your ingredients by hand. This will take longer, but I have done it many times, and it works!

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 room temperature filtered water)
  • 1 stick grass-fed salted or unsalted butter (softened)
  • 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 any milk or 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. See our whole wheat cinnamon roll recipe for fresh-milled flour.
• Coconut Sugar – brown sugar

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

• Stand Mixer with Large Bowl
• Rolling Pin
• Bench Scraper
• Cast Iron Skillet or Baking Dish of choice

INSTRUCTIONS

The Night Before

1. Prepare the dough:

• Make sure your starter is well fed and active. 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 place overnight for your overnight rise. Cover with plastic wrap.
• 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 (175°C)
• Clean and flour your surface to roll your dough out on.

3. Assemble the cinnamon rolls:

• 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-sugar filling over your butter.
• Starting from one long side of the dough, roll the dough tightly to the other side, pinching the seam together. 

4. Slice your rolls:

• Using fishing line, a bench scraper, or a sharp knife, cut your dough into your desired-sized rolls.
• Place the rolls in a cast-iron skillet or a greased baking dish.
• I like to set my cast iron skillet on top of my warm stove for about 15-30 minutes before placing it into the oven. This allows my cinnamon rolls to have a second rise before baking.

5. Bake the rolls:.

• Once the rolls have risen, bake them in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges.
• Remove the rolls from the oven and let them cool slightly before glazing.

6. Make the glaze:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk (or cream), and vanilla extract until smooth.
• Drizzle the glaze over the warm cinnamon rolls.

How to store your cinnamon roll

An airtight container on the counter for up to 2-3 days is a great way to store your leftovers!

Easy Overnight Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Kristen

These are the best cinnamon rolls and the perfect overnight recipe! I love throwing this together before bed to ferment overnight and wake up to an easy process to finish.

4.75 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Overnight Resting Time 12 hours hrs

Total Time 12 hours hrs 55 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Cook From Scratch, Dessert

Cuisine American

Equipment

• large bowl
• Stand Mixer
• Dough Hook
• Rolling Pin
• Bench Scraper or Fishing Line
• Cast Iron Skillet or Baking Dish of choice

Ingredients

  

Dough

• ½ – ¾ cup active sourdough starter
• ½ cup room temperature milk or filtered water
• 8 tbsp grass fed salted or unsalted butter softened
• ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups organic unbleached all-purpose flour or flour of choice
• 1 tsp salt

Filling

• 1 stick softened butter
• 1 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Glaze

• 2 cup powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons milk or cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

 

The Night Before

• Prepare the dough:
• Make sure your starter is well fed and active. 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 place overnight for your overnight rise. Cover with plastic wrap.
• Dough will double through the night if you are using an active sourdough starter.

The Next Day/Next Morning

• Prepare your oven and work surface:
• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C)
• Clean and flour your surface to roll your dough out on.
• Assemble the cinnamon rolls:
• 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-sugar filling over your butter.
• Starting from one long side of the dough, roll the dough tightly to the other side, pinching the seam together.
• Slice your rolls:
• Using fishing line, a bench scraper, or a sharp knife, cut your dough into your desired-sized rolls.
• Place the rolls in a cast-iron skillet or a greased baking dish.
• I like to set my cast iron skillet on top of my warm stove for about 15-30 minutes before placing it into the oven. This allows my cinnamon rolls to have a second rise before baking.
• Bake the rolls:
• Once the rolls have risen, bake them in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges.
• Remove the rolls from the oven and let them cool slightly before glazing.
• Make the glaze:
• In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk (or cream), and vanilla extract until smooth.
• Drizzle the glaze over the warm cinnamon rolls.

Notes

How to store your cinnamon roll

An airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days is a great way to store your leftovers! 

Keyword Baking, Desserts, Sourdough

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