Sweet Potato Crescent Rolls

* NOTE: I can’t always find the canned MASHED sweet potatoes all the time. So if you can’t either, just use a regular size can, about 15 ounces, then drain them and mash them yourself.

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water and let stand for 5 minutes.

Then add remaining ingredients to the yeast mixture (everything except melted butter). Beat to form a dough. Knead on a well-floured surface for 6 – 8 minutes. (Or use the dough hook on your stand mixer). Put in a greased bowl and turn.* Cover and let rise until doubled in size for 1 hour. Punch down and allow to rest for 2 minutes.

Separate dough into thirds. Roll out each 3rd into a fairly thin circle and brush on the melted butter. Using a pizza cutter, cut into twelve pieces (should be like a pie with twelve wedges). Roll into crescents, starting at wide end, rolling up to the point. Put onto GREASED baking sheets. Repeat with two other sections of dough.

Cover and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes. Place on greased baking sheets. Bake in a 375º oven for 13 – 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top as well as the bottom.

These can be made ahead, baked, and then frozen. Defrost for about an hour, then bake in a 350º oven for 8 -10 minutes on a greased cookie sheet. Place sheet as high up in oven as possible.

*A rising method I learned from Alton Brown that works great – get a tall plastic container (so you can see the dough). Grease well, place dough in and turn to grease the dough well. Cover the top of the plastic container with a clean kitchen towel. Place in oven (with oven off!). Boil some water and put in a second bowl and place that in oven. Close the door. The steam creates the right amount of heat to make the dough rise as needed. Works great every time! Do not use this method for the second rise, however.