Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
Sweet potato dinner rolls are the perfect balance of soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet. Ideal for any occasion, they bring warmth and comfort to your table, whether as a holiday treat or an everyday side dish.
These rolls are elevated with a hint of honey and mashed sweet potato, resulting in a light, airy texture that pairs beautifully with homemade cinnamon butter or flaky sea salt. A must-try for bread lovers and novices alike.
Crafted with simple ingredients like whole milk, unsalted butter, and yeast, they’re easy to prepare and promise a satisfying result every time. Enjoy these golden beauties fresh from the oven or saved for later with freezer-friendly tips.
Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls – Ingredients
The rich, earthy sweetness of mashed sweet potato lends these rolls their signature soft texture and delicate flavor. Combined with warm milk and honey, they offer a subtle sweetness that complements the savory components perfectly.
Platinum Yeast helps these rolls rise beautifully, ensuring a light, airy bite with every piece. Unsalted butter adds a luxurious richness, while eggs create a tender crumb that’s both pillowy and satisfying.
Bread flour delivers the necessary structure, yielding chewy rolls with a golden crust. Flaky sea salt, added as an optional finishing touch, enhances the overall flavor, bringing balance and depth to every bite.
Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls: Enhance Your Baking Experience
Recipe Tips
- Use Freshly Mashed Sweet Potato
For the best texture, ensure you use freshly mashed sweet potato. Canned sweet potatoes often have a thinner consistency that can affect the dough’s moisture balance. Freshly cooked and mashed sweet potato will give the rolls the soft, fluffy texture you’re looking for. Don’t worry if there are a few small lumps in the mashed sweet potato; they won’t affect the dough. - Perfect Your Yeast Proofing
When proofing the yeast, ensure the milk is at the right temperature—warm, but not hot. If it’s too hot, it can kill the yeast. The ideal temperature is about 110°F (43°C). If you don’t have a thermometer, the milk should feel just warm to the touch, similar to the temperature of your skin. This step is crucial to ensure the yeast activates properly, leading to soft and airy rolls. - Knead Until Smooth and Stretchy
Kneading is a vital step in bread-making. Be patient and knead the dough for at least 5 minutes until it’s smooth and elastic. You can perform the windowpane test—stretch a small piece of dough until it’s thin enough for light to pass through without tearing. If it does, your dough is perfectly kneaded and ready for the first rise.
What to Serve with Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
- Roast Chicken or Turkey
These sweet potato dinner rolls pair wonderfully with a hearty main course like roast chicken or turkey. Their slight sweetness and soft texture make them a perfect accompaniment to savory dishes, balancing out rich flavors with a gentle sweetness. Serve them with a savory gravy or a dollop of homemade cranberry sauce for a festive touch. - Creamy Mashed Potatoes
For a classic comfort meal, serve these rolls alongside creamy mashed potatoes. The rolls’ fluffiness soaks up gravy and mashed potatoes perfectly, making for a comforting, filling side. Add a side of sautéed vegetables like green beans or Brussels sprouts to complete the meal. - Soup or Stew
These rolls are also an excellent side for soups and stews, particularly those with a rich, hearty base like butternut squash soup or a warming beef stew. Their slight sweetness enhances the flavors of both light and creamy soups, and their soft texture provides a perfect dipper for broth-based dishes.
FAQ
- Can I Make Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls Ahead of Time?
Yes! You can prepare the dough through the second rise and refrigerate it overnight. Just cover the shaped rolls tightly and let them rise for 1-2 hours before baking the next day. Alternatively, you can bake them in advance and store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. - Can I Freeze the Rolls?
Absolutely. Once baked, allow the rolls to cool completely, then freeze them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw them at room temperature or in the refrigerator, and then warm them in the oven. Brush with melted butter and flaky sea salt after reheating for that fresh-from-the-oven touch. - Can I Use Active Dry Yeast Instead of Instant Yeast?
Yes, you can substitute active dry yeast for instant yeast in this recipe. However, the rise times will be slightly longer. Be sure to dissolve the active dry yeast in warm milk before adding it to the dough, as this step helps activate the yeast more effectively. - Can I Substitute Bread Flour with All-Purpose Flour?
While bread flour gives these rolls a chewier, more structured texture, all-purpose flour can be used in place of it. The rolls will still be soft and delicious, but they may be slightly less chewy. Either flour works perfectly, so choose based on what you have on hand!
Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
These soft, fluffy, and tall sweet potato dinner rolls are an excellent choice to complement any meal, especially during the holidays. Topped with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and paired with homemade cinnamon butter, these rolls can easily take center stage at your table. Perfect for bread beginners, this recipe also provides helpful tips for working with yeast.
Ingredients
- Ingredients:
- 1 medium sweet potato 250–290g, peeled and chopped (to yield 1 cup mashed)
- 3/4 cup 180ml whole milk, warmed to approximately 110°F (43°C)
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons Platinum Yeast from Red Star 1 standard packet
- 1/3 cup 113g honey, divided
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 5 tablespoons 71g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 and 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 5 and 1/2 cups 715g bread flour, spooned and leveled, with additional flour as needed
- Optional: 2 tablespoons 28g melted butter and flaky sea salt for finishing
Instructions
- Instructions:
- Prepare the Sweet Potato:
- Place the chopped sweet potato in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then reduce the temperature to medium-high. Continue boiling for 10-12 minutes or until the sweet potato is tender. Drain the water and mash the sweet potato, leaving a few small lumps. Measure 1 cup (230g) of mashed sweet potato for the dough and allow it to cool slightly.
- Proof the Yeast:
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the warm milk, yeast, and 2 tablespoons of honey. Whisk together, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. If you don’t have a stand mixer, a large mixing bowl and a silicone spatula or wooden spoon can be used. Avoid using a hand mixer as the sticky dough can become trapped in the beaters.
- Mix the Dough:
- Add the remaining honey, eggs, butter, mashed sweet potato, salt, and 1 cup (125g) of flour to the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed for 1 minute using the dough hook or paddle attachment. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the rest of the flour. Continue mixing on medium speed until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes. If the dough is too wet and not manageable, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is soft, slightly sticky, and easy to handle.
- Knead the Dough:
- With the dough hook on low speed, knead for another 5 minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky, add 1 teaspoon of flour at a time until the dough is soft and slightly tacky. To check if the dough is ready, perform a “windowpane test”: tear off a small piece of dough and stretch it out until it is thin enough to let light pass through. If it tears, knead longer.
- First Rise:
- Grease a large bowl lightly with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough into the bowl, turning it to coat the dough in oil. Cover and allow it to rise in a warm location for 1-2 hours, or until it has doubled in size. (Typically takes around 1 and 1/2 hours on the countertop.)
- Prepare the Baking Pan:
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with butter or nonstick spray.
- Shape the Rolls:
- After the dough has risen, punch it down to release the air. Divide the dough into 20 equal pieces (about 65–75g each) using a bench scraper. Shape each piece into a smooth ball and arrange them in the prepared pan.
- Second Rise:
- Cover the shaped rolls and let them rise for 30-45 minutes, or until they have become puffy.
- Preheat the Oven:
- Set the oven rack to a lower position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). This position helps prevent the tops from burning.
- Bake the Rolls:
- Bake the rolls for 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top. The internal temperature should reach 190°F when measured with an instant-read thermometer. Rotate the pan halfway through the baking time. If the rolls begin to brown too quickly, tent the pan loosely with aluminum foil after 20 minutes. Once baked, brush the rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let them cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
- Storing Leftovers:
- Store leftover rolls tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate them for up to 1 week.
Notes
Notes:
Freezing Instructions:
Allow the baked rolls to cool completely before placing them in a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, and then reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for about 10 minutes. If freezing the rolls, skip the melted butter and sea salt until after reheating. Overnight Instructions:
For convenience, prepare the rolls up to step 7. Cover the shaped rolls and refrigerate for up to 15 hours. Before baking, let them rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Alternatively, let the dough rise overnight in the refrigerator, then allow it to rise for 2 hours before continuing with the recipe. Yeast and Flour Tips:
Instant yeast is preferred, but active dry yeast can also be used; expect slightly longer rise times with active dry yeast. Bread flour yields chewier rolls, but all-purpose flour works well too, producing a slightly softer roll without any other changes to the recipe. Sweet Potato Substitutes:
If you don’t have sweet potatoes, regular potatoes can be used without adjusting the recipe. Canned sweet potato, however, is not recommended as it is usually thinner and may affect the dough’s moisture balance.
Freezing Instructions:
Allow the baked rolls to cool completely before placing them in a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, and then reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for about 10 minutes. If freezing the rolls, skip the melted butter and sea salt until after reheating. Overnight Instructions:
For convenience, prepare the rolls up to step 7. Cover the shaped rolls and refrigerate for up to 15 hours. Before baking, let them rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Alternatively, let the dough rise overnight in the refrigerator, then allow it to rise for 2 hours before continuing with the recipe. Yeast and Flour Tips:
Instant yeast is preferred, but active dry yeast can also be used; expect slightly longer rise times with active dry yeast. Bread flour yields chewier rolls, but all-purpose flour works well too, producing a slightly softer roll without any other changes to the recipe. Sweet Potato Substitutes:
If you don’t have sweet potatoes, regular potatoes can be used without adjusting the recipe. Canned sweet potato, however, is not recommended as it is usually thinner and may affect the dough’s moisture balance.
