with homemade cinnamon butter
Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction
North Carolina’s Gov. and First Lady Stein first tried these Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls on Thanksgiving and found them “soft and delicious— already a Stein Family favorite!” Use NC sweet potatoes to support local farmers. Top these soft and fluffy dinner rolls with flaky sea salt and serve with homemade cinnamon butter and you’ll be happy as all get out!
Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
Place the chopped sweet potato in a medium saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-high and boil until very soft and tender, about 10–12 minutes. Drain the water, then mash the sweet potato—a few small lumps are okay. Measure 1 cup (no more) of mashed sweet potato for the dough—set aside to cool.
Whisk the warm milk, yeast and 2 tablespoons honey in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes. (No stand mixer? Use some arm muscle, a large mixing bowl and a wooden spoon/spatula.)
Add the remaining honey, eggs, butter, mashed sweet potato, salt and 1 cup flour to the yeast mixture. With a dough hook or paddle attachment (or a wooden spoon), mix/beat on low speed for 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl, 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, beat in more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until workable. Dough should be soft, a little sticky, but still manageable to knead with lightly floured hands.
Beat the dough on low speed for an additional 5 minutes or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes. Too sticky? Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough to make a soft, somewhat 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.
Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat all sides in the oil. Cover and allow the dough to rise in a warm setting for 1–2 hours or until doubled in size.
Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Divide into 20 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Arrange in prepared baking pan.
Cover shaped rolls and allow to rise until puffy, about 30–45 minutes.
To avoid burning the tops of the rolls, adjust your oven rack to a lower position and preheat to 350 degrees.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top, rotating the pan halfway through. Tops browning too quickly? Loosely cover with aluminum foil. Remove from oven, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt, and allow rolls to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Serve with Cinnamon Butter. Cover leftover rolls tightly and store at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Homemade Cinnamon Butter
In a large bowl, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium until smooth. Add the other ingredients and beat on medium-high until a little fluffy, about 3– 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again if needed. Add more cinnamon and salt to taste.
Serve with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, and/or a sprinkle of cinnamon or flaky sea salt. Cover leftovers tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for 2–3 months.
Have a question about this recipe or just want to share what you thought? We’d love to hear from you!
Submit your recipe for possible publication in Carolina Country magazine.
With Whipped Cinnamon-Honey Butter
