Looking for the PERFECT Sunday morning breakfast? Look no further, because these Overnight Sourdough Cinnamon Twists are sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face! These Cinnamon Twists take a fun twist on traditional Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls, without sacrificing the ooey-gooey center that we all know and love.
Sunday mornings are probably my favorite part of the week. Growing up, my parents would bring my sister and I to our local diner every Sunday morning. I learned how to read from the comic section of the Sunday morning newspaper, in that diner booth. After my father passed when I was 13, Sunday mornings lost its magic, and after a while, Sunday mornings were just another day.
However, I am determined to ignite that magic again for my own family today! And I have found the BEST recipe to do just that! These have become a staple in my house, as my husband has now decided that our Sunday breakfast table is not complete without these gooey, buttery, flakey delights. Thankfully for him, and our three-year-old, these are SO easy to make, so I don’t have to sacrifice extra time with my family to make them. This recipe is a rendition of a phenomenal cinnamon roll recipe by Made in Motherhood, who has a plethora of incredible recipes that everyone should try!
Why My Family Loves These
My favorite part of this recipe is that you can really get creative with it! Not a fan of twists? No problem! This recipe can easily be transformed into the original Cinnamon Rolls that we all know, just by adjusting the shaping! You can also play with the fillings, which I LOVE! These would taste great with the original cinnamon/sugar filling, or you can get creative and add Strawberries and cream cheese, or even blueberries to really kick it up a notch!
Personally, I think that one of the most important parts of Cinnamon Twist deliciousness is a perfect icing to drizzle on top, although, my daughter loves just dunking them in the icing. The icing recipe that I have provided is my go-to recipe after countless trial and errors, and I love that it gives just the right pop of sweetness without being too overpowering.
This recipe requires minimal work; you can even skip that tedious kneading process, as this recipe is designed to not need it! I prefer to add it, because I *secretly* love stretch and folds lol. But, I mean, who doesn’t love the irresistible combination of fluffy tangy sourdough, gooey cinnamon sugar filling, and melty sweet icing? Couldn’t be me! If you agree, then save this recipe because it is bound to be a new family favorite!
Dough Ingredients:
Sourdough Starter – This recipe requires an established sourdough starter that is a minimum of 14 days old.
Bread Flour – I prefer to use bread flour over all-purpose flour for this recipe, as it provides the best rise, especially if choosing to forgo the stretch-and-fold process. My favorite flour to use for this recipe is King Arthur Bread Flour.
Sugar – Sugar plays an important role in bread-making, as it gives the yeast a boost to help the dough rise. Being that this is a sourdough recipe, your sourdough starter contains its own wild yeast, and needs the sugar to boost the rise. Plus, it makes the dough sweet! Any type of sugar can be used.
Salt – Salt helps to strengthen and flavor the dough, to help cut through the sweetness without tasting salty.
Egg – For best results, utilize room temperature eggs when making this recipe so as to not shock the dough and to ensure a tender dough.
Butter – Room temperature butter is preferred for this recipe, as it’s easier to work with and incorporate into the dough. You may use either unsalted or salted butter, but if using salted butter, omit the salt from the recipe.
Filling:
Butter – Room temperature butter should be used for the filling, so that you can spread it easier along the dough.
Brown Sugar – You can use either light or dark brown sugar for the filling, depending on what you have on hand. However, dark brown sugar gives the gooiest and sweetest filling.
Cinnamon – I mean, this is a given. You couldn’t have Cinnamon Twists without cinnamon! However, if you want to really kick it up a notch, try adding some nutmeg too!
Icing:
Butter – Butter helps add a rich and creamy texture to this icing, which also helps it to melt onto the twists when warm. Room temperature butter is again ideal for this icing, to ensure that it reaches the right consistency.
Heavy Cream/Milk – For this recipe I use a combination of room temperature heavy cream and milk as I prefer a creamier icing, however, this can be adjusted to your families taste and preferences; all milk, half & half, or a non-dairy alternative.
Powdered Sugar – Any brand of powdered sugar will work fine in this recipe!
Vanilla Bean Paste – This is an optional ingredient, but vanilla bean paste provides that pop of vanilla richness that traditional vanilla extract just can’t match! If you prefer no vanilla, you can omit this ingredient all together.
Suggested Bakers Schedule
This is a rough suggested baker’s schedule, which can be adjusted to fit your family’s schedule. Sourdough requires a long fermentation time, so you should expect to begin the process for these the day before you plan to bake and serve them. Rise times may vary based on temperature and location of your home. My house always runs on the warmer side (roughly 70-74F), so I feed my starter later in the day of Day 1. If your house runs on the cooler side, I suggest starting the process earlier in the day, such as 10am, to ensure your starter at least doubles in size.
1 PM (day 1): Feed sourdough starter.
IF DOING STRETCH AND FOLDS:
8 PM (day 1): Combine the ingredients for the dough and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
8:40 PM (day 1): Strengthen the dough through a series of stretch and folds, for a total of 3 stretch and folds, spaced 20 minutes apart.
9:40 PM (day 1): Cover and allow to bulk ferment on the counter overnight.
IF NOT STRENGTHENING THE DOUGH:
9 PM (day 1): Combine the ingredients for the dough, then cover and allow to bulk ferment on the counter overnight.
7 AM (day 2): Combine filling ingredients and roll dough out into a 9″x11″ rectangle and spread the filling.
7:30 AM (day 2): Cut rectangle in half, and place one half of dough on top of the other, filling side down. Cut into 8 strips and gently twist each strip to create a spiral shape.
