Sweet Potato Pun Rolls
If there's one thing you can count on at our family's Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations, it's my grandmother Dear's Sweet Potato Pun. Think crustless sweet potato pie, but sweeter! It's a family tradition that everyone makes (you can find the recipe in my cookbook, A Touch of Jazz).
While it rarely makes it to the leftover pile, I had a feeling it would make the perfect filling for a praline-inspired sticky bun. Enter Operation Hide the Leftovers, lol! I hid a little in the back of the fridge before my family could get to it, then turned it into sweet potato butter, spread it over a soft, brioche-style dough, and baked the rolls over a buttery praline topping that caramelizes into a sweet, gooey coating. Think sweet potato casserole meets cinnamon rolls, but better!
Sometimes I have good ideas, and sometimes I have really amazing ideas. This one is definitely in the latter category! They're the ultimate breakfast treat, but I wouldn't think twice about serving them for dessert.
Note: Don't worry if you don't have leftover Sweet Potato Pun on hand. I've included a shortcut using sweet potato pie filling in the recipe below that works just as well.
Gourmet Mommie Tip#1:
Sweet Potato Shortcut: No sweet potato pun on hand? Use the filling from a store-bought sweet potato pie instead. Just scoop out ¾ cup and mix it with the butter as directed.
Notes
1
Prepare Sticky Base | In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey butter, dark brown sugar, and honey whiskey until smooth. Spread the sticky base mixture onto the bottom and sides of a ceramic or glass baking dish. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans and set aside.
2
Make Dough | In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, butter, canola oil, egg, buttermilk, creamer, yeast, lemon juice, and vanilla paste. Add the flour gradually and stir until a soft dough forms. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5–7 minutes. Place the dough ball into an oiled bowl, cover, and let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3
Make Sweet Potato Butter | In a medium bowl, stir together ¾ cup of leftover sweet potato pun and 1 stick of softened salted butter until smooth and spreadable. Set aside.
4
Roll & Fill | Roll the dough into a rectangle, about 16–18 inches wide and 10–12 inches tall. Spread evenly with sweet potato butter, then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut into 8–9 strips, each about 1½–2 inches wide. Roll each strip into a swirl and place into the prepared baking dish over the sticky base. Cover and let rise until the rolls are visibly puffed and nearly touching, about 30–40 minutes.
5
Bake | Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake for 22–25 minutes, or until golden and set. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter to release the sticky topping.
Instructions
⅓ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup salted butter (softened)
¼ cup canola oil
1 large egg
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup vanilla creamer
1 (¼-ounce) package active dry yeast
⅛ teaspoon lemon juice
⅛ teaspoon vanilla paste
2½ cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
Dough
1 batch sweet potato butter
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Filling
¼ cup honey butter
¼ cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey whiskey
½ cup chopped pecans
Praline Topping
Gourmet Mommie
Jazzmyne Buckels
SWEