Mini Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls (Muffin Pan Recipe)
If you have zero self-control around cinnamon rolls (hi, it’s me), these mini sourdough cinnamon rolls baked in a 12-cup muffin pan are the perfect solution.
My kids absolutely love these, and they come in right around 225 calories each. They’re everything we love about ooey-gooey homemade cinnamon rolls, but in a smaller, cuter package.
Let me show you how to make them!
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Why You’ll Love These Mini Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- Built-in portion control: My jeans always feel a bit tighter after eating a full-size cinnamon roll. With these minis, I can still breathe.
- No stand mixer needed: If your mixer can handle a batch this small, great — but hand mixing is also totally doable.
- Wildly soft dough without the sourdough tang: The stiff sweet starter keeps tangy flavors at bay, and the tangzhong keeps the rolls soft for days. Both elements are VERY easy, so don’t panic (not that you were).
- So dang cute: Bake them in tulip-style parchment liners, and they look like they came from a boutique bakery. They also pop right out of the pan, making them perfect for gifting or breakfast on the go.
- Kid-approved: Mine grabbed the lined ones first and cleared six of them in a matter of five minutes! If you’re a larger family and have two muffin pans, consider doubling this recipe to make 24.
- Ready for breakfast: The overnight second rise means you can bake and enjoy them first thing in the morning. If your home is warmer than 77°F (25°C), use the same-day timeline instead; the overnight second rise may overproof the rolls.
- Gooey bottoms: A little half & half poured over the rolls before baking soaks in and gives them gooey, caramel-like bottoms, just like the full-size version.
Recipe Testing
The full-size version of these rolls was already tested by 387 home bakers, so this adaptation didn’t need the whole shebang. Instead, my baking assistant, Amanda, and I ran three quick rounds between the two of us.
The only real hurdle was nailing down the perfect size.
Round 1: Amanda cut a half batch into smaller rolls and baked them in a muffin pan. They were soft and delicious, but way too big — they overflowed onto the pan and made a sticky mess.
Round 2: She scaled the recipe down again (another 25% smaller than the half batch), which solved the size problem. It also made using a stand mixer questionable — most can’t handle such a small batch. So Amanda mixed by hand and confirmed it was totally fine and took about 10–15 minutes.
Round 3 (me): I baked Amanda’s version, but I had to throw in one more test (you know me). So, I baked half with liners and half without. You can do it either way, but we preferred the liners.
My kids gravitated to them (’cause they’re so grabbable), and the gooey, caramel-like bottoms stayed with the rolls instead of sticking to the muffin pan. My kids cleared out half of them in about five minutes.
Baker’s Timeline
My favorite timeline spreads out the process over three days — feed your starter at the end of Day 1, make your dough and cut the rolls on Day 2, and bake them first thing on Day 3. This timeline gives you fresh cinnamon rolls for breakfast, which was my goal.
| Original Timeline (Recommended) | |
|---|---|
| Time | Step |
| DAY 1: 5–8 PM (or dinnertime) | Make the stiff sweet starter. |
| DAY 2: 8 AM | Make the tangzhong and mix your dough; complete the first rise. |
| Around 12 PM (timing can vary) | Refrigerate the risen dough until bedtime. (Alternatively, cut and shape the rolls, place in muffin pan, refrigerate the pan, then pull it out at bedtime to complete the second rise.) |
| Before bed (around 8–9 PM) | Cut and shape rolls; place in muffin pan; complete second rise on the counter. |
| DAY 3: In the morning (around 7–8 AM) | Bake the rolls; let cool 5 minutes, then ice and enjoy! |
If you want to make and bake the rolls in one day, make sure to keep your dough in a warm spot. If the rolls aren’t bake-ready before bedtime, you can always refrigerate the pan and resume the next morning.
| Same-Day Timeline (Must Keep Dough Warm) | |
|---|---|
| Time | Step |
| The night before: 5–8 PM (or dinnertime) | Make the stiff sweet starter. |
| The next morning: 8 AM | Make the tangzhong and mix your dough; complete the first rise. |
| Around 12 PM (timing can vary) | Cut and shape rolls; place in muffin pan; complete second rise. |
| Late evening | Bake the rolls; let cool 5 minutes, then ice and enjoy! |
Equipment You’ll Need
- Small jar: For your stiff sweet starter. Any small jar or glass container works — this batch is tiny. I use this 1/5 L Weck mold jar, which isn’t usually on Amazon, so I ordered directly from Weck. If you’d rather skip Weck’s shipping, these 12-oz Weck jars on Amazon are another option, and pint-sized Mason jars are a bit bigger but work great too.
- Tovolo spatula: For mixing your starter.
- Kitchen scale: Essential for accurate measurements, especially for baking.
- Small mixing bowls: For the tangzhong and the main dough.
- Stand mixer (optional):This is a tiny batch, so many stand mixers won’t handle it. If yours can, use it; otherwise mixing by hand works great.
- Whisk: For the tangzhong and the filling.
