Sweet Potato Rolls

Preheat oven to 400 F. Scrub and dry sweet potato and pierce skin in 6 to 8 places with a paring knife. Bake in a foil-lined pan until very soft when gently squeezed or pierced, 50 to 55 minutes. Remove from oven. Halve it lengthwise and, when cool enough to handle, scrape flesh into a bowl. Mash thoroughly with a fork to break up the fibers and remove any dark spots left from the eyes or ends of the potato (they’ll create imperfections in the roll, which are completely edible but a little visually off putting). Measure ½ cup of potato puree for the rolls and save leftovers.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar, and warm water with a spoon. Let it stand for 5 minutes (see notes), or until the yeast looks noticeably bubbly. Meanwhile, fit the mixer with the whisk attachment.

To the yeast mixture, add 3 tablespoons sugar, ½ cup mashed sweet potato, 3 tablespoons butter, salt, ¼ cup flour and eggs. Whisk on low speed until combined with butter broken up into small pieces. Add 3¼ cups flour and mix with the dough hook on low speed until all the dough is wrapped around the hook in a smooth mass (about 1 to 2 minutes). If some flour settles in the bottom of the bowl, stop mixing, stir, and continue mixing so it incorporates. Pinch the dough with your thumb and a couple fingers. If it’s very sticky and stays on your finger (or if it won’t form a mass around the hook on low speed), add ¼ cup flour and mix again until the dough is smooth. Gently scrape the dough off the hook.

Pour the vegetable oil down the side of the bowl near the bottom, then quickly turn dough with your hands or a rubber spatula to coat the ball. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour (up to 90 minutes).

Punch the dough down once (firmly, with a fist, but not like you’re trying to knock it out). Let it rest for 2 minutes while you lightly grease a 9 by 13 inch pan with ½ tablespoon butter. Turn dough onto a lightly floured cutting board or counter top. Cut into 12 approximately equal pieces and form each into a ball—barely rolling and just pushing in the corners and shaping gently between your palms. Arrange balls in rows in the prepared pan, cover with a dish towel, and let them rise again in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 F.

Melt remaining ½ tablespoon butter and brush a thin coat over the risen, unbaked rolls. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sea salt, then bake until light golden and crusty on the outside, about 16 to 18 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature. If sealed in a plastic bag, rolls keep for a day at room temperature and another 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator. (Although don’t plan to pass them off as fresh! They become slightly more dry and chewy, which can be disguised if toasted.)

Notes:
1. Recipe steps in the blog post contain step-by-step photos, if you’re new to baking with yeast.
2. Active prep time is only 45 to 60 minutes.
3. If water is too warm, it can “kill” the yeast. If you don’t have a thermometer, err on the side of just warmer than lukewarm. Worst case scenario, the yeast takes a little longer than prescribed to activate, but it should still happen if you’re patient.