Try these perfectly moist and fluffy sweet potato dinner rolls for casual to special dinners! They are the perfect addition to your table for many occasions, such as Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas party.
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The Best Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
Here are two main reasons why I love it so much:
1. So fluffy and moist
The best thing about this sweet potato dinner roll is the texture - it's incredibly fluffy and moist! I adjusted my fluffy cream bun recipe (which I shared on my YouTube channel a while ago, but haven't written the blog post yet) to achieve a soft bun texture.
2. The amazing flavors
The bread is perfectly buttery, and you can taste the subtle sweet potato and honey flavors, complemented by an amazing balance of sweetness and saltiness. We enjoyed the bread with the soup this time! But it surely goes with any meal.
I experimented with different amounts of sweet potato, sugar, milk, and more, and finally, I felt "This is it!!!" when I ended up with this recipe.
5 Success Tips For Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
1. Knead the bread dough enough.
Kneading the dough forms gluten (protein network) in flour, which helps the dough rise well in the oven, resulting in tall, fluffier bread. When kneaded too much, though, it could make the dough too bouncy.
Check out the step-by-step instructions to see how I usually test if enough gluten is formed.
2. Rest the dough enough during the 1st fermentation.
The 1st fermentation is essential to create a softer bread with a finer texture. It also creates more flavor as the ingredients mature during the process. Wait until the dough gets 2 - 2.5 times bigger to get the best results!
3. Do not add too much flour to the dough.
The dough is pretty tacky, but adding too much flour to it results in a tougher bread. Apply a little bit of flour at a time as needed to make soft dinner rolls.
4. Let the dough rise enough before baking.
The second fermentation is key to the softness of the bread. The process becomes less effective if it isn't completed thoroughly. Wait until the dough has doubled in size.
This usually takes about 1 - 2 hours at room temperature, but always judge by the look to be most accurate. Like the first fermentation, the dough collapses when it gets too big, so be careful not to leave it too long.
5. Do not let the dough dry.
Wrap the bowl and baking pan tightly during the first and second fermentation processes to prevent the dough from drying out, so we can keep it moist!
Tips For Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls Ingredients
Bread
- Sweet potatoes - Scale the amount after mashing the potatoes. I often like to cut about double the amount of potatoes and store the rest in the freezer for the next use.
- Warm milk - The whole milk adds an amazing smell and flavor to the bread. Heat it in the microwave until it reaches 105 to 110ºF (40 to 43ºC) to activate the yeast in it. Avoid using hot water, as it can kill yeast.
- Granulated sugar - I also tried it with light brown sugar, but the texture felt slightly softer with white sugar. I could also taste clearer flavors of each ingredient with white sugar.
- Dry yeast - I used active dry yeast.
- Egg - Adding eggs makes the bread lighter and a little bit richer.
- Bread flour - Any plain bread flour works fine. Whole wheat flour makes the bread feel tougher with more gluten when the same amount is added.
- Salt - The saltiness complements the sweet potato and butter flavors well.
- Softened unsalted butter - Leave the butter at room temperature to soften it so that it can blend with the dough easily. I also tested this recipe with oil, but the bread tasted a lot better with butter - more flavorful and buttery, and it goes so well with the sweet potato flavor.
Honey butter glaze
- Melted unsalted butter - The butter makes the dinner rolls taste truly exceptional.
- Honey - The subtle honey flavor goes so well with the sweet potato and butter flavors.
How To Make Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
Make mashed sweet potato.
Peel the skin of sweet potatoes and cut into ½-inch cubes. (I like to cut them into smaller pieces just to cook them faster.) Cook them in boiling water for about 10 minutes until they are completely cooked through. Strain them through a fine sieve and mash them with a potato masher until you can no longer see pieces of potatoes.
Set it aside at room temperature. Make this ahead so that it cools off before combining it with other ingredients.
Prepare a yeast mixture.
Heat milk to 105 - 110ºF (40 - 43ºC) with the microwave. Add the milk, granulated sugar, and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix roughly with a rubber spatula until the sugar is dissolved. Set it aside for about 10 minutes until it gets flossy. That means the yeast started activating.
Knead the dough.
Once the yeast mixture is ready, add the other wet ingredients: egg and sweet potatoes, and mix roughly. Add other dry ingredients: bread flour and salt, and knead it with a dough hook attachment at low to low-medium speed until roughly combined.
Add softened butter and knead the dough at medium speed (I set the speed at level 4 with my stand mixer) for about 4 minutes.
Aya's Quick Tip💡
The dough is very sticky due to its high moisture content, and that is totally fine! It'll feel less tacky after the 1st fermentation is done.
