Mix just until everything is combined and no dry flour remains. There’s no need to knead at this stage—this is simply about hydration.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or beeswax wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. This rest period is called the autolyse. It allows freshly milled flour time to fully absorb the liquid and begin developing gluten naturally.

After the autolyse, sprinkle the salt over the dough. Using the dough hook, knead on low to medium speed for about 5 minutes.

The dough should form a soft, stretchy dough ball. It will feel slightly tacky but should not heavily stick to your hands. Freshly milled dough often feels different than white flour dough—trust the texture.

With lightly oiled hands, remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a ball. Lightly oil the bowl, return the dough, and cover again.

Allow the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 5–10 hours depending on the temperature of your home and how active your starter is. This long rise is where flavor and structure develop.

Once doubled, use a dough scraper to gently loosen the dough from the bowl and turn it out onto a clean work surface.

Try not to add extra flour unless absolutely necessary. Any flour added at this stage won’t be fermented and can affect the final texture.

Before rolling, gently press the dough into a rectangle to get it close to the shape you want, then roll it out into a large rectangle about ¼ inch thick.

Melt the butter. Reserve about 1 teaspoon of butter in the melting container. Use it to brush the inside of your 9×13 baking dish. (you can also line your dish with parchment paper)

Brush the remaining melted butter evenly over the surface of the dough, going all the way to the edges except one long edge. Leaving this edge bare helps the roll seal properly.

Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the butter, followed by the cinnamon. The butter should soak up the sugar—you don’t want lots of loose sugar or overly runny butter that will squeeze out when rolling.

Starting from the buttered long edge, roll the dough up as tightly as possible toward the unbuttered edge. If the dough is sticking to the work surface, use a bench scraper to help loosen the dough as you roll it. When you reach the end, pull it snug and pinch to seal.

For perfectly shaped rolls, cut using thread or unflavored dental floss. A very sharp knife will also work—just be careful not to squish the dough.

Place the rolls into the prepared baking dish.

Cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow the cinnamon rolls to rise again for 5–10 hours, or until doubled in size. Final rise time will depend on the temperature of your home.

Once risen, pour about ½ cup of heavy cream over the cinnamon rolls, letting it pool around and between them. This step is optional—but it creates an incredibly gooey, moist cinnamon roll and is highly recommended.

While the cinnamon rolls bake, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, espresso, and maple extract until smooth and thick. Add additional milk if needed to reach your desired consistency.

Once the rolls are baked, allow them to cool slightly, then generously spread or pour the icing over the top. Serve warm and enjoy.