Overnight Sourdough Cinnamon Buns

Weekend-morning buns without the 5am alarm: the enriched dough does its slow proving in the fridge while you sleep.

Ingredients

Dough

• 100g active sourdough starter
• 220g whole milk, lukewarm
• 1 egg
• 50g soft butter
• 50g caster sugar
• 450g strong white bread flour
• 8g fine sea salt

Filling

• 75g very soft butter
• 90g soft light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Glaze

• 100g icing sugar
• 40g cream cheese
• Splash of milk

Method

1. Mix (afternoon). Whisk starter, milk, egg and sugar. Add flour and salt, mix to a shaggy dough, then work in the soft butter. Knead 8–10 minutes until smooth and slightly glossy.
2. Bulk. Cover and leave somewhere warm until puffy and grown by half — 4–5 hours. Enriched dough is slower; be patient.
3. Fill & roll (evening). Roll to roughly 35×45cm. Spread with the filling right to the edges. Roll up from the long side into a snug log and cut into 9 with a sharp knife or floss.
4. Cold prove. Arrange in a lined 23cm square tin, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
5. Bake (morning). Take the tin out while the oven heats to 180°C fan. Bake 22–25 minutes until deep golden.
6. Glaze. Beat the glaze ingredients and spread over the buns while warm, so it melts into the swirls.

These are best the day they're baked — which has never once been a problem.