Sourdough cinnamon rolls come with a long rise, which can make fresh rolls at breakfast hard to plan. This recipe moves that wait into the night, so much of the work happens before morning.
Whole wheat dough surrounds a brown sugar, cinnamon, honey, and pecan filling, with cream cheese frosting spread across the rolls after baking. The dough uses sourdough starter for its rise rather than commercial yeast.
Two schedules make the overnight approach work. Choose between letting the dough rise overnight before shaping or putting formed rolls in the refrigerator until morning.
Let the Dough Rise Overnight
The first method starts in the evening. Mix butter, whole wheat flour, active sourdough starter, honey, milk, eggs, and salt, then give the dough a 30-minute rest before kneading it into a ball.
Cover the dough and leave it at room temperature for an 8-to-10-hour bulk rise. In the sample schedule, dough mixed at 9 p.m. is ready to roll out at 7 a.m.
Brown Sugar and Pecans Fill Each Roll
Roll the risen dough into a ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Mix brown sugar, honey, melted butter, vanilla, and cinnamon, then spread the filling across the dough.
Chopped pecans go over the filling before the dough gets rolled into a log. Cut the log into six rolls and place them in a prepared 9-inch baking dish.
Shape the Rolls at Night for a Faster Morning
A second schedule shifts more work to the day before. Make the dough in the morning and let it complete its bulk rise during the day. Roll, fill, and shape it at night, then put the baking dish in the refrigerator.
The recipe's sample schedule has the rolls shaped at 8:30 p.m. and refrigerated at 8:45 p.m. They are ready to bake at 6 a.m., removing the shaping and second rise from the morning routine.
Refrigerated Rolls Can Go Into the Oven
The shaped rolls can stay in the refrigerator for an extended rise of up to eight hours. Heat the oven to 375°F when you're ready to bake.
Rolls at room temperature need 18 to 23 minutes. Rolls coming from the refrigerator need 25 to 30 minutes, so there is no need to wait for them to return to room temperature first.
Add Cream Cheese Frosting While the Rolls Are Warm
Whisk softened cream cheese and butter with powdered sugar, then add vanilla and milk. The recipe calls for spreading the frosting over the rolls after they come from the oven.
The overnight schedule turns the long sourdough rise into an advantage. Shape the rolls before bed, refrigerate them, and breakfast starts with the oven rather than a bowl of dough that still needs hours to rise.
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