These fluffy Sweet Potato Rolls are made with perfectly cooked sweet potato, which adds a tenderness and sweet flavor that takes them over the top! They're the perfect homemade rolls to serve with pot roast, your Thanksgiving turkey, or...
These fluffy Sweet Potato Rolls are made with perfectly cooked sweet potato, which adds a tenderness and sweet flavor that takes them over the top! They're the perfect homemade rolls to serve with pot roast, your Thanksgiving turkey, or any recipe in between. They're also our favorite way to sop up a bowl of soup and taste like heaven with a pat of homemade honey butter. They're a family favorite!
If you've ever made potato rolls before, you know that the cooked potato gives the dough a softer, fluffier texture. The same goes for these sweet potato dinner rolls! The tender sweet potato puree is the perfect addition. It adds extra moisture and a soft, pliable texture that's unbelievable. The mild sweet potato flavor gives them a slightly sweet flavor similar to Hawaiian rolls. They're truly the best!
Why You'll Love These Sweet Potato Rolls
Easy to make. The dough for these soft sweet potato rolls is very straightforward. After cooking the sweet potatoes, mash them together and then mix them in with a few simple ingredients like flour, butter, milk, egg, yeast, etc. They're also a great way to use leftover sweet potatoes after the holidays! Perfect texture. The cooked sweet potatoes are the perfect way to make the softest, fluffiest rolls ever. They're also enriched with butter, milk, and eggs, so the dough is very similar to ultra tender, pillowy brioche. Delicious flavor. The mashed sweet potato has a natural sweetness with a rich depth of flavor that makes these delicious rolls taste amazing. We add a little extra sugar to highlight that natural sweetness and a little butter for the best buttery sweet potato rolls ever. They'll become a must-have for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner menu!
Ingredient Notes
To make these delicious Sweet Potato Rolls, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
sweet potatoes - peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 1-inch pieces. butter - the butter will add a softness and a rich buttery flavor to these rolls. milk - milk will give the rolls a soft, tender texture. water - use warm water to activate the yeast. granulated sugar - this will support the active dry yeast and add a hint of sweetness. Brown sugar works, too. active dry yeast - you'll need one package of yeast (or 2 teaspoons). Instant yeast works well, too, although it may rise much faster. all-purpose flour - regular all purpose flour works very well for these rolls. You can use bread flour if you prefer a chewier texture. eggs - eggs will help bind the dough together and give the rolls an extra softness and lift. salt - it's so important to season the rolls to highlight their full flavor.You will also need a large pot, fork and/or potato masher, small mixing bowl, large mixing bowl, stand mixer (optional), bench scraper, 9x13 baking pan, plastic cling wrap, and a wire cooling rack.
How to Make the Best Sweet Potato Rolls
First, prepare the sweet potatoes.
Cook the sweet potatoes. Place sweet potatoes in a large pot and cover with water by about an inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until tender and soft when you insert a fork, approximately 10-15 minutes.
Mash the sweet potatoes. Drain well and place the sweet potatoes back in the pot. Mash them using a potato masher (or a fork).
Make it creamy. Add butter and and milk. Mix well until smooth. Set aside and let cool completely, about 20 minutes.
Next, prepare the dough.
Activate yeast. In a small mixing bowl, stir together water, sugar and yeast until fully dissolved. Set aside for 5 minutes until bubbles form on top.
Combine ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, eggs, salt, mashed sweet potatoes, and yeast mixture. Mix well until it forms a shaggy dough, scraping down the sides of the bowl (there should be no dry flour particles visible).
Knead. Use your hands to knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until a smooth and soft dough ball is formed. You can also knead the dough in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment on medium speed for 5 minutes until smooth dough ball is formed.
Rest. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. You can lightly oil the dough ball to prevent sticking.
Now, it’s time to shape the rolls.
Divide dough. Deflate the dough and roll the dough into a log. Use a bench scraper to divide it into 15 equal pieces. Cover the dough with a damp cloth or plastic cling wrap to prevent it from drying.
Shape. Take one piece of dough at a time and shape into a smooth ball. Use the palms of your hands to flatten each dough, then fold and press all edges into the centre. Turn it over and cup the dough in the palm of your hand, making circular motions until you create a ball. It should take less than 30 seconds to roll each piece into a smooth ball.
Rest. Arrange the dough balls into a 9x13-inch baking pan, spacing them evenly into 5 rows and 3 columns. Cover the pan loosely with plastic cling wrap and let the rolls rise until almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
Finally, bake the rolls.
Bake the sweet potato rolls in a 350F preheated oven for 22-25 minutes until golden brown.
Brush the top with some melted butter (if desired) and let the rolls cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe Variations
Try a different vegetable. These sweet potato buns are so easy to adapt! Try using pumpkin puree, mashed acorn squash, or pureed carrots instead. Sprinkle with seeds. Sprinkle white sesame seeds on top of the rolls just before baking. Form burger buns. Instead of dinner rolls, mold the dough into larger bun-sized pieces. They'd be wonderful for burger patties! Be sure to adjust the baking time as needed.How to Serve
These Sweet Potato Rolls is delicious served on their own, or paired with some of my favorite recipes including:
White Bean Soup with Kale Sunday Pot Roast Roast Stuffed Chicken Butternut Squash Salad Creamy Turkey Orzo SoupThese rolls are amazing with soup. For more ideas, see our 60 Best Soup Recipes.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Don't rush. Working with yeast is an art. It's pretty easy, but only if you're patient. Follow the visual cues, like seeing the dough double, instead of focusing on the timer. This is especially true in the winter when your kitchen is likely cooler. Use fresh yeast. If you have old yeast in your pantry, it might already be dead. If your yeast doesn't bubble up, start fresh with a new batch. Don't kill the yeast. When you're activating the yeast, make sure you use water below 120 degrees F, or the yeast will die. A temperature between 100-110 degrees F is just right.Storing and Freezing Instructions
How to Store
Store leftover rolls in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature. They'll stay fresh for 4-5 days.
How to Reheat
There's nothing like a warm roll! Either microwave your roll for 15-30 seconds or bake them at 350 degrees F for 4-5 minutes until nice and warm.
How to Freeze
Wrap the cooled rolls in several layers of plastic wrap, then store them in a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
FAQ
These sweet potato rolls are made with an enriched dough. This means it contains a lot of heavy ingredients like cooked sweet potatoes, eggs, milk, and butter, all of which can slow down the yeast from rising. If you rush the rise, you'll end up with dense, heavy rolls. For fluffy rolls, it's really important to monitor how much the dough is growing and be patient, especially with the first rise.
We prefer to use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast for our roll recipes. They are both interchangeable, but instant yeast starts rising immediately. Active dry yeast can take about 20 minutes to really wake up. This is a better pace, especially for home bakers, and we find the dough tastes better when you give it time to rise slowly.
Although there are many different roll recipes out there, there's something so special about potato rolls, especially sweet potato rolls! The added moisture and sweetness from the sweet potatoes gives them a really soft, tender texture that can be hard to achieve in regular rolls. The recipe is much closer to brioche, especially this version that includes milk, eggs, and butter as well. They're a special option that's especially perfect for your Thanksgiving dinner or fall soups!
More Dinner Rolls Recipes
50 Best Bread Recipes Potato Dinner Rolls Parker House Rolls Garlic Knots Skillet Dinner Rolls Easy Small Batch Ciabatta RollsDid you make this recipe? I would greatly appreciate a comment and rating below, letting me know what you thought of the recipe. You can also snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.
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