These Sourdough gingerbread cinnamon rolls are great breakfast treat during Holidays. It will please anyone who has a sweet tooth. Made with sourdough starter, molasses, gingerbread spice with cinnamon ginger cream cheese frosting.
I have earlier tried Sourdough gingerbread muffins, gingerbread cake , Stout gingerbread cake and off course I have made gingerbread men and women.
Holidays are associated with gingerbread man however his story ended in a sad way. He ran away from the lady who baked him and her husband, pig, horse, and cow only to end up eaten up by the cunning fox.
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How to make Sourdough gingerbread cinnamon rolls?
You need following ingredients to make this
For the dough
Stiff starter : For sweet dough it is always best to use stiff starter (about 40 % hydration).
All-purpose flour : I used unbleached all-purpose flour.
Tangzhong: Tangzhong adds softness and moisture content to the dough. You need to make Tangzhong with bread flour and milk ratio should be 1 : 5 flours to milk/water.
Molasses: I used light molasses, but you can use dark molasses or blackstrap molasses if you want.
Salt: Salt controls the fermentation and adds flavor to the bread.
Water: Adds moisture to the bread especially when you are making bread with molasses.
Brown sugar : It adds sweetness to the dough. Added in the dough as well as filling.
Egg : Egg adds moisture and function as leavening agent helping the bread to rise. Yolk tenderizes the crumb .
Cinnamon : it gives characteristic cinnamon flavor both in the filling as well as the frosting.
Ground ginger : Adds extra gingery zing to the frosting.
Gingerbread spice mix : I used store bought gingerbread spice mix if you want you can make your own. Here is the recipe for the mix.
Cream cheese : Cream cheese natural tanginess well balanced with sweetness of this cinnamon rolls.
Milk : Used in the dough as well as frosting.
See recipe card for quantities.
For filling
For frosting
Instructions
You need to make stiff starter as stiff starter work well with sweet dough than liquid starter.
Tangzhong is made with either milk or water. Milk is best while making sweet dough.
First mix stiff starter with wet ingredients then finally add flour and mix well make sure to get a smooth dough that passes windowpane test.
Set aside for room temperature for 7-8 hours or until it triples in volume.
Then roll and shape the rolls and cut it into individual pieces
After second proof
And bake until it is golden in color.
While it is warm add cream cheese frosting.
Tips for making perfect sourdough gingerbread cinnamon rolls.
1) You need strong stiff starter to make this gingerbread cinnamon rolls as it has sugar.
2) Make sure to get at least a triple rise during first fermentation before shaping them .
3) Add all-purpose flour to the filling that way filling will stay intact.
4) Use dental floss to cut the gingerbread cinnamon roll dough as it does not squish the dough.
5) Since this gingerbread cinnamon rolls have color of light brown so it will be difficult to check them when baking, they should reach an internal temperature of 195 degrees F.
Variations
You can add molasses or maple syrup to make frosting.
Instead of store-bought gingerbread spices you can make your own Gingerbread spices
Equipment
You need a 9-inch spring form pan lined with parchement paper for this recipe.
Can I store this Gingerbread cinnamon rolls?
Yes, you can , store them covered in airtight container up to 3 days in refrigerator.
- You can also store them long time by freezing the baked gingerbread cinnamon rolls up to 3 months. Store theunfrosted by individually wrapping with plastic wrap and then cover with foil. When you are ready to serve defrost them overnight in the fridge, next morning reheat and top with frosting.
- You can reheat cinnamon rolls in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F until heated through. You can also heat individual cinnamon rolls in the microwave for 30 seconds until warm.
- Enjoy.
Sourdough Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- 9 inch spring form pan
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 3 ⅛ tbsp. 25 g bread flour
- 1 cup / 125g milk
Dough
- 160 g Stiff sourdough starter
- All the Tangzhong
- 2 ½ cups 2 tablespoon / 325g Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoon Gingerbread spices For homemade gingerbread spice: 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons ground ginger 1 tablespoons ground nutmeg 1 tablespoons ground allspice ½ teaspoon ground cloves ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Ground everything into fine powder and store it in airtight container.
- 1 large egg
- 3 ½ tbsp. 49g butter softened
- ¼ cup 50g Brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon 3g salt
- 3 tablespoon / 52.5 g molasses
- 2 tablespoon /25g water
- FIlling
- ½ cup 90g brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon gingerbread spices
- 2 tablespoon butter softened at room temperature
Cinnamon Ginger frosting
- 4 oz / 113g cream cheese softened
- 1 ¼ cup 93g confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons 37g milk
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
First make Tangzhong : (FLOUR-WATER ROUX):
- In a medium saucepan whisk together lightly the flour, milk in a saucepan until smooth and there are no lumps. Place the saucepan on the stove, and over medium heat, let the roux cook till it starts thickening. Keep stirring/ whisking constantly so no lumps form and the roux is smooth.
- If you have a thermometer, cook the roux/ Tangzhong till it reaches 65C (150F) and take it off the heat. If you do not have a thermometer, then watch the roux/ tangzhong until you start seeing “lines” forming in the roux/ tangzhong as you whisk/ stir it. Take the pan off the heat at this point.
