I have a theory…
Cinnamon rolls, like pizza, are enjoyable even when imperfect.
These sourdough einkorn cinnamon rolls, however, are better than just enjoyable. They are soft, fragrant, and beautiful — plus naturally fermented and made with the ancient wheat (einkorn) for additional nutrients and easier digestion.
What is Einkorn, Anyway?
Einkorn is a 5,000 year old variety of wheat that many find easier to digest than modern wheat (it has gentler gluten and less and gentler starch). Yet it’s a bit tricky to figure out how to use because it behaves differently. You can skip the learning curve by using tried and true recipes like this one, and…
…be sure to grab Wardee’s AMAZING no-knead einkorn bread recipe! It’s FREE, easy, and healthy, and takes only 15 minutes of hands-on time!
Click here for the free recipe: No-Knead Sourdough Einkorn Bread and learn how to make your own einkorn sourdough starter.
And soon your family will be saying: “This is the best bread EVER!”
About This Recipe
With the addition of butter, this einkorn dough is less sticky and more manageable than usual. I even use this dough for baking other tasties — like pies and pirogi (Russian stuffed pastries).
This recipe is my tried-and-true favorite. I bake it regularly for my family or guests.
You will need a standup mixer with a dough hook attachment, a flat surface for rolling out the dough, a rolling pin, and a cookie sheet.
Sourdough Einkorn Cinnamon Rolls
These cinnamon rolls are soft, fragrant, and beautiful -- plus naturally fermented for additional nutrients and easier digestion! Makes 16 cinnamon rolls.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1/3 cup pure water 80ml
- 2 tablespoons sourdough starter active
- 2/3 cup all-purpose einkorn flour
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose einkorn flour plus more for dusting
- 1 cup raw whole milk or dairy-free milk of choice warm
- 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 tablespoons grass-fed butter softened, 55g
- 1 organic or pastured egg beaten
For the filling:
- 4 tablespoons grass-fed butter softened
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup evaporated cane juice
- 1/3 cup pecans finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom optional
Instructions
Souring stage...
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Whisk water and sourdough starter until frothy.
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Add 2/3 cup all-purpose einkorn flour.
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Mix with a spoon until combined.
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Leave covered at room temperature until bubbly and airy. This could take anywhere from 3 to 4 hours, to 6 to 7 hours. It depends on your kitchen temperature, starter activity, and type of starter (whole grain and rye ferment more quickly).
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Once fermented, add warm milk to the bowl of a standup mixer.
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Add starter dough.
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Whisk until combined.
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Add 3 1/2 cups all-purpose einkorn flour. I use a medium sieve to sift it straight into the bowl.
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Add sugar and salt.
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Fit mixer with dough hook, and knead gently until everything is just combined. The dough will look dry and might be crumbly.
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Let rest for 20 to 30 minutes. During this time (called autolyse by bakers), the dough hydrates, becoming softer and more workable.
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Turn mixer on low speed.
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Add softened butter one piece at a time.
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Knead for about 10 minutes.
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Let the dough rest at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours.
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Transfer dough to refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours. This cold fermentation keeps the dough from getting sour. Einkorn's simpler structure and high mineral content causes it to ferment more quickly than most other grains.
Baking stage...
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Bring the dough to room temperature.
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Dust work surface generously with flour.
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Turn the dough onto surface, and knead it into a ball.
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Roll it out to make a rectangular shape. The size isn't that important -- you can stretch it later -- but I aim for about the size of 2 large cutting boards. The dough will want to spring back at first, but keep rolling and it will stretch nicely.
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To make the filling, combine all filling ingredients in a small bowl.
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Spread mixture on top of the dough.
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Fold dough in half.
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Cut dough longitudinally into 16 strips. I cut the dough in half, then each part in half again, and so on, until I get 16.
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Twist each strip and roll, tucking the ends underneath.
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Put rolls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
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Let rest again for 1 to 2 hours.
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
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Brush the rolls with beaten egg.
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Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden.
Recipe Notes
- Feel free to use whole grain einkorn flour instead of all-purpose. Keep in mind that the dough will be slightly harder to work with. Also, don't ferment it as long since whole grain flour sours much more quickly.
