Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Picture your kitchen smelling like warm cinnamon and baked apples, with a batch of soft, pillowy rolls fresh out of the oven and a swirl of maple cream cheese icing melting into every layer.
These sourdough apple cinnamon rolls use only your sourdough starter, no commercial yeast at all, and they still come out soft and fluffy. I use heirloom apples for the best flavor, though any apple works, and I finish everything with a rustic maple cream cheese icing.
Just like my sourdough cinnamon rolls and my sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls, this apple version belongs on your list, especially once apples are in season and we want to make the most of them.
You can make this recipe the same day or set up an overnight cold rise so that they’re ready fresh in the morning. Either way, you’ll want a very active, bubbly starter going in, since there’s no commercial yeast to back it up.
Below, I’ll walk you through what makes this version different, what to know about the ingredients, and give you step-by-step instructions.
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What makes these sourdough apple cinnamon rolls special
Ingredients
For the dough:
- Milk: any milk works, and I like to gently warm mine up to help activate the sourdough starter
- Sourdough starter: make sure it’s very happy and active (if you don’t have one, check out my simple method to make your own sourdough starter)
- Sugar: I use regular cane sugar
- Butter: make sure the butter is very soft
- Flour: I use regular AP flour
- Eggs: large eggs at room temperature work best here
- Salt: without salt, these rolls would taste flat
For the apple filling:
- Apples: I always like to use heirloom apples but any variety works
- Butter: make sure it’s very soft and use European-style butter such as Kerrygold for the best flavor
- Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar works
- Cinnamon: without it, they wouldn’t be cinnamon rolls
For the icing:
- Cream cheese: I like to leave it at room temperature for several hours to soften it up
- Maple syrup: this really complements the apple flavor
- Vanilla extract: just a hint is nice
Useful tools and equipment
- Stand mixer with a dough hook, or a large bowl and your hands
- A small saucepan for sautéing the apples
- 9×13-inch baking dish
- Rolling pin
- Bench scraper, sharp knife, or pizza cutter for slicing the rolls
- Plastic wrap or a reusable cover for rising
Tips
Helpful Tips for Success
- Your starter needs to be very active going into this recipe. If it isn’t reliably doubling within a few hours of feeding, give it another feeding or two before you start.
- Mix the dough just until it’s uniform. Overmixing makes it stiffer and the rolls denser.
- Saute the apples first. Raw chopped apples will tear the dough as you roll it and release too much liquid while baking.
- Make sure your butter is very soft, not melted, for both the dough and the filling.
- While I love the intense apple flavor and like to make a generous amount of filling, just know that it tends to make the rolls more moist and less fluffy. If you like your sourdough rolls more fluffy, I recommend decreasing the filling by about 15-20 percent.
⏰ Sample Schedule
Overnight method: Feed your starter in the morning so it’s active by evening. Mix the dough and let it bulk rise that afternoon, then roll, fill, and shape the rolls in the evening. Cover and refrigerate overnight, then bake fresh in the morning.
Same-day method: Feed your starter early so it’s fully active by the time you’re ready to mix. Mix the dough, bulk rise, fill, shape, do a shorter second rise, and bake, all in one day. This method is faster but leaves less room for error if your starter isn’t at its peak.
How to make this dish
This is a summary of the recipe steps. For the complete instructions, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Activate sourdough starter with warm milk
- Add the remaining dough ingredients and mix into uniform dough.
- Saute the apples until soft.
- Mix the brown sugar butter mixture.
5. Roll out the dough and spred brown sugar butter mixture evenly.
6. Spread sauteed apples evenly.
7. Cut the dough into 12 long strips.
8. Roll it up into rolls.
9. Transfer them to a greased baking dish.
10. Whip up the cream cheese frosting.
11. Let the sourdough apple cinnamon rolls cool slightly before spreading the frosting on them.
How to serve
These are best served warm, right after the icing has had a minute to melt slightly into the swirls. They are great for a fall brunch, a holiday breakfast table, or simply with a cup of coffee on a weekend morning.
Make ahead of time?
The overnight cold rise (above) is the easiest make-ahead option: shape the rolls the night before and bake them fresh the next day.
How long do the sourdough apple cinnamon rolls last?
Room Temperature: Safe for up to 24 to 48 hours in an airtight container, though the fresh apples and dairy icing make refrigeration safer.
Refrigerator: They keep fresh for 4 to 5 days when sealed tightly. The cream cheese icing and cooked apples require refrigeration for optimal food safety and quality.
Freezer: They keep for up to 2 months. Freeze them without the icing for best results, then add fresh icing after thawing and reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You need an active, bubbly starter for this recipe. There’s no commercial yeast in this dough, so the starter is doing all the lifting. Discard won’t give you enough rise.
I use heirloom apples because I love the flavor (and I have access to them), but any apple you have on hand will work. Just remember to sauté the chopped apples first.
This usually comes down to a few things: an underactive starter, a dough that was mixed too long, or too much apple filling. Mix just until the dough is uniform, and make sure your starter is very active before you start. You might also like to experiment with the amount of filling.
While I feel that the slight dairy tartness of the cream cheese brings out the best flavor of the apple cinnamon rolls, you can easily frost them with caramel sauce or your favorite icing.
Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the dough:
- ½ c milk warm
- 1 c sourdough starter very active
- ⅔ c sugar
- ½ c butter very soft
- 4 c flour
- 2 large eggs
- ½ tsp salt
For the filling:
- 2 c apples peeled, cored, chopped
- 6 TBSP butter soft
- ½ c brown sugar
- 1 ½ TBSP ground cinnamon
For the icing:
- 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- ¼ c maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the dough:
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm milk and sourdough starter. Mix well.
- Add the remaining dough ingredients and mix until combined.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rest in a warm place for several hours or until visibly risen.
To make the filling:
- Peel, core, and finely chop the apples.
- Saute the apples in 1-2 TBSP of water until they are very soft. Let them cool down in the skillet.
- In a medium bowl, mix butter with sugar and cinnamon powder. Set it aside.
Assemble and bake the rolls:
- Lightly grease a 9"x13" baking dish.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 14"x22".
- Spread the butter-sugar mixture evenly on the dough. Spread the sauteed apples evenly on the dough.
- Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut 6-8 slices and carefully roll them up.
- Carefully set them into the prepared baking dish. Bake them in a preheated oven at 350˚F (177˚C) for about 30 minutes. Let them slightly cool off after baking.
Make the icing:
- In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
- With a handheld blender, whip the icing until soft and no lumps are visible.
Finish:
- Spread the icing evenly over the still warm sourdough apple cinnamon rolls.
Notes
- you can either make these apple cinnamon rolls in one day OR let the rolls cold-ferment in the refrigerator overnight and bake them the next morning
- I like to not overmix my dough as it makes the cinnamon rolls slightly fluffier but if you like them a bit stiffer, you can mix the dough for a few minutes
- feel free to use a caramel sauce or your favorite topping instead of the cream cheese icing
Nutrition
Other sourdough recipes you might like
If you love this recipe, you’ll want to try the rest of the sourdough cinnamon roll family. Start with my original sourdough cinnamon rolls if you haven’t made those yet, or go for my sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls once pumpkin season hits. And if you fell for that maple cream cheese icing here, it’s the same one I use on my sourdough carrot cake, so that one’s worth a look too.
I’d love to see your fall batch! Tag me @ourgabledhome or use #ourgabledhome so I can see your rolls, and drop any questions in the comments below. I read every one.