- Let the roux/ tangzhong cool completely and rest for about 2 to 3 hours at least. If not using immediately, transfer the roux to a bowl and cover using plastic wrap. It can store in the refrigerator until the color changes . Discard the tangzhong after that.
To make the dough:
- Mix all the ingredients for the dough except the butter in a kitchen aid stand mixer with paddle attachment until the flour is completely moistened and the dough has formed a cohesive, sticky mass, 2 to 3 minutes on low speed of a stand mixer.
- Gradually add butter and incorporate about 1 minute on low speed. Once all the butter incorporated, turn the mixer up one speed and knead the dough until it is smooth and supple though still soft and tacky, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Cover the dough and let it rest in a warm (75°F) place for 8 to 12 hours. To develop strength in the dough, stretch and fold it in the bowl three to four times during the rest. This will increase the elasticity of the dough.
To make the filling:
- In a medium bowl combine brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, gingerbread spice, ginger and salt . The texture of the mixture will be like wet sand.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased or floured work surface and gently deflate it, patting or rolling it into a 14” x 20” rectangle.
- Spread the filling evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving ½” of exposed dough along one short edge.
- Starting with the filling-coated short edge, roll the dough into a log. As you roll, the log will lengthen to around 18".
- Cut the log into Ten 2” slices about 10 pieces and place them in a 9-inch spring form pan lined with parchment paper . Use Dental floss to get clear cut rolls. Cover the pan and let the rolls rise until they are puffy, 2 to 3 hours.
- If you want, you can store the rolls in refrigerator for overnight or up to 24 hours and bake next day.
- To bake the same day: Bake the rolls in a preheated 400°F oven for 22 minutes, until golden. A digital thermometer inserted into the center of a middle bun should read 190°F.
To make the icing
- While the buns are baking, stir together all the ingredients cream cheese, butter, cinnamon, ginger , vanilla extract and milk for the frosting in a medium bowl until smooth. Add more or less milk depending upon your desired consistency.
- Remove the rolls from the oven and cool for 5 to 10 minutes before icing. Alternatively, allow the buns to cool to room temperature
- Frost the rolls and serve warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread. All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.
Amy says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Leslie says
This is one of my favorite cinnamon roll recipes! I'm obsessed with the cream cheese frosting..it pairs perfectly with the cinnamon rolls!
Michele says
Loved these for our holiday brunch buffet. The cinnamon frosting was to swoon for.
Nicole Kendrick says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Liz says
These were outstanding!!! I'm going to make them again for Christmas morning!!!
Michelle Naranjo says
Hi there! This recipe looks so good! I'm planning on making it tonight and I have a couple questions. First, it says for the tangzhong, "1 cup cup milk 125g milk". Is it supposed to be 1/2 cup/125g milk? Next, what time would you recommend starting this recipe or about how long should the overnight proof be?. About how long will it take for the second proof? I guess an example time table would be good. Thanks so much!
Swathi says
It is 1 cup, overnight proof will be 8-12 hours. Second proof will be until the dough reaches the rim, about 1-2 hours. All depend upon temperature your kitchen. it is hot, you need less time. Mine has room temperature of 76F . If you tried please share me a picture of your bread. Thanks
Michelle Naranjo says
I looked it up and one cup of milk is 240 grams, not 125g. I am about to make this today so hopefully I'm using the right amount.
Rose Jane Carcedo says
Looks delicious and easy to make! Will definitely be making this.
Erin says
Just a note: It says to cut into eight 2" pieces but gives the final count as 10. Going to make these for our Christmas breakfast this year!
Swathi says
no 10 pieces I will Update the recipe you need 10 make it tight.
Marysa says
I never make cinnamon rolls from scratch, but we usually have them around the holidays and it would be nice to make these for breakfast.
Catalina says
Mmm... I can't resist these cinnamon rolls. They are my favorite breakfast!
Richelle Milar says
This is absolutely perfect I know my kids would love this so much it looks absolutely delicious
Julie says
These turned out amazing! Can't wait to serve them again for my family at Christmas. Everyone loved them.
Rose Ann Sales says
This is such a really amazing recipe! It looks absolutely delicious I really love this!
Marisa Franca says
What a wonderful roll recipe celebrating the flavors of the season. I made a double batch of the sourdough rolls and they were a huge success. There wasn't one roll left. I'm going to have to make another batch so I can have some for Christmas. Great recipe!! Thank you.
Swathi says
Thanks for getting back your feedback I appreciate that.
Ana De- Jesus says
One of my favourite things about Christmas are Cinnamon rolls. These look delicious!
Beth Pierce says
I used to order this in Starbucks. I love their cinnamon roll but Now I can make my own at home. Thanks for sharing your recipe
Gervin Khan says
This one looks delicious and I am so excited to make this for everyone.
Amber Myers says
I am sure I would love this. I am all about gingerbread. This sounds like a tasty flavor.
Tasheena says
I'm sure this tastes amazing! I can't wait to give this recipe a try.
Tara Pittman says
Such a delicious way to cook these rolls. I will have to try these for the holidays.