Cinnamon Rolls with Sourdough

Here's how:

• 1

  Crumble the yeast into a bowl. Heat the milk or water to 25 °C, pour it over the yeast, and stir until dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients to the pre-dough, mix, and let stand for 20–30 minutes.

• 2

  Add the remaining ingredients to the dough and knead vigorously until the dough is shiny and smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl—about 5 minutes with a mixer and 10 minutes by hand.

• 3

  Let the dough rise under a kitchen towel in the bowl until it doubles in size, about 30 minutes. When it has finished rising, it will have a dry, shiny surface. Mix together the filling.

• 4

  Place the dough on a floured work surface and divide it into two pieces. Roll out one piece of dough at a time into a long, flat rectangle. Spread the filling evenly over the entire surface of the dough and roll it up into a long roll. Cut each roll into about 12 pieces. 

• 5

  Place them cut-side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for about 60 minutes.

• 6

  Preheat the oven to 250 °C. Brush the buns with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with pearl sugar. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven. Bake the buns for 5–10 minutes until they are nicely browned. Place the buns on a wire rack and let them cool under a kitchen towel.