- Rolling pin: For rolling out the dough.
- Bench scraper: For lifting the dough as you roll and keeping it from sticking.
- Pizza cutter or pastry wheel: For cutting clean strips.
- 12-cup muffin pan: I use a USA Pan muffin pan.
- Tulip cupcake liners (optional): These make the rolls look like they came from a bakery and help them pop out of the pan cleanly for gifting and passing around.
- Spatula: For spreading the cinnamon filling.
- Thermometer: For checking the tangzhong and the rolls for doneness.
Ingredients for Mini Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- Stiff sweet starter: Keeps the cinnamon rolls from tasting overly sour or tangy. It’s just like feeding your regular starter, but with less water and some sugar or honey. The stiffer consistency and added sweetener help keep acidity in check, reducing tangy flavors.
- Tangzhong: Absolutely essential if you want super soft, squishy cinnamon rolls. It’s just a cooked flour-and-milk paste, but it makes a massive difference. Read more about how tangzhong works here.
- Whole milk and cool water: The liquids that hydrate the dough. The cold milk and cool water lowers the temperature of the tangzhong so we can finish mixing the dough faster.
- Egg yolk: Just the yolk here. It’s the easiest way to scale one egg down to a small batch, and it adds richness and softness without extra liquid. Pop the egg white in the microwave and enjoy a quick snack!
- Vanilla extract: For that warm, cozy flavor throughout the dough.
- Sugar or honey: Used in the stiff sweet starter and just enough to sweeten the dough, but not too much — the cinnamon sugar filling is super sweet, so the dough is less sweet to keep things nicely balanced.
- Bread flour: Provides the structure for a soft but sturdy roll.
- Cinnamon: The star of the show! Ceylon cinnamon is my favorite, but if you like a spicy flair, try Saigon (Vietnamese) cinnamon instead.
- Sea salt: I use Redmond’s Real Salt (15% off with code TSG15) but any fine salt works.
- Unsalted butter, softened: Goes into the dough right after the gluten develops, and into the filling. Set it out ahead of time so it’s softened and ready.
- Brown sugar: The base of the filling.
- Half & half: Poured over the rolls right before baking for gooey, caramel-like bottoms.
- Cream cheese and powdered sugar: For the classic cream cheese icing.
Ingredient Substitutions
Because this is the same dough as my full-size cinnamon rolls, the substitutions that worked for those testers apply here too:
- Other types of milk: 2% milk was the most common successful swap among the original recipe testers. Almond, cashew, and soy milk also worked in the tangzhong.
- Equal parts whole milk and heavy cream: An easy swap for the half & half if that’s what you have on hand.
- Regular starter instead of stiff sweet starter: Use 70 g of active starter (fed equal weights flour and water) in place of the stiff sweet starter, then adjust the main dough: increase the bread flour to 205 g, decrease the cool water to 28 g, and add an extra 10 g of sugar. Note that your rolls may taste more sour and ferment a little faster.
Storing and Reheating
These store the same way as the full-size rolls, and thanks to the tangzhong, they stay soft for days.
Un-iced rolls: Cover and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you made cream cheese icing, store it separately in the fridge and add it when serving.
Iced rolls: Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 5 days. They’ll firm up and become stale faster, so warm them before serving.
Reheating: These firm up as they cool, but 15 seconds in the microwave makes them soft and gooey again.
Freezing: The full-size rolls freeze well after baking (wrapped well, up to 2–3 months, thawed overnight in the fridge and warmed at 350°F/175°C). Minis in liners should be especially easy to freeze individually.
Gifting: If you bake the rolls in liners, they lift straight out of the tin and can go into a gift box or bag as-is. I like to give away cinnamon rolls un-iced with the cream cheese icing in 2-ounce condiment cups.
Troubleshooting Tips
FAQs
You can cut the full-size recipe into more, smaller rolls, but they won’t fit a standard muffin pan — that’s what we tried first, and they overflowed. This scaled-down version is sized specifically for muffin cups.
No, you don’t need liners for mini cinnamon rolls — I baked half a batch with liners and half without, and they both turned out great. Liners make the rolls prettier and easier to gift, and they need about 2 extra minutes to bake through.
Yes, you can freeze these — just bake them first. Cool completely, wrap well, and freeze the icing separately in a freezer bag. I don’t recommend freezing unrisen dough freezing unrisen dough because it may not rise reliably after thawing. I’ve heard from bakers whose rolls never rose after freezing. Fully baked rolls, on the other hand, taste incredible thawed, so it’s a no-brainer for me.
You might also want to try: Cozy Pumpkin Spice & Maple Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Mini Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- Small jar for your starter
- Tovolo spatula to mix your starter
- Thermometer to check tangzhong and rolls for doneness
- Mixing bowls for the tangzhong and main dough
- Pizza cutter or pastry wheel
- Tulip cupcake liners optional
Ingredients
Stiff Sweet Starter
- 10 g sourdough starter ideally, fed within the last day — needs to be healthy!
