Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls

These easy sweet potato dinner rolls are incredibly fluffy and richly flavored with sweet potato, buttermilk, and butter! They are perfectly golden brown and topped with brown butter for a slight nutty flavor.

I feel like a broken record when I say that potato-based breads are my favorite, but I mean it! Like this potato bread, the dough is always smooth and satiny! And the final bread is buttery and full of flavor! These soft dinner rolls are the perfect addition to your holiday menu. You can even make them ahead and freeze them for an easier Thanksgiving day!

I am here to help you fill out your Thanksgiving table with ease! Make sure to check out all our Thanksgiving recipes! However, I would like to point you in the direction of this bacon wrapped maple turkey breast, with this cranberry chutney, old fashioned sweet potato casserole, or this parker house rolls recipe.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Active Dry Yeast: If you don’t have active dry yeast, you can substitute double the weight of fresh yeast or half the instant yeast’s weight. If using either fresh or instant yeast, you can add it straight to the dough!
• All-purpose flour: I prefer to use all-purpose flour in the majority of my bread recipes because it has the perfect amount of gluten for developing a strong network but remaining tender and soft. You can use bread flour, but I would not recommend using pastry or cake flour, as they lack sufficient protein for proper gluten development. 
• Buttermilk: Buttermilk adds fat and flavor to the rolls. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by mixing 1 cup of whole milk with 1 tbsp of lemon juice. 
• Sweet Potato Puree: You can use store-bought sweet potato puree, or you can make your own. Follow the instructions from this sweet potato pie! 
• Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar adds flavor and aids in the caramelization of the crust. It also serves as a food source for the yeast. You can use dark or light brown sugar if you prefer. 

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations for Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls 

• Add some herbs! Add some fresh chopped sage, rosemary, or thyme to these rolls. You can use dried herbs; just use less than you would fresh herbs. You can use these pumpkin herb dinner rolls as a guide. 
• Change it to a loaf. These rolls can be made into two standard loaves. Follow the directions for dividing and proofing from this brioche loaf.
• Spice up the rolls. Add some spices to the rolls. My pumpkin spice recipe would be divine, or it could be some cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger. 
• Make them into swirl rolls. You can make them sweet and add the filling from my overnight cinnamon rolls, or you can simply swirl the bread, as I do with these whole wheat rolls.

Professional Tips 

• Add the additional flour slowly. You might not need all the additional flour. It depends on how much moisture is in your sweet potato puree. It differs whether you make it or use store-bought. So add about an eighth of a cup at a time. 
• If making a large batch for the holidays, keep the dough covered to prevent it from drying out. If you are making a large batch of rolls for Thanksgiving or Christmas, use plastic wrap to cover the dough you aren’t actively shaping. Otherwise, the dough can start to form a skin on top, making it difficult to shape and work with. 
• Metal baking dish. While it is not a necessity, baking these rolls in a metal baking dish will give them the best rise and texture. Metal reacts to heat differently than glass or ceramic; it evenly distributes the heat to the rolls instead of retaining it within itself.
• Make sure to develop that gluten! Between the egg, butter, buttermilk, and sweet potatoes, it will take time for the gluten to develop. If your mixer can’t handle the last few minutes, finish the dough kneading by hand. If the gluten is underdeveloped, the roll can collapse after baking.

How to Make Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls

Use these instructions to make these sweet potato dinner rolls! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Mix the dough: 

Step 1: Bloom the yeast. Heat the buttermilk to 100-110°F and place it in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle in the yeast, stir gently, and allow it to bloom for 10 minutes (photo 1). 

Step 2: Combine ingredients. Add 3 cups of flour, sweet potato puree, melted butter, sugar, salt, and egg to the yeast mixture. Mix with paddle attachment until a shaggy dough forms (photo 2). 

Step 3: Switch to the dough hook attachment and begin to mix the dough on medium speed. Slowly add just enough of the remaining flour until a smooth, soft, and elastic dough forms.

The amount of flour required will depend on how moist your sweet potato puree is. Add the flour slowly until the dough is tacky, but not wet. 

Step 4: Knead the dough until you can pull a windowpane test (photo 3). 

You can also knead this dough by hand on a lightly floured surface. It will take about 10 minutes. 

Bulk Proof: 

Step 5: Let dough rise. Place the dough into a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size (photo 4).

Step 6: Prepare the pan. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 13-by-9-inch pan with cooking spray or butter.

Shape and proof: 

Step 7: Divide dough. Once the dough has doubled in size, dust the top of the dough with flour and turn it out onto your floured work surface. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. You can eyeball this, but if you’re like me and prefer to use a scale, each should weigh 84g. 

Step 8: Shape each roll into a boule (round) using your thumb as a guide. You want the roll to have a smooth surface, and it should hold its shape when left alone (photo 5). 

Step 9: Proof the rolls. Space the rolls evenly apart in the prepared baking dish seam-side down. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise for 20 minutes until they double in size and are light and fluffy.

You can also place the rolls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet for flatter, but still delicious, rolls.

Brown the butter: 

Step 10: Brown the butter. While the rolls are final proofing, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Continue to stir over medium-low heat until the butter foams, then begins to turn brown, and a nutty aroma develops. Once golden brown, remove from heat (photo 6).

Bake: 

Step 11: Bake and finish. Brush the tops of the rolls with the browned butter (photo 7). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown and baked through (photo 8). Brush the tops with any remaining melted brown butter, if desired. Allow to cool slightly before enjoying. 

The bake time will depend on what type of baking pan you are using. When in doubt, you can check the internal temperature since these are enriched rolls, the temperature should read 180-190°F.

Recipe FAQs 

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this fall bread recipe. Check out our other yeasted bread recipes like this easy no knead focaccia or this multigrain bread!