These sweet potato dinner rolls are the perfect combination of soft, flavorful, and slightly sweet. They're sure to become a favorite for family dinners, special occasions, and even casual weekday meals.
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How to make sweet potato purée at home
Making sweet potato purée at home is incredibly simple and adds a fresh, natural flavor to your sweet potato dinner rolls. All you need is to preheat your oven to 200C (400F). Pierce the sweet potato a few times with a fork, then wrap it in foil. Place it on a baking sheet and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until it's soft and easily pierced with a knife. Let it cool before peeling off the skin.
Once the sweet potato is fully cooked, transfer it to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Let the purée cool to room temperature before adding it to your dough.
Looking for more delicious bread and bun recipes? You might enjoy this fluffy Dinner rolls, the no-knead Cranberry walnut bread , or this easy-to-make Sandwich bread.
Other ingredients you will need
Flour: Use bread flour for these sweet potato buns.
Yeast: I use instant yeast, but you can replace it with other types if you want. To find out more about different types of yeast and when to swap them out, take a look at our article on 'Types of Yeast and How to Use Them in Baking'.
Granulated sugar
Salt
Whole milk
Egg
Butter: Use unsalted butter at room temperature.
Tips for the best sweet potato dinner rolls
Use fresh sweet potatoes: While canned sweet potato purée will work just fine, using fresh, homemade sweet potato purée will give your rolls the best flavor and texture. Simply bake or boil a sweet potato, mash it, and you're good to go!
Windowpane test: To ensure your dough is kneaded enough, try the windowpane test. Stretch a small piece of dough-if it forms a thin membrane without tearing, it's ready.
Proofing: Make sure the dough rises in a warm place to allow the yeast to activate properly. An oven with the light on is a perfect spot to let your dough proof.
Use extra flour: Depending on the flour brand you use, the final dough can be a bit sticky to work with. But fear not! You can always use some extra flour during the shaping process.
How to make sweet potato dinner roll recipe
Prepare the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add the egg, milk, and sweet potato purée, and knead on medium-low for 3 minutes. Then switch to medium and knead for another 3-5 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Incorporate the butter: Gradually add the unsalted butter, one tablespoon at a time, while kneading on medium speed. Make sure each piece of butter is fully incorporated into the dough before adding the next. Once all the butter is in, continue kneading for 5-7 minutes. To check if the dough is ready, perform the windowpane test by stretching a small piece of dough until it forms a thin, translucent membrane.
First proof: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm spot to rise. Let it proof for about one hour, or until it has doubled in size.
Shape the rolls: After the dough has risen, transfer it to a floured work surface. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a tight ball. If the dough is sticky, lightly dust your hands and the dough with some flour.
Second proof: Arrange the dough balls in a buttered 9" x 14" (23cm x 35cm) baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let them proof again at room temperature for 40-60 minutes, or until they have doubled in size.
Bake: Preheat your oven to 190C (375F). Place the baking pan on the middle rack and bake the rolls for 15 minutes, or until the tops are a deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190F (88C). Tap the bottom of the pan to check if the rolls sound hollow-this means they are perfectly baked!
Cool and enjoy: Once baked, remove the rolls from the oven and let them cool in the pan before serving.
Possible variations
Herbs: Add some fresh or dried herbs to your dough for extra flavor. Rosemary, thyme, or sage work wonderfully with sweet potatoes. Simply stir 1-2 tablespoons of chopped herbs into the dry ingredients before mixing the dough. The result will be fragrant, savory rolls that pair perfectly with soups and stews.
Cinnamon: If you'd like to turn these dinner rolls into a sweet treat, add 1-2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg to the dough. You can even brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar before baking, creating a sweet and spiced roll perfect for breakfast or brunch.
Storage tips
Sweet potato dinner rolls can be made ahead of time and stored for later. Simply bake the rolls, let them cool completely, and store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze them in a zip-lock bag for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and warm them in the oven before serving.
Recipe card
Sweet potato dinner rolls
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scale
- Stand mixer with a hook attachment or hand mixer with a hook attachments and a large mixing bowl
- 9" by 13" (22cm by 33cm) baking pan
Ingredients
- 425 g bread flour plus for dusting
- 7 g instant yeast
- 30 g granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 160 g whole milk at room temperature
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 190 g sweet potato purée at room temperature
- 60 g unsalted butter
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment (or use a hand mixer with hook attachments and a large mixing bowl), combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix to combine.
- Add the egg, milk, and sweet potato purée. Knead on medium-low for 3 minutes. Then switch to medium and knead for 3-5 minutes, or until the dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Add the butter one tablespoon at a time and knead until fully incorporated.
- When all the butter is incorporated, knead on medium for 5-7 minutes, or until you can stretch a small piece of the dough into a square, creating a thin film that allows light to pass through (windowpane test). The dough should look hydrated, silky, and smooth, but still sticky.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place to proof for one hour (an oven with the light on works well).
- Line a 9" x 14" (23cm x 35cm) baking pan with parchment paper or grease it with butter.
- When the dough has risen significantly and is jiggly, transfer it to a floured work surface.
- Divide the dough into 15 even pieces (approximately 60g each, or eyeball it). Shape each piece into a tight ball and place them in the prepared baking pan. If the dough is too sticky, dust it and your hands with some flour before forming each ball.
- Arrange the dough balls in the pan and cover them with plastic wrap. Leave at room temperature to proof for 40-60 minutes, or until doubled in volume and jiggly.
- Preheat the oven to 190C (375F).
- Bake the buns on the middle rack for 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 190F (88C). The tops should be a deep golden brown, and the bread should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom of the pan.
- Remove from the oven and let the rolls cool in the pan.
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