These sweet potato dinner rolls are light, fluffy, and gently spiced with cinnamon — a lovely addition to any holiday table.
I bake a lot of bread, but I haven’t shared many sweet potato recipes here — until now. With Thanksgiving and the holiday season approaching, these Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls bring seasonal flavor and a beautiful orange crumb to your table. They’re slightly sweet, subtly cinnamon-scented, and irresistibly tender.
These rolls are soft and fluffy; when torn open, their pale orange interior is a delightful surprise. They’re easy to snack on straight from the oven, but the recipe makes about 18 rolls, so you’ll have plenty to share or to use for leftover turkey sliders the next day.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, combine ingredients in a large bowl and knead by hand on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Hand-kneading may take a bit longer.
- Lightly oil your hands while kneading to prevent sticking so you won’t need to add excess flour, which can make rolls dense.
- Bloom yeast at about 100°F (no hotter than 110°F). Water that’s too hot will kill the yeast; cooler temperatures work but will take longer to activate.
- If your yeast doesn’t foam during the bloom step, discard and try again — dead yeast means the dough won’t rise.
- Rising time varies with temperature, humidity, and altitude. In warm weather dough rises faster; in cool conditions it takes longer. Be patient.
- You can refrigerate the dough for an overnight rise if you want to bake the next day. Bring it to room temperature before shaping and baking.
- Avoid over-proofing on the second rise. Over-proofed dough can collapse and won’t produce light, tender rolls.
Homemade dinner rolls elevate a holiday spread and are perfect for making sliders the next day. Since the dough needs time to rise, consider preparing it the night before and letting it proof in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, bring the dough to room temperature, shape the rolls, let them rise again, and bake.
More Wonderful Dinner Rolls Recipes!
- Purple Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
- Hawaiian Dinner Rolls
- Honey Buttermilk Dinner Rolls
- Orange Cranberry Hot Cross Buns
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Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls Recipe
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Equipment
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Stand Mixer (optional)
Ingredients
For the dough
- ¼ cup warm water (~100°F, 59 g)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 cup mashed sweet potato (1 medium sweet potato, ~8 oz / 226 g)
- 1 cup whole milk, scalded (240 g)
- 4 ounces unsalted butter (113 g)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour (455 g)
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar (45 g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Extra flour for dusting
For egg wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Combine warm water and granulated sugar in a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the top, and let it bloom for 10–15 minutes until foamy.
- In a small saucepan, simmer the milk and butter until the butter is fully melted. Allow the mixture to cool to around 100°F or room temperature.
- Wash and pierce the sweet potato several times, wrap it in plastic, and microwave 6–8 minutes until tender. Let it cool until you can handle it safely.
- Cut the sweet potato open, scoop out the flesh, and mash until smooth.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- In the stand mixer bowl, combine 1 cup mashed sweet potato with the warm milk-and-butter mixture and mix to combine. Ensure the liquid is no hotter than 110°F for the yeast.
- Add the flour mixture and the activated yeast to the liquid in the mixer. Knead with a dough hook on medium speed for 1–2 minutes, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, shape into a ball, place back in the bowl, and allow to rise at room temperature until doubled — this may take several hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
- When risen, turn the dough out again. Divide into 2-ounce portions and shape into rounds (about 18 rolls).
- Place rolls on parchment-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Let them rise for about 2 hours or until doubled in size. You may need multiple sheets.
- Make the egg wash by beating the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Lightly brush the tops of the risen rolls.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and bake the rolls for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm with butter.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an approximation.
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