Overnight Cinnamon Rolls - Sourdough

Modified from Alton Brown's original. Replaced commercial dry yeast with sourdough starter, changed instructions accordingly

Ingredients

Instructions

Yield:

12 rolls

Prep time:

45 minutes

Cook time:

30 minutes

Ready in:

36 hours

Recipe Type:

Bread

Breakfast

1. Sourdough Starter Preparation (6-12 hours)
2. Remove starter from refrigerator, feed with water and flour - scant on the water, heavy on the flour - make it a heavy sponge rather than light batter. Cover and proof for 6 hours or until good and active.
3. Take out about 1/4 cup of the starter to use in the recipe, return the rest to the fridge. You need enough of the beasties to rise the dough, but not so much that it adds any significant amount of water to the recipe. The commercial yeast version calls for no water at all, so later when adding buttermilk, be a bit scant on that measurement.
4. Make the dough (4-6 hours)
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add the salt, mix until it is completely dissolved.
6. Add about a cup of the flour and mix well. This gives you a batter that has the salt dissolved and a bit of flour as a buffer for the starter - salt can kill the yeast in the starter so don't take shortcuts in this part of the process.
7. Add the starter and another cup of flour; whisk until moistened and combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl.
8. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl - clear glass is best so you can see what's going on during the rise. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let double in volume, 3 to 6 hours.
9. This is a somewhat challenging dough for the yeast, so it's difficult to predict how long it will take for the doubling to occur. Prepare for a rather long slow rise. As long as you can see bubbles, you're ok. Rising at 85° in a proofing box is best - warmer than "room temp" is a bit faster, and it's far more controlled and predictable.
10. Filling and Pan prep (just before the end of the first rise)
11. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use. Melt the butter in a small cup, ready to be brushed onto the rolled-out dough.
12. Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish.
13. Shaping the rolls, refrigerator rest/rise (up to 16 hours)
14. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.
15. Using sourdough starter rather than commercial yeast, allow for longer than "overnight" on this step. Additional time allows additional flavor to develop
16. Baking the rolls (2 hours)
17. Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.
18. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
19. When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 190° F on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 30 minutes.
20. Icing the rolls
21. While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.

Tips for Success

Cooking Tips

Cold eggs separate much easier, so separate them right when they come out of the fridge. Let sit out for about 30 minutes to get to room temperature - but not longer than an hour or they'll spoil.

Schedule for Sunday morning rolls: Friday morning: Starter Preparation, get starter active Friday evening: Make the Dough, leave to rise overnight Saturday morning: Shaping, begin refrigerator rise Sunday morning: bake and eat

Ingredient Tips

Reviews

Source Information

Classic Sourdoughs, A Home Baker's Handbook, Alton Brown,

• Episode#: EA1003, House of the Rising Bun