Bunny Buns Sour Dough Cinnamon Rolls
Bunny Buns Sour Dough Cinnamon Rolls are a whimsical and delicious Easter tradition that will have everyone in your family hopping with delight. Made with a sourdough-based dough that is deeply flavorful, these cinnamon rolls are swirled with a cinnamon-brown sugar filling that has caramelized undertones. To top it off, these rolls are finished with a generous slathering of creamy hazelnut cream cheese frosting that’s the perfect complement to the warm, comforting flavors of the cinnamon and sourdough.
Servings: 8 buns
Equipment
- Kitchen scale
- 9x13-inch cake pan
Ingredients
- (Inspired by Baker Bettie’s Sour Dough Cinnamon Rolls)
- 2/3 cup (152g) whole milk
- 1 ¼ cups (150g) sourdough starter (see recipe note)
- ½ cup (99g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (75g) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ (21g) egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 ¼ cups (510g) all-purpose flour
Filling:
- 5 Tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ Tablespoons (18g) cinnamon
- ½ cup (106.5g) brown sugar
Hazelnut Frosting:
- 4 ounces (113g) cream cheese
- ¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon hazelnut emulsion (or vanilla extract)
- 1 ½ cup (170g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Add milk to bowl of stand mixer with bread hook attachment. Add sourdough starter, and then all other ingredients.
- Use stand mixer to mix on low until all ingredients are combined. Continue to knead in mixer or by hand for 5-10 minutes.
- Place dough in bowl coated with non-stick spray. Cover with lid or tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 24-36 hours for a slow rise. This is the bulk ferment stage (or first rise) and where the complex flavor is produced.
- Remove from refrigerator and allow to warm at room temperature for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Prepare a 9x13-inch metal cake pan by coating lightly with non-stick spray. Soften butter. In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon together.
- Spray countertop with non-stick spray. Place dough on countertop and use rolling pin to create a rectangle shape, approximately 24x10-inches and ¼-inch thick.
- Spread 1/3 cup softened butter over the dough, then sprinkle generously with brown sugar and cinnamon mixture until completely covered to the edges.
- With a pizza cutter, create 8 long strips—cut lengthwise (each approximately 1 ¼-inch wide and 24-inches long). Then cut one vertical line at approximately the 16-inch mark—splitting the strips into 2/3 and 1/3 portions.
- Take each 16-inch strip, and starting at one end, roll it tightly into a spiral.
- Take each 8-inch strip, and fold each end to the center. Then fold each end to the reverse side (making an M shape). Pinch the bottom of the M shape to create two ears.
- Place the spiral circle rolls in a prepared 9x13-inch pan, with the seam on top and leaving a little space between each roll and a place for the ears above each spiral circle. Place the ears above the seam of the circle and press the ears and circle together (even indenting the dough a little at the connection point).
- Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours a room temperature (or 45 minutes in 200°F pre-heated oven—turned off before placing rolls inside). This is the 2nd rise.
- Just before rolls are ready to bake, remove from oven, remove plastic wrap, and preheat oven to 350°F. Place toothpicks at the connection spot of the ears and the circle to keep the ear shape, if needed.
- Bake bunny buns at 350°F for 30-35 minutes, or until buns are browned and cooked through.
- While baking, make hazelnut frosting by mixing all ingredients together at same time with a hand mixer, until smooth.
- When buns are hot from the oven, spread hazelnut frosting generously on each bun with a pastry brush or spoon. Frosting will melt into and around each bun.
Notes
The actual weight in grams of sour dough starter can vary depending on the thickness and consistency of the starter. For the most accurate measurement, use a kitchen scale. And… a little extra starter in your recipe won’t do any harm.