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gooey sourdough sticky buns up close

Easy Sourdough Sticky Buns

The best sticky buns I've ever tasted have been made with sourdough.  There's something about the slight tang of the sourdough combined with the sweet stickiness of the rich caramel topping that makes these the absolute best sticky buns you'll ever eat!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Rise Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 40 minutes
Serving Size 12 people

Equipment

  • 1 Stand mixer. You can mix these rolls up by hand, but I usually use my favorite Bosch mixer and just mix up the dough while I’m cleaning up supper dishes in the evening.  This makes the rolls fast and easy to make.
  • 1 measuring cups and spoons
  • 1 Rolling Pin
  • 1 sharp knife
  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Saucepan (for making the caramel topping)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water or milk
  • 1 cup sourdough starter
  • ½ cup melted butter
  • ½ cup sugar or honey
  • ½ teaspoon teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 4-5 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder optional only use if baking right away
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda optional only use if baking right away

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

  • ½ cup softened butter
  • 1 ½ cup brown sugar
  • 2 Tbl. cinnamon

Easy Caramel Sauce for Sourdough Sticky Buns

  • ½ cup butter
  • ⅓ cup water
  • 1 ½ cup brown sugar

Instructions

  • In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the first six ingredients.
  • If using a mixer, start mixing on low speed and slowly add the flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
    If you’re not using a mixer, add the flour to the other ingredients in the bowl and knead until the dough comes together into a nice ball.  Stretch and fold or knead the dough every 15-30 minutes for a couple of hours.  This will develop the gluten similar to how the mixer develops it by mixing.
  • If you plan to let these rise overnight, you don't need to add the baking powder and baking soda.  If you plan to bake these right away, you'll need to add the baking powder and baking soda to the dough so that it will rise as it bakes.

Make The Caramel Topping

  • Combine the topping ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Turn heat down to a simmer and cook for one minute.  Allow to fully cool before pouring over rolls

Assemble The Cinnamon Rolls:

  • Combine the filling ingredients in a small bowl.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough using a rolling pin to ¼” thick in the shape of a rectangle.
  • Spread the filling ingredients on top of the dough (see video).
  • Roll the dough up, beginning with the long side of the rectangle.
  • Using a sharp serrated knife, cut rolls into approximately 1 ½” lengths.
    Place in a greased 12-inch cast-iron skillet or 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
  • Cover with plastic wrap or beeswax wrap and let the dough rise on the counter or in a warm place overnight.  If you need to wait longer than overnight to bake them, place them in the refrigerator, and pull them out to finish rising a couple of hours before baking.
  • You can also freeze these rolls at this point, and take them out of the freezer to raise and bake later on.
  • The next morning or when you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  • Pour the cooled caramel over the rolls before baking.  It will sink to the bottom of the pan, and form the sticky caramel topping for these rolls.
  • Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.  
  • Flip the rolls upside down on a platter so the caramel is on the top.  You can add nuts or toasted pecans if desired.
  • Serve warm with a cup of coffee or tea from Farmhouse Teas.
  • Savor every bite!  Store any leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to one week, although I know they'll never last that long.
  • If you try this recipe and love it, please come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @wagonwheelhomestead21 

Notes

  • To gain all of the health benefits from making these with long-fermented sourdough, be sure to allow them to bulk ferment at room temperature overnight.  This will ensure that most of the phytic acid and gluten in the flour are consumed by the sourdough starter making these much easier to digest especially if you are gluten intolerant.  Making them overnight also ensures that your caramel topping has cooled adequately, so the overnight option is my favorite.
  • If your sourdough starter is really thin, you may need to add a little more flour to this recipe.  I always mix them until the dough pulls away from the sides of my mixer bowl, or until it’s not super sticky if mixing up by hand.
  • You can mix these in a mixer (my favorite is a Bosch), or just mix up the dough and do a series of kneading or stretch and folds every few minutes for about an hour to develop the gluten in these rolls.  Then just roll them out, shape and allow to rise until double and then bake.
  • You can use string to cut the cinnamon rolls if you’d like, but I find that cutting them with a knife works just fine for my family.
  • It is perfectly safe to add the eggs to this dough and still allow the dough to bulk ferment at room temperature overnight because the good active bacteria in the sourdough starter will prevent any bad bacteria from forming on the eggs.
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