How to check if the dough is kneaded enough
Here are two ways to check if enough gluten is formed in the dough:
- Pull the dough by hand and see if you can stretch it well.
- Spread the dough with your fingers and see if it can stretch wide. (See the image below.)
Apply some oil on your palms if you don't want it to stick to your hands too much.
Can I knead the dough by hand?
Yes, it is possible, but it takes a lot longer to knead it, approximately 20 - 30 minutes. Since it is a very tacky dough, I recommend using a stand mixer if you have one!
The first fermentation
Scrape off the dough on the sides of the bowl with a dough scraper. Apply a small amount of oil to your palms and gently press the surface to flatten it.
Wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from drying out. Set it aside at room temperature or a warmer place until the dough gets 2 - 2.5 times bigger.
How long does the first fermentation take?
I usually leave it at room temperature (about 75ºF), and it takes 1-2 hours. The time depends on other factors, such as the temperatures of each ingredient, so judge with the size to be most accurate!
Aya's Quick Tip💡
If you are making a meal to go with it, now's the perfect time to work on it! This time, I cut vegetables and meat and started simmering to make soup.
Line the dough balls in a baking dish.
Punch down the risen dough gently by hand to release the gas inside. Take out the dough with a dough scraper and drop it on a lightly floured work surface. Coat a thin layer of flour on the surface and divide the dough into 12 pieces. Scale each piece, if you would like to be precise, to about 2.5 oz (70 g).
Form it into a smooth ball by hand. Apply a little bit more flour if it feels sticky. Line them equally on a 13-by-9-inch baking pan greased with soft butter. You can also use parchment paper as a liner, like I did this time.
What if I don't have a 13 x 9 inch baking pan?
You can use a slightly bigger pan, such as a half-baking sheet. Just line up the dough balls close to each other, like in the image below.
The second fermentation
Wrap the baking pan tightly with plastic wrap again and set it aside at room temperature or in a warm place. Wait until the dough has doubled in size. Do not touch them or add shocks so they can continue rising.
Meanwhile, start preheating the oven to 360ºF (185ºC).
Bake!
Mix melted butter and honey until well combined. Apply half the amount gently all over the surface of the risen dough.
Be careful not to squish it or apply too much pressure, as they are fragile.
Aya's Quick Tip💡
I usually leave the remaining honey butter on top of the oven to keep it melted. You can also heat it again in the microwave, but do so gradually. The butter can explode if heated too rapidly. Yap, I did that many times!
Bake at 365ºF (185ºC) for about 20 minutes until the top of the bread is golden brown and bounces back gently when touching it. Brush the remaining honey butter glaze on top of the rolls while it is still hot.
And it is complete!
First-come, first-served! Call your family and enjoy the fluffy, delicious sweet potato rolls with your favorite meal.
There is something so special about homemade bread. The smell spreads in a room as it's made, and that delightful feeling when seeing the fresh bread come out of the oven!
I hope you'll love these homemade dinner rolls as much as I do. Please let me know how you enjoyed it if you tried it at home.😉
Happy Baking,
Aya xx
Variations for The Topping
You can add toppings to dinner rolls and enjoy different variations! Here are some of the ideas:
- Sesame seeds
- Granulated sugar
- Cheese - such as Parmesan, cheddar cheese, etc.
- Herbs - Parsley, rosemary, thyme, etc.
How To Store It
Wrap the leftovers with plastic wrap. You can store it at room temperature if you are consuming it within 24 hours. If not consumed sooner, I recommend storing it in the refrigerator or freezer. Leave it at room temperature beforehand, or heat it in the microwave before eating.
VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!
Watch the video tutorial to learn how to make delicious sweet potato dinner rolls visually and deeply understand each step and technique!
Don't forget to subscribe if you liked it 😉
More Fall & Holiday Recipes
If you loved these sweet potato rolls, also try other fall and holiday desserts!
💬 Did you try this recipe? I'd like to hear your feedback! I also love hearing how you enjoyed it for your special occasion. If you have a question, leave it in the comment section below, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!
Fluffy Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
Equipment
- Knife
- Saucepan
- Fine sieve
- Potato masher
- Bowl
- Stand mixer with hook attachment
- Rubber spatula
- Dough scraper
- 13 x 9 baking pan
- Parchment paper optional
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 125 g (½ cup) Sweet potato
- 180 g (¾ cup) Whole milk warm
- 50 g (¼ cup) Granulated sugar
- 7 g (2 ¼ teaspoon) Dry yeast
- 50 g (1 egg) Egg
- 375 g (3 cups) Bread flour
- 9 g (1 ½ teaspoon) Salt
- 42 g (3 tablespoon) Unsalted butter softened
Honey butter glaze
- 28 g (2 tablespoon) Unsalted butter melted
- 10 g (½ tablespoon) Honey
NOTE: For best results, measure ingredients with a scale. All recipes are designed with weighed ingredients using grams/ounces. Cup measurements (US customary units) are provided for your convenience.
