Ingredients
Scale
- 1 large sweet potato
Yeast Mixture
- 1 packet (1 ounce) dried yeast
- 1/4 cup lukewarm water
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Milk-Butter Mixture
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Dough
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
Egg Wash
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon milk
- Caraway seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Quarter the raw sweet potato and wrap each chunk in foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 40-50 minutes or until fork tender.
- Let cool slightly, then scoop out the cooked flesh and measure 1 cup. (Save the rest of the cooked sweet potato for other uses: toss it into a corn and black bean salad, spoon into pancakes or muffins, or even try your hand at sweet potato waffles!)
- In a small bowl, combine lukewarm water, yeast, and sugar. Stir until everything has dissolved and let sit for 10 minutes until the yeast mixture becomes frothy.
- Meanwhile, make the milk-butter mixture by combining milk, butter, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir gently until the sugar dissolves, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine yeast mixture, milk-butter mixture, and the 1 cup of mashed sweet potato. Add in 1 lightly beaten egg and gently mix.
- Add 1 cup of flour and 1 tablespoon salt. Once mixed, fold in remaining flour. Combine and then put dough on a flour-dusted surface. Knead until you get a round, soft dough, adding more flour until it’s no longer sticky.
- Put the dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot and let it rise for about an hour or until it doubles in size.
- Once risen, rip off chunks of dough with your hands and roll into fist-sized balls. (You should end up with 16.)
- Roll each round with your hands in a circular motion to make balls. Place on a greased parchment sheet with about 1/2-inch between each ball. Cover with plastic and let dough rise for another hour, or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Whisk together egg and heavy cream to make an egg wash. Brush dough with egg wash and cover with a sprinkle of caraway seeds.
- Bake for 16-20 minutes or until buns are golden brown and warm.
- Serve immediately, sliced with butter. Or, use them as sandwich rolls and fill them with your favorite sandwich fillings. Or, even better, use as buns for your favorite homemade burgers!