- I call this recipe sourdough but perhaps it is better called naturally leavened. I don't let it get too sour. Milk and butter both prevent sourness, as well as the addition of salt early on. Refrigeration also controls the level of sourness.
- If you prefer, cut more strips to make smaller rolls.*Substitute ground cardamom for cinnamon and almonds for pecans in the filling -- and enjoy a lovely variation of Swedish cardamom rolls!
Have you ever made sourdough einkorn cinnamon rolls? What is your favorite tried-and-true sourdough recipe?
And by the way, don’t forget to grab your FREE sourdough starter instructions and FREE no-knead einkorn bread recipe!
This recipe was also featured in our Traditionally Prepared Einkorn Goodies round-up!
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Wow – these look almost too beautiful to eat! I love the little spirals…but I’m not sure I understand how to do it. Can you explain more thoroughly, or differently? Thanks.
Hi Sherri, thank you so much! They are so lovely to look at, and fun to serve, my kids just adore them :). I think this image should help: http://www.beetsandbones.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/cinnamon-rolls-prep-steps.jpg. You could also do an internet search for ‘Swedish rolls’, there are a lot of videos out there showing the technique.
I think they look beautiful but was sort of disappointed to see that “All purpose flour” was used, and which is definitely lacking the nutrient-dense qualities of whole grain Einkorn and that traditional cooks once used!
We have done that same thing with whole wheat flour until it is now white and totally void of nutrition. How about making these same lovely rolls with 100% whole Einkorn so we can see and have the proper measurements. I see that it’s notated that whole Einkorn can be used, but there is nothing like a recipe. It’s easy to make great stuff from all purpose flours, the genius is in making and creating recipes with the real McCoy :>) – Whole grains.
Hi Maria, if you would like to use whole grain einkorn flour, the proportions and instructions are exactly the same, as is noted in the recipe. I have made these rolls with whole ground einkorn flour many times with equal success ~
Thanks for letting me know Valeria – I will give the recipe a try and post it on one of my blogs and reference your website. I reference Wardee’s site frequently and love the work she does.
Maria Atwood
Follow my blogs here:
http://tinyurl.com/prpaad3
Looks delicious. I make a similar roll but add orange rind and walnuts. Yummy!
SJ Smith- that sound delicious! I use orange juice in my apple dumplings and no one knows what makes it so good!
Can you use starter right out of the refrigerator to start this, or do you have to let it get to room temperature first?
Hi Peggy Sue, there is no rule set in stone. You can definitely use starter straight out of fridge, I often do. I use rye starter most of the time, which works great cold.
I notice there’s no icing! Would it clash w/the sour taste? Sounds very good!
Hello!! My family and I tried this recipe; however, we were really disappointed!!! Our cinnamon rolls were very doughy and chewy. Did this happen because our starter is new, or are the cinnamon rolls supposed to be really gooey? Your cinnamon rolls look beautiful and I love your blog. I really hope that this recipe could work out for us. Any suggestions?
A question on the milk: does it have to be dairy or would a nut or full fat coconut milk work?
Thanks! Can’t wait to try these.
What do you do with the egg? I couldn’t find its inclusion in the instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
Brush the rolls with beaten egg.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden.
I used whole wheat einkorn flour and it is extremely doughy. It won’t hold any shape. Any suggestions?
I used chocolate chips instead of pecans (because that’s what I had on hand) and just omitted the sugar in the filling. YUM!!! Would love to make a vegan version next time. Wondering what it would be like with coconut oil instead of butter and would a flax egg work for the brushing on top? Hmmm…
hello,
The recipe calls for sugar for the dough but sugar is not listed as an ingredient.
Also ingredients lists egg but it is not mention in the process?
Please clarify when to use the egg and how much sugar.
Can I assemble these rolls and then refrigerate them overnight to bake in the morning time? Will that ruin the sourdough somehow?
Also, can I just shape these like common cinnamon rolls instead of the twists?
Is the starter an einkorn starter or can it be made from a white flour?
Is there a substitute for cane juice?
I just made these and I’m excited to eat them. I replaced Maple syrup for the cane juice because that’s what I had. My dough looked beautiful until I started to roll them and then they fell apart. ? Is cane juice thicker than maple syrup? Also my dough was pretty sticky. Is that normal? I’m newer to purely einkorn cooking.