Instructions
- Make mashed sweet potato - Peel the skin of sweet potatoes and cut into ½-inch cubes. (I like to cut them into smaller pieces just to cook them faster.) Cook them in boiling water for about 10 minutes until cooked through completely. Strain them through a fine sieve and mash them with a potato masher until you don't see any pieces of potatoes. Scale the amount needed. Set it aside at room temperature. Make this ahead so that it cools off before combining it with other ingredients.
- Prepare a yeast mixture - Heat milk to 105-110ºF (40-43ºC) using the microwave. Add the milk, granulated sugar, and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix roughly with a rubber spatula until the sugar is dissolved. Set it aside for about 10 minutes until it gets flossy. That means the yeast started activating.180 g Whole milk, 50 g Granulated sugar, 7 g Dry yeast
- Knead the dough - Once the yeast mixture is ready, add other wet ingredients: egg and sweet potatoes, and mix roughly. Add other dry ingredients: bread flour and salt, and knead it with a dough hook attachment at low to low-medium speed until roughly combined. Add softened butter and knead the dough at medium speed (I set the speed at level 4 with my stand mixer) for about 4 minutes. The dough is very sticky since it contains a lot of moisture. It'll feel less tacky after the 1st fermentation is done. How to check if the dough is kneaded enough:Pull the dough by hand and see if you can stretch it long. Also, spread the dough with your fingers and see if it can stretch wide. Apply some oil on your palms if you don't want it to stick to your hands too much.125 g Sweet potato, 50 g Egg, 375 g Bread flour, 9 g Salt, 42 g Unsalted butter
- The first fermentation - Scrape off the dough on the sides of the bowl with a dough scraper. Apply a small amount of oil to your palms and push the surface to flatten it. Wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from drying out. Set it aside at room temperature or a warmer place until the dough gets 2 - 2.5 times bigger. I usually leave it at room temperature (about 75ºF), and it takes 1 - 2 hours. The time really depends on other factors, such as the temperatures of each ingredient, so judge with the size to be most accurate!
- Line the dough balls in a baking pan - Gently punch down the risen dough by hand to release the gas inside. Take out the dough with a dough scraper and drop it on a lightly floured work surface. Coat a thin layer of flour on the surface and divide the dough into 12 pieces. Scale each piece, if you would like to be precise, to about 2.5 oz (70 g). Form it into a smooth ball by hand. Apply a little bit more flour if it feels sticky. Line them equally on a 13-by-9-inch baking pan greased with soft butter. You can also use parchment paper as a liner, like I did this time.
- The second fermentation - Wrap the baking pan tightly with plastic wrap again and set it aside at room temperature or in a warm place. Wait until the dough gets about 2.5 times bigger. Do not touch them or add shocks so they can continue rising.Meanwhile, start preheating the oven to 360ºF (185ºC).
- Bake! - Mix melted butter and honey until well combined. Apply half the amount gently all over the surface of the risen dough. Be careful not to squish it or add too much pressure, as they are fragile.Bake at 365ºF (185ºC) for about 20 minutes until the top of the bread is golden brown and bounces back gently when touching it. Brush the remaining honey butter glaze on top of the rolls while it is still hot.28 g Unsalted butter, 10 g Honey
Rebecca says
Aya, you have done it again! Another perfect recipe- I have made sweet potato rolls many times with different recipes and this is far the best- soft and fluffy!
Thanks so much for always sharing good tips.
I have made many of your recipes.
Can I request you share a recipe for a classic butter cake?
Thank you!
ayacaliva says
Hi! Thank you and I'm so glad you loved it!! I shared a vanilla butter cake recipe a while ago. The recipe is named as vanilla cake.
John A. says
These sweet potato rolls are excellent. I've made a 9x13 batch four times already. I recommend trying any of the following
- Doubling the amount of honey on the glaze
- Top the rolls with coarse salt, coarse salt with Thyme, or with garlic powder.
All I can say is they are fantastic!!
Aya Caliva says
I'm so glad you loved it!! Thank you so much for sharing.
Allison Brown says
Can I use a bread maker for this recipe
Aya Caliva says
Hi, unfortunately I don't know since I don't have it, but it might! I'd love to know if it worked!