These soft and fluffy sweet potato dinner rolls are sure to delight your family and friends at your next dinner party! I just love how soft and fluffy these rolls are. Plus, the cloverleaf shape is easy to make, and is a lot of fun to pull apart. As an added bonus, it creates more areas to spread the salted butter!
This dough calls for caster sugar, which is basically just granulated sugar ground up until it’s in much finer grains. It’s not as fine as icing sugar, though! 😊 The reason why I like to use caster sugar in some doughs and batter is because it mixes in easier than its larger-grained cousin of granulated sugar. But why not use icing sugar, you ask? Well, icing sugar affects the texture of baked goods because it is finer grained and usually contains additional ingredients like cornstarch. If you don’t have caster sugar, just grind up ordinary granulated sugar in a blender or food processor until it’s a finer grain, but don’t let it turn into icing sugar!
Want to give it a try? Make these rolls for your next dinner party and serve it with our cheesy ham and potato pie. Your guests will be impressed with the fluffy texture of these sweet potato dinner rolls!
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Soft and Fluffy Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
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Prep Time: 1 hour -
Cook Time: 20 minutes
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Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
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Yield: 12 large rolls
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Pin RecipeDescription
This easy recipe for soft and fluffy sweet potato dinner rolls will be hit at family dinners and holiday parties! You don’t need a mixer to make these delightful buns. With a hint of cinnamon, these rolls taste fantastic with some butter.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole milk (118 ml)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (43g)
- 1/4 cup water (60 ml)
- 5 cups bread flour (500g)
- 2 teaspoons fine salt (10g)
- 4 1/2 teaspoons fast-action yeast (14g)
- 1/3 cup caster sugar (66g; see recipe notes)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 3/4 cup mashed sweet potatoes (181g)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon softened butter for greasing and brushing (14g)
Instructions
Making the Dough (30 minutes + 1 hour proving)
- Put the milk and butter in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until the butter is melted. Let the mixture cool to 115 F then warm the water to 115 F.
- Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl. Stir in each with your finger. Add the sugar and cinnamon and mix with your hand until well blended.
- Dump in the mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, and milk mixture. Stir and crush the mixture with your hand to bring the dough together. Gradually add the water if needed to form a soft, somewhat sticky dough. Make sure all the flour is picked up from the sides of the bowl.
- Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. The dough should no longer be as sticky, and should be smooth and very stretchy.
- Shape the dough into a ball, place in a large buttered bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough prove for 1 to 1 1/2 hours in a warm place.
Shaping the Rolls (30 minutes + 45 minutes proving)
- Lightly butter a dark colored, 12-cavity muffin pan and set aside.
- Turn out the dough onto a very lightly floured surface and punch it down all over to knock out large air pockets.
- Divide the dough into 36 equal pieces, using a kitchen scale for accuracy, then roll each piece into a tight ball. Place three balls in each cavity of the muffin pan.
- Place the muffin pan inside of a large, clean garbage bag. Inflate the bag so the plastic doesn’t stick to the dough, then tuck the ends under the tray to seal. Let the dough prove for about 45 minutes, until the dough springs back quickly when gently prodded with a fingertip.
- About 15 minutes before the dough is done proving, preheat the oven to 375 F.
Baking the Rolls (20 minutes baking + 10 minutes cooling)
- Bake the rolls for 10 minutes at 375 F, then lower the temperature to 325 F and bake for another 10 minutes, until well browned. Check the rolls for doneness by inserting a meat thermometer into the center of one of the rolls. The temperature should be 190-200 F.
- Brush the rolls with soft butter and remove them from the pan to cool a little on a wire rack. Serve the rolls warm with butter.
Notes
- Don’t have caster sugar? Make your own by grinding up the sugar in a blender or food processor until it is finer grained.
- The proving times for the dough will vary a good deal depending upon the temperature of the room. Warm temperatures will make the yeast work more quickly, while cool temperatures slow it down.
- Have leftover rolls, place them in a freezer bag and store in the freezer. Take them out as needed.
- Each dinner rolls tears apart easily into three pieces. If you are watching your carbs, just eat one section at a meal.