Sourdough Citrus Cinnamon Buns

I have been making sourdough bread for the past couple of months, and of course I have ventured out to other sourdough goodies. I am in love with these sourdough citrus cinnamon buns.

If you know sourdough, then you must know that patience is a virtue. I suggest letting the dough rise overnight because you need between 8-12 hours. Then after you have formed the cinnamon buns, another two hours for a second rise. So it really is a labor love.

Yeast would make this whole process faster of course.

I have adapted this recipe from The Clever Carrot.

I also had some tangerines on my kitchen counter and decided to add some of that zest both to the dough, as well as to the filling. This dough reminds me a little bit of tsoureki dough, which is the Greek Easter bread.

Cinnamon bun filling is usually butter, cinnamon & sugar. To that I added some more tangerine zest, ground cloves and cardamom to give it another layer of flavor.

Ingredients

Dough

1/2 cup sourdough starter

2/3 cups of milk

2 tbsp melted butter

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Zest of one tangerine or orange

Filling

1 stick of softened butter

2 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 cardamom

Zest of one tangerine (or orange)

Pinch of sea salt

Topping

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp melted butter

1 tbsp milk

1/4 cup whipped cream cheese

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of sea salt

Directions:

Melt the butter and add in the milk just to warm it up.

In a large bowl stir the sourdough starter, milk & butter together. Add the salt and sugar. Add in vanilla extract & tangerine zest. Add the egg. Add the flour a little at a time to incorporate. Form it into a dough.

Let it rest for 10 minutes. Then stretch and fold it as you would normally stretch and fold sourdough bread.

This dough is sticky. If you lightly oil your hands, it makes the dough easy to work with. You also want the bowl that you will let it rise in to be lightly oiled. I have olive oil at home, so that is what I use.

Cover that and place it in a warm place overnight or 8-12 hours. It will double in size.

In the morning you will form the cinnamon buns.

I drizzled a little oil on my work surface and spread the dough into a rectangle, around 9×12. You can eye ball it!

With a small silicone spatula, whip the butter in a bowl to make it spreadable. Spread it across the dough that you flattened out. Mix the sugar, cinnamon, clove, cardamom & tangerine zest ins bowl and sprinkle that over the buttered surface.

Roll it up and slice it evenly. Place them in a parchment lined 9 inch pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours.

Bake for 40 minutes at 350 F.

While they are in the oven, make the glaze.

Melt the butter & cream cheese together on low. To the warm liquid, add the sea salt, milk & vanilla. Then stir that into the powdered sugar till it comes together as a glaze.

Pour some of that over the hot cinnamon buns. Let them cool and pour the rest of it over them.

Perfect with coffee!!!

Kali Oreksi!