8 AM (day 2): Cover for the second rise.
10 AM (day 2): Bake sourdough twists and mix icing.
10:45 (day 2): Frost and serve.
Overnight Sourdough Cinnamon Twists
Course: BreakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy8
servings40
minutes619
kcal14
HoursLooking for the PERFECT Sunday morning breakfast? Look no further, because these Simple Sourdough Cinnamon Twists are sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face! These Cinnamon Twists take a fun twist on traditional Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls, without sacrificing the ooey-gooey center that we all know and love.
Ingredients
- Dough Ingredients
120g Sourdough Starter – Bubbly and active
200g Room temperature whole milk
70g Granulated sugar
1 Large egg – Room temperature
430g Bread flour
7g Salt
8Tbs (112g) Room temperature butter
- Cinnamon Sugar Filling Ingredients
6Tbs (85g) Room temperature butter
1/2 C (85g) Dark brown sugar (packed)
1/2 Tbsp Cinnamon
- Icing Ingredients
3 Tbsp Room temperature butter
1/4 C + 1Tbsp (55g) Heavy Cream
3Tbsp (46g) Milk
1/2 Tbsp Vanilla Bean Paste
1 1/4 C (140g) Powdered sugar
Directions
- Assembling The Dough
- In a large bowl, combine the active sourdough starter and room temperature milk with a whisk or Danish Dough Whisk until starter is fully dissolved. Once fully dissolved, whisk the room temperature egg and granulated sugar into the mixture until fully incorporated.
120g Sourdough Starter | 200g Milk | 70g Sugar | 1 Large Egg - In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt and whisk until combined. Then slowly sift the flour and salt mixture into the wet ingredients, consistently stirring until it begins to form a shaggy dough.
430g Bread Flour | 7g Salt - Add room temperature butter to the shaggy dough and mix by hand until fully incorporated. You may also use a stand mixer to complete this step. It is important to note that if the butter is not at room temperature, mixing will be very difficult and may result in uneven distribution of the butter. (if not doing stretch and folds, proceed to step 6)
8Tbs Butter - If doing stretch and folds:
- Once dough is fully combined, cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes. You may cover with a damp cloth, saran wrap, or my personal go-to, a good-old disposable shower cap.
- After resting, uncover dough and perform the first set of stretch and folds by pulling up one edge of the dough and folding it over itself, repeating until you have gone around the bowl twice. Allow to rest for 20 minutes and then repeat the stretch and fold process until you have completed 3 sets of stretch and folds over the course of one hour.
- Bulk Fermentation
- Cover your dough and allow to bulk ferment at room temperature, on the counter overnight. Bulk fermentation times are dependent on the temperature of your home and can vary. It is always best to read your dough, not the clock, to determine appropriate fermentation times. Your dough should be at least doubled in size, domed on top, and easily pull away from the sides of the bowl. If using a glass bowl, you should see bubbles throughout the bottom of the dough.
- Shape Your Twists
- In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and brown sugar and set aside.
85g brown sugar | 1/2Tbsp Cinnamon - Lightly dust your workstation with flour prior to turning your dough out to ensure that it does not stick when rolled. Turn your dough out onto your workstation and lightly press the dough into a rectangular shape, this will help to ensure the dough stays a uniform shape when rolling. Then, with a floured rolling pin, roll your dough into a 12″x18″ rectangle.
- Gently spread the room temperature butter on the top of the dough, leaving a 1/2″ margin along the top and bottom of the dough. This margin will help seal the twists and avoid them coming apart during the second rise.
6Tbs butter - Then, spread the cinnamon sugar filling on top of the butter layer that you just spread. Follow with gently pressing the filling into the butter to ensure that it sticks.
- Next, with a non-serrated knife (or a pizza cutter), cut the rectangle in half and place one half on top of the other, filling side down, and gently press to create a seal. Like a cinnamon-ey sandwich.
- For this step, I prefer to use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 8 strips, about 1 1/2″ wide. Then twist each strip, beginning by pinching the seam at the top and bottom of the strip, and twisting until you create a spiral shape.
- Line a 9×13″ baking tray with parchment paper and gently place each twist into the dish. Cover and allow to rise at room temperature for about 2-3 hours, until they become visibly puffy and increase in size. Rise times are dependent on the temperature of your home and can vary. It is always best to read your dough, not the clock, to determine appropriate fermentation times.
- Let’s Bake!
- Preheat your oven to 350°F
- Once your cinnamon twists are visibly puffy and have increased in size, place on the center rack of your preheated oven, and bake for 30-35 minutes.
- While baking, assemble your icing using an electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat the butter, heavy cream, milk, vanilla bean paste, and powdered sugar on medium speed until well combined.
3Tbs butter | 55g Heavy Cream | 46g Milk | 1/2Tbs Vanilla Bean Paste | 140g Powdered sugar - Once your cinnamon twists are golden brown, take out of the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes prior to drizzling with icing. Then serve and enjoy your family’s new favorite breakfast!
Notes
- Strengthening the dough is optional, but I highly recommend it to help develop the gluten in the dough, which helps get that fluffy dough consistency. This can be done via stretch and folds, or in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment for about 10 minutes.
Leave a Reply