sweet potato rolls

Sweet Potato Rolls are soft, dense, buttery rolls that melt in your mouth and have a hint of salt in every tasty bite.

Sweet Potato Rolls

sweet potato, (peeled

milk

water

(2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast

granulated sugar, (plus 1 teaspoon, divided)

eggs

butter, (melted)

bread flour, (plus more for kneading)

salt

Rinse, peel, and cut a sweet potato.

Rinse and peel the sweet potato. Then, cut the potato into 1/2-inch pieces.

Bring sweet potatoes and milk to a boil.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the sweet potato pieces and milk to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover the saucepan, and cook the potato pieces until soft.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover the saucepan and cook the potato pieces for 20-25 minutes, or until they are very soft, stirring occasionally so the milk does not scald.

Remove from heat and mash the potato. Set aside to cool.

Remove from heat and mash the sweet potato with the milk until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl to cool (about 30 minutes).

Combine warm water, yeast, and sugar in a small bowl. Let sit until foamy.

After the mashed sweet potato has cooled, combine the warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a small bowl. Let stand about 5 minutes, or until foamy.

Use a paddle attachment of a stand mixer to beat the sweet potato, yeast mixture, eggs, butter, and sugar.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the mashed sweet potato, yeast mixture, eggs, 4 tablespoons of melted butter, and the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar. Beat on low until combined.

Switch to dough hook and mix on low, adding the bread flour and kosher salt.

Switch to a dough hook attachment and continue mixing on low while gradually adding the bread flour and kosher salt. Beat on low for about 4 minutes, or until the dough is smooth.

Turn the dough out and knead by hand for 5 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough by hand for about 5 minutes, adding up to 1/2 cup of flour, as needed, if the dough is sticky.

Place kneaded dough into a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap.

Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Place the kneaded dough into the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.

Let the dough rise to double in size.

Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

When you are ready, spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

Punch dough and divide into 15 equal-sized pieces.

Punch the dough, turn it out onto a floured surface, and divide the dough into 15 equal-sized pieces.

Cup dough balls to make smooth dough balls.

Push down slightly (but firmly and evenly) on the dough pieces and roll the ball under your palm in a circular motion. Use the cupped sides of your hands to keep the dough centered in your palm. You may have to work the dough for a while, but eventually, it will come together and most of the lines and folds should have incorporated into the dough, forming a smooth dough ball.

Place dough balls into prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size.

Place the dough balls into the prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Preheat oven.

Bake rolls uncovered for 22 minutes.

When ready to bake, uncover the rolls and bake for 22 minutes, or until a dark golden brown. (The internal temperature of baked rolls should read 190°F.) When the rolls are almost done, melt the butter for the topping.

Brush rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with salt.

Brush the baked rolls with the melted butter and evenly sprinkle the kosher salt (or flaky sea salt) over the hot rolls and serve immediately. You could also let the rolls cool on a wire rack before serving. (Note: If you want a sweeter roll, brush the rolls with a mixture of 2 teaspoons maple syrup and 2 teaspoons water to replace the butter.)

Instructions

Made with pureed sweet potato and classic dinner roll ingredients, these sweet potato rolls are the perfect side for a potluck or holiday dinner.

Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls

sweet potato puree (see note)

milk (108-110 degrees F)

active dry yeast

+ 2 tablespoons melted butter (divided)

brown sugar

cinnamon

all-purpose flour (more as needed)

If making your own sweet potato puree, add 3/4 cup of roasted sweet potato (skin removed) and 1/4 cup of warm milk to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and pureed.

Add 3/4 cup of warm milk to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with active dry yeast.

Cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap and let proof for 10 minutes.

When the yeast is foamy, stir in the sweet potato puree, 1/4 cup melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. 

Using a wooden spoon or stand mixer, add flour 1/2 cup at a time. Mix in flour until the dough is just holding together. If kneading by hand, sprinkle a clean surface with flour. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. If using a stand mixer, set to low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 2-3 minutes.

Lightly oil a large mixing bowl with cooking oil. Add the dough, flipping to coat with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a towel and set in a warm place. Let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

Once doubled in size, use your fist to deflate the dough. Knead lightly a few times to fully deflate. To make the rolls, divide the dough into four equally sized pieces. Divide each of these pieces into three so that you have a total of 12 equally sized pieces of dough. To form into a ball, cup each piece lightly in your palms and roll.

Lightly oil a 10x10 or 9x13 baking dish. Evenly space the 12 rolls in the dish. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Once doubled in size, brush the rolls with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden.

Fluffy, flaky, soft, and extra tall sweet potato dinner rolls are a wonderful accompaniment to a holiday meal—but you don’t have to wait for a holiday to enjoy them. Top with flaky sea salt and serve with homemade cinnamon butter for a side dish that will upstage the main course! If you're a bread beginner, reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.

Soft Sweet Potato Rolls

sweet potato,

(180 milliliters) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)

(113 grams) honey, divided

eggs,

Tablespoons (71 grams) unsalted butter, softened

optional: 2 Tablespoons (28 grams) melted butter and flaky sea salt, for finishing

Prepare the sweet potato

Place the chopped sweet potato in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-high and boil until the sweet potato is very soft and tender, about 10–12 minutes. Drain off the water, then mash the sweet potato as well as you can—a few small lumps are okay. Measure 1 cup (230g) of mashed sweet potato to use in the dough, and set aside to slightly cool. (Do not use more than 1 cup in your dough. Discard or eat any leftover.)

Proof the yeast

Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and 2 Tablespoons of honey together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes. *If you do not own a stand mixer, you can do this in a large mixing bowl and in the next step, mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/silicone spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. I don&#8217;t recommend using a hand mixer because the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula is a better choice.*

Make the dough

Add the remaining honey, eggs, butter, mashed sweet potato, salt, and 1 cup (125g) flour. With a dough hook or paddle attachment, mix/beat on low speed for 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, then add the remaining flour. Beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes. If the dough seems too wet to a point where kneading (next step) would be impossible, beat in more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until you have a workable dough. Don&#8217;t be nervous if you&#8217;re adding a lot more flour; there are a lot of variables such as moisture in the sweet potato, humidity, weather, etc. Dough should be soft and a little sticky, but still manageable to knead with lightly floured hands.

Knead the dough

 Keep the dough in the mixer fitted with a dough hook and beat on low speed for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. After kneading, the dough should feel soft and smooth. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.

1st Rise

Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1–2 hours or until double in size. (I always let it rise on the counter. Takes about 1 and 1/2 hours. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)

Shape the rolls

When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Divide the dough into 20 equal pieces, about 65–75g each (doesn’t need to be exact!). A bench scraper is always helpful for cutting dough. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Arrange in prepared baking pan.

2nd Rise: 

Cover shaped rolls and allow to rise until puffy, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). (It&#8217;s best to bake the rolls towards the bottom of the oven so the tops don&#8217;t burn.)

Bake the rolls

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top (internal temperature if taken with an instant-read thermometer should be 190°F), rotating the pan halfway through. If you notice the tops browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil (I usually add it after 20 minutes). Remove from the oven, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and allow rolls to cool for 15 minutes before serving. We&#8217;ve learned that the longer they cool, the better their flavor.

Cover leftover rolls tightly and store at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

These are so easy to make and they are so delicious. The flaky salt on top makes them just a bit extra. I will definitely be making these again and again.

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Top 3 sweet potato rolls recipes from across the web

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