Vegan Sweet Potato Rolls

Step 1

In a small mixing bowl whisk together the yeast and warm milk. Let sit for a few minutes until the yeast is dissolved and the mixture is a bit foamy (if your kitchen is cooler it may not get foamy in that shorter time frame). Add the mashed sweet potato, melted vegan butter, and aquafaba and whisk until smooth. If the mixture is very lumpy blend with a immersion blender or regular blender until fairly smooth ( a few small lumps are ok).

Step 2

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour and the salt. Pour in the wet ingredients and using a wooden spoon or your clean hand, mix together until it just comes together to form a shaggy dough.

Step 3

Turn onto a clean, lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 3 minutes, until you have a smooth and barely tacky dough. Add flour or water if necessary to reach the desired texture. Alternatively knead in a stand mixer for 3 minutes, checking after 2 minutes to see if additional flour or water is needed.

Step 4

Form the dough into a ball, and place in an large, oiled mixing bowl, turning the dough ball to coat in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for around 1 - 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size (time will vary depending on how warm your room is, and may take even longer if it's below 70 ºF).

Step 5

When dough has doubled in size, preheat your oven to 400 ºF with a rack placed in the center. Prepare a large baking dish or a large cast iron (12") skillet by brushing the inside with melted butter (or vegetable oil), making sure to cover both the bottom and sides.

Step 6

Punch dough the dough and turn it onto a clean counter. Divide into 14 equal sized pieces and roll into balls. Place the rolls seam side down in the prepared baking dish or cast iron skillet, leaving 1 - 1 1/2" between each roll. Cover and leave to rise 20-30 minutes until swollen and about doubled.

Step 7

When doubled in size, brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter. Put in oven and bake for 15-18 minutes until the rolls are a golden color on top.

Step 8

The rolls are best served warm, but are also very tasty at room temperature.