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Close up of a pan of sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls topped with cream cheese icing.
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4.56 from 25 votes

Sourdough Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

Buttery, fluffy brioche rolls filled with cinnamon sugar and topped with a silky sweet layer of homemade cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Additional Time12 hours
Total Time13 hours
Course: Sourdough
Cuisine: American
Keyword: sourdough brioche
Servings: 12
Author: Lisa Bass

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sourdough starter active and bubbly 227 g
  • 3 cups bread flour 420 g
  • 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour 70 g
  • 1/4 cup sugar 48 g
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 8 g
  • 1/2 cup milk 122 g
  • 2 sticks butter room temp

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

  • 1/2 cup softened butter 114 grams
  • 1 cup brown sugar 200 grams
  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Cream Cheese Icing:

  • 6 ounces cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream 120 grams
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey 168 grams for honey
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Begin with an active, bubbly starter. It should be recently fed and at or near its peak.
  • Add your sourdough starter, bread flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, eggs, salt, milk, and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Knead until smooth and glossy. It's a very wet dough and may take 10-15 minutes or longer to come together in the stand mixer. Don’t add more flour.
  • Cover the dough with plastic wrap, a damp towel, or a tight-fitting lid and place in a warm place for 6 to 8 hours or until doubled.
  • In a separate bowl, combine softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir until smooth.
  • Lightly dust a work surface with flour, then roll out the dough into a large rectangle that is roughly 1/4 inch thick. Spread the filling evenly over the top of the dough.
  • Roll the dough up tightly, beginning at one of the long sides. When you get to the end, pinch the edge to create a seam.
  • Slice to make 12 even rolls. A bench scraper or unflavored dental floss is handy. Place the rolls into a well-seasoned 14" cast iron skillet or baking dish.
  • Cover and allow to rise until doubled, around 2-6 hours or overnight in the fridge. Enriched doughs tend to take longer to rise.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the rolls are lightly browned and the dough is cooked through. Allow them to cool a bit before frosting.
  • In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add cream cheese, heavy cream, maple syrup or honey, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
  • Use an immersion blender for an extra smooth consistency, if desired. Drizzle the frosting over the warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!

Notes

  • This dough is wet. Don’t add more flour. Let the kneading continue, and the dough will become manageable. Too much flour can give brioche a tougher texture.
  • If you don’t have bread flour, you can use all-purpose. It will not be quite as soft as using the mix of the two flours, but it will still be yummy. Bread flour also helps the dough rise more.
  • The rise time will fluctuate with the temperature. The warmer the spot, the quicker the rise.
  • Enriched doughs tend to take a lot longer to rise compared to regular doughs.

Nutrition

Calories: 594kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 150mg | Sodium: 555mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 1154IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 1mg