- 10 g sugar or honey
- 20 g warm water
- 40 g bread flour
Tangzhong
- 15 g bread flour
- 70 g whole milk
Main Dough
- all of the tangzhong
- 30 g whole milk
- 38 g cool water
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 10 g sugar or honey
- 1 tsp cinnamon optional
- all of the stiff sweet starter
- 195 g bread flour
- 5 g sea salt
- 32 g unsalted butter, softened
Filling
- 53 g unsalted butter, softened
- 65 g brown sugar
- 6 g cinnamon
Before Baking
- 32 g half & half for pouring over the rolls
Cream Cheese Icing
- 14 g unsalted butter, softened
- 85 g cream cheese, softened
- 125 g powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon optional
- pinch of salt
Before You Begin
Instructions
- Make the stiff sweet starter: In the early evening (5–8 PM), mix 10 g sourdough starter, 10 g sugar or honey, 20 g warm water, and 40 g bread flour until it forms a ball. Knead outside of the jar to fully incorporate the ingredients. Cover loosely and let ferment in a warm place until morning. See Notes for timing and tips. You can make the tangzhong (see next step) right now and refrigerate it overnight, if preferred.
- Make the tangzhong: In the morning, mix 15 g bread flour and 70 g whole milk in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until the mixture thickens and reaches 150°F (65°C). Let cool slightly; then, transfer all of the tangzhong to your main mixing bowl.
- Mix the dough: Whisk in 30 g whole milk (cold from the fridge) and 38 g cool water. This cools the tangzhong so it doesn't kill the starter. Gradually whisk in 1 large egg yolk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 10 g sugar or honey, and 1 tsp cinnamon (optional). Finally, add all of the stiff sweet starter, 195 g bread flour, and 5 g sea salt. Knead until fully combined, about 7–10 minutes. If using a mixer*, knead on a low speed for 5–10 minutes. Then, add 32 g unsalted butter, softened, and continue kneading until very smooth. This takes about 5 minutes by hand or 2–3 minutes in a stand mixer.*This is a small dough quantity. Check that your mixer can handle tiny batches, or consider doubling the recipe if you don't want to knead by hand.
- First rise (bulk fermentation): Transfer your soft, smooth dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place — 75–85°F (24–29°C) until it has risen by about 30% and small bubbles appear under the surface and around the sides of the bowl (3–6 hours). If you press into the dough, it should hold an indent.
- Now, you must choose your own adventure: • If you want to bake tomorrow morning (recommended): Refrigerate the dough until bedtime, then shape the rolls and let them rise on the counter overnight. (Or shape now, refrigerate the pan, and set it out at bedtime to rise while you sleep.) • If you want to bake tonight: Shape now and let the rolls rise in a warm spot until ready to bake. If they aren't fully risen by bedtime, refrigerate the pan and finish rising in the morning.
- Prepare the filling: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together 53 g unsalted butter, softened, 65 g brown sugar, and 6 g cinnamon. If it's too stiff to spread, microwave in 5-second intervals until softened.
- Generously flour your work surface and dump out the dough. Flour the top of your dough. Roll into a 9" x 12" rectangle. While you roll, lift the sheet of dough regularly and push additional flour underneath with a bench scraper to prevent sticking.
- Spread the filling with a spatula, leaving a 1-inch bare strip at the top. Thin that strip with your thumb; a brush of milk or cream helps it seal later.
- Use a pizza cutter or pastry wheel to cut the sheet in half. Then, cut each half in half again (to make four sections). Now, each section can be cut into three equal strips.Roll up your 12 strips and place them in a muffin pan (optionally, line the pan with tulip cupcake liners).
- Second rise: Cover with plastic wrap and let proof on the counter overnight. This worked great for me doing 10–12 hours at 70–75°F (21–24°C).Avoid doing the second rise above 77°F (25°C), or the rolls may overproof by morning.
- Bake: In the morning, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) conventional with a rack in the middle position. Pour 32 g half & half over the cinnamon rolls (about 1/2 tsp per roll) and bake for 13–17 minutes, or until the internal temperature is around 195°F (90°C). Lined rolls take a couple of minutes longer than unlined ones, so check with a thermometer.
- Make the icing: While the rolls are baking, whisk together 14 g unsalted butter, softened, 85 g cream cheese, softened, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional). Then add 125 g powdered sugar and a pinch of salt.
- When the cinnamon rolls are finished, let them cool for about 5 minutes before removing them from the pan and adding your icing. Enjoy!
- Store un-iced rolls covered at room temperature for up to 3 days (store cream cheese icing separately in the fridge), or refrigerate iced rolls for up to 5 days.
Notes
Conclusion
If you don’t want a big pan of cinnamon rolls tempting you, these mini sourdough cinnamon rolls are the perfect alternative. The recipe also feels like less of a production to me — I know the steps are the same, but the smaller scale just feels easier.
If you make them, I’d love to see! Share a photo in the comments or tag me on Instagram @thatsourdoughgal.
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