Sweet Potato Rolls

How is that photo for artsy? Artsy, or, that was the only photo I could find with evidence of the sweet potato rolls. Sorry guys.

Growing up, our family dinners ALWAYS included one thing: bread. Or carbs, as some call it. Bread, dinner rolls, popovers, etc were a staple in our family since my birth and I'm pretty sure it's part of our DNA. I looooooove love love it. In fact, I never even started using butter until a few years ago. I like bread so much I prefer to eat it plain.  And if a dinner doesn't include bread, my stomach shrinks into nothing and I pretty much die of hunger afterwards.

But, the real star amongst all of the dinner rolls/breads/popovers in our family has been my mom's sweet potato rolls. Every Thanksgiving, we had these. So I had to continue the tradition and include them in my Thanksgiving dinner this year as well. 

Now, when I asked my mom if these were hard she replied, 'No! Really easy!!.'  I was thrilled, it seemed too good to be true. And it was.  Not that these are necessarily super difficult, but when she sent me the recipe the generational difference was glaringly obvious.  To me, 'really easy' means 3 ingredients, no mixer, no rising, and under 20 minutes. Maybe even the inclusion of some kind of pre-made mix.  To my mom, I think 'really easy' must mean no grinding your own grain and churning your own butter. 

These are not 'really easy!' .  They're not hard, either, but they're not 'really easy.'  Love this recipe all the same and will make them forever.

Recipe

• 1.5 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled
• 1/4 cup warm water 
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 6 tablespoons sugar, plus a pinch
• 1 cup milk, room temp
• 1 stick melted butter
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4.5-5 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

Cover potatoes with water in a medium saucepan, and boil until fork tender. Drain and mash.

Using a standing mixer, whisk together the water, yeast and pinch of sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.  Mix in the potatoes, milk, 1 stick melted butter, and salt. Slowly mix in the flour to create a slightly sticky dough. Transfer dough to a large buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until it doubles in size - about 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400.  Punch the dough down, and line several large baking sheets with parchment paper.  Roll dough into 2-3 inch balls and drop on the baking sheets. Brush with remaining melted butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another 30 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and bake until golden brown, about 12-14 minutes.