Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls - Winter Treat

Cinnamon Rolls with a twist….Sourdough 

A couple of weeks ago I was off my fast and really wanted something nice – sweet and winterish - to have with my morning dandelion coffee. The only thing I could come up with on the day was some sort of a Cinnamon bun or roll. 

It had to be sweet, gooey, spicy, soft and sticky…..are you with me so far? You know the type of rolls that are melted inside yet the bread dough is nice and soft. Oh, and the fragrance, it had to smell sweet, like cinnamon and a little bit like baked bread.

Fasting does that to you! Your tastebuds are clean and alive - only a very specific taste would do (or in this case a food memory). 

Off, I went to find my recipes, however when I looked through each of my books I could only find mention of cinnamon buns made with fast acting yeast or a packet of this or that kind of yeast. 

And this is absolutely out of the question for me. 

It has to be wild fermented sourdough in this house. I work with so many wild fermentation projects – my Rebel Juices fermented drinks, my Apple Cider Vinegar, my sourdough starter, my yogurt and my various fermented vegetables and I won’t risk contamination or compromise on the taste.

So, taking what I thought might be a rough idea of a basic recipe – it can’t be that difficult, right? I put some flour into a bowl (yes, for those who know me, I just throw things together and hope for the best!) some sourdough starter, a little soft butter, an egg, some yogurt and milk, then sugar and water.

I left this to rise for a few hours, like you would a sponge for any other sourdough bread. Once it was risen enough – it did look a little different from a regular sponge starter – I took it out and kneaded it with more flour, into a soft dough. 

Next, I rolled it out flat onto a floured surface and then buttered it (the entire large piece of dough) with my Cinnamon Honey Butter. So far, so good. It smelled like cinnamon and was starting to take shape.

Then, leaving the edges free of the cinnamon butter, I rolled the dough up as tightly as I could all the while pinching any loose ends together. Once I had a cinnamon log, I gently cut sections off for the rolls.

These were placed into an oiled pan and arranged tightly in a circle – just for effect! I happen to like swirls…..LOL

And that was it – the pan of cinnamon dough was let rise again for another hour or so, then popped into a hot oven….it was lovely! Sweet, warm and spicy – just what winter should be all about.

April

Cinnamon Rolls - made with sourdough