I did it!

Oh.  My.  Gosh.  These are amazing!  That is what my daughter said when she tested the last batch of sourdough cinnamon rolls.  And I must say, I have to agree with her.  I told you that I had a little more tweaking to do on the recipe before I shared.  The tweaking has come to an end, and I am pleased to share the “fixed” recipe with you.  It actually doesn’t bear a whole lot of resemblance to the one I started with, but that’s ok.  Drum roll please!  I now give you the recipe for OMG Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls.

OMG Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

1 cup sourdough starter

1 cup milk

1 stick of butter

3 eggs

1 tsp yeast

5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup instant potato flakes

melted butter for brushing on rolls after baking (optional)

Heat milk and butter just until butter is melted.  Sprinkle yeast over milk mixture and stir to dissolve.

Put flour, sugar, salt, and potato flakes in large mixing bowl and stir to mix.  Add starter, eggs, and milk mixture and mix until combined.  Dough should be fairly stiff.  If too dry add milk 1 Tbsp at a time; if too wet, add flour 1 Tbsp at a time.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead for 5 to 8 minutes without adding too much extra flour.  Dough should be slightly sticky.  Form dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap.  Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

While the dough is resting, butter 2 9 x 13 baking pans, and prepare filling.

Filling 

4 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup cinnamon

In small mixing bowl melt butter.  Add sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Mix well.  I have found that when you mix it into a paste like this, it stays put better when you are rolling the dough up.

After dough has rested, cut into 2 equal pieces.  Roll out 1/2 the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 15 x 24 ish rectangle.  Spread with half of the filling mixture, making sure to spread to the edges on the shorter sides and one of the long edges.  That is so the end pieces have plenty of filling in them. 🙂  Roll up the dough starting on the long side that has the filling all the way to the edge.  Cut into 12 equal pieces and place in the buttered pan.  Flatten slightly.  Rolls should not be touching.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Do the same with the second piece of dough.  Let the rolls rise for 45 minutes to an hour, or until doubled.  When the rolls have doubled in size, bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until they are golden brown.  Brush the rolls with melted butter.  This keeps the rolls from getting hard.  Place pans on cooling rack and let cool slightly before spreading with icing.

While rolls are cooling, prepare icing.

Icing

6 oz cream cheese

3 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp milk

2 tsp vanilla

dash of salt

cinnamon to sprinkle over top

Soften cream cheese in the microwave.  (You can skip that step if you happen to remember to take the cream cheese out of the fridge early enough so that it is soft enough to work with).  With a whisk, stir until smooth.  Add milk, vanilla, and salt and mix well.  Add powdered sugar and whisk until smooth.  Spread icing over the cooled rolls.  If the rolls are too hot, the icing will just melt and run off.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.

This recipe makes 2 dozen rolls that are light and fluffy, with just the right amount of cinnamon filling yummyness and icing that is not too sweet.  You can even make the rolls ahead and refrigerate overnight before baking if you want to.  Just let them come to room temperature and make sure they have doubled in size before putting them in the oven.  These are really easy to make and I have the feeling that I will be making them often.  Enjoy!