My original DGBD sourdough cinnamon roll recipe with all the comfort of a slice of homemade banana bread. This recipe is inspired by many banana-bread muffin mornings with my Dad. He would walk up the street to get a banana bread muffin from our local corner-store (often) and come home and toast it, top it with butter and most importantly, gave me half. When I was brainstorming what sweets I wanted at my "girl dinner" dinner party, I wanted comfort. I have been on a real cinnamon roll kick and knew combining these two sweet "desserts" had the potential to make a beautiful banana love child.
Sourdough starter in the dough adds layers of complex bread flavors to marry the sweet enriched dough. It keeps the dough fluffy and hydrated, for a moist end result. In this recipe I added a touch of cinnamon to the dough as well to add some flavor harmony, and light color. Just like in banana bread, reach for those ripe/overripe bananas, and we use it to mix in with our cinnamon roll filling. The sugars in the bananas substitute for more added sugar and that signature caramel-banana touch.
This dough usually takes about 6 hours total rising time before it's ready to roll and bake.
The way I have been able to not compromise on flavor and time, is just making the dough in the stand-mixer the night before. By prepping the dough the night before, it allows you to let it rise for 6-8 hours while you sleep, so when you wake up in the morning all you have to do is prep your filling, roll and bake for flawless banana bread cinnamon rolls. It can be done by hand as well, just takes a lot more elbow grease. Between the beautiful texture of a sourdough cinnamon roll and the added banana bread filling, it's a gold star recipe in my eyes.
What You'll Need:
**makes 12 medium cinnamon buns
260g warm milk (90˚F)
185g active sourdough starter
60g white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1 TB vanilla
2 cups AP flour, 2 cups Bread flour
4 TB softened butter
For the Banana Bread Cinnamon Roll Filling
2 medium bananas, very ripe
1 TB brown sugar
1 TB cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
5 TB softened butter
Let's Make It:
In a large mixing bowl add 260g of warm milk.
In the same bowl as your milk, add 185-195g active sourdough starter, 60g sugar, vanilla and your eggs. Mix together and attach your dough hook to your stand mixer.
To your bowl, add your bread flour 1 cup at a time. During this time add your tsp of cinnamon to the dough. Knead on low for 5-6 minutes. The dough will be pulling away from the sides and not sticky.
Flour your counter and hands. Knead your dough and add your softened butter one tablespoon at a time. Knead for about 1 minute
Place your dough into your bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise on the counter for 6-8 hours or until doubled in size.
In a small bowl mash your overripe bananas with a fork or whisk ,add your brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt and mix together until smooth. Some clumps are ok.
Flour your counter and roll out your cinnamon roll dough into a large uniform rectangle. The dough should be about an inch thick.
Spread your softened butter all over the middle area of the dough. This will allow the filling to bind to it.
Evenly coat/spread your filling onto your cinnamon bun dough. Roll inward tightly and form a long cylinder. Cut off the edges. Using a bread knife or kitchen twine, cut your dough about every 2 inches. Should be about 12 rolls.
Pre-heat the oven to 375˚F
Grease a large ceramic casserole dish, or pan well with butter and allow your cinnamon buns to have one final 30 minute proof.
Bake for 22 minutes and check. Should be a light golden color.
Bonus Recipe:
DGBD Cream Cheese Frosting
1 block softened cream cheese
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cake batter extract
4 TB softened butter
pinch salt
In a large stand-mixer with the whisk attachment, add your softened cream cheese and one cup of your sugar. Whisk on low to start incorporating, and add the rest of your sugar, your vanilla and cake batter extracts, butter and salt. Whisk until fluffy peaks form, about 2 minutes on low/medium.
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