Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Last revised:  15.Oct.07

As with all my sourdough recipes, I suggest baking these rolls starting with a COLD oven.  Let them do their final rise; then, turn on the heat.  As the oven heats up, they'll rise some more demonstrating a beautiful, fragrant, final oven spring as they bake.

Making the Sponge (the night before):

NB: be sure to replace your "usage" & refresh your starter before you put it away.

Mix the flour and milk or water into a thin batter in a suitably large bowl.  Stir or whisk the sourdough inoculant into that mixture.  Seeded and ready for proofing, this 50:50 mixture will become the sourdough sponge around which this recipe is built.

Cover; let sit for about 6-12 hours (over-night) at room-temp (~68-70F).  The actual time is an interdependent function of the temperature, the nature and history of your starter culture, and to a lesser degree the nature of your flour and water.  I usually watch to see when the culture stops growing (up the side of the bowl).  As it stops growing, it begins to slide back down into the bowl, leaving a tell-tale "high-water" mark.

Dough (the next morning):

Filling:

Glaze:

Prepare the dough:  Lightly beat the two eggs; add the 1/2 cup butter, 1/3 cup sugar, the salt, and the 1 teaspoon of vanilla.  Cream together until sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth and fluffy.

Add at least 1-1/2 cups of the 2-1/2 cups of flour by stirring.  Add all of the sponge created in the first step.  Beat for a couple of minutes, adding the rest of the flour a little at a time.  Adding no more flour than necessary for it not to be sticky.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat with oil.  Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until the dough shows definite signs of growth.  Usually somewhere between 1 and 3 hours will do (depends on the temperature and the nature of your SD starter).  Being sourdough, you can't be assured of multiple rise events.  Once is enough--as long as it's the final rise.

Prepare filling:  Stir together 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1-2 tablespoons of cinnamon in small bowl.  If used, gently drain the raisins, squeezing lightly to remove excess moisture.  Mix and look for even distribution.

Roll dough until it is a 9 X 12-inch rectangle.

Use some of the rest of the butter to smear a bit of it on the pan.  Use the rest with the filling (it works best if melted without getting it really hot).  Brush with remaining butter, leaving a 2-inch strip or so at the long side away from you without butter.  This is so it will stick when rolled up. 

Sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon filling mixture, to taste.

Roll dough from long side closest to you, snug, not tight.

Using your hands, try to guess how many slices can be put into your baking pan--I use a 10 inch spring-form.  Consider how many slices you need, and cut the dough with a sharp knife into slices approximately 1-1/2 inches thick.  If you know how, you can use the dental floss technique [which doesn't work at all well if you use raisins!].

Arrange in pan and cover loosely with foil or plastic wrap (coated with non-stick spray so it won't stick).  You may also wish to brush some of the butter used for the rolls between the sections.  It will help separate them after they're baked.  If you do it right, you can fill your pan with the roll sections.  If you have open space, cut the next batch thinner to fill.  If you're short of room, make them thicker.

Place into COLD oven for final rise.  My oven is usually at room temp, and this step typically takes between 4 and 8 hours--towards the long end in the winter and the short end in the summer.  Let rise until at least doubled--more if it will, depending upon temperature--up to 8 hrs or so...more if it's cooler...

Set oven to 350°F.  Turn it on.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes until puffy and golden brown.

Prepare the glaze:  Mix ingredients with 1 tablespoon or so of warm water.  If it is too thick, add additional warm water until it is thin enough to drop easily from a spoon [optionally; you can replace the water with lemon juice and some grated lemon rind, which is my favorite!].

When done baking, let cool 5 minutes or so and then drizzle glaze over warm rolls and serve.

FOR OVERNIGHT RISING; after rolls are shaped and arranged in pan, cover and refrigerate overnight (8 to 10 hours).  The rolls will rise slowly, and will be ready to bake for breakfast.

Take them out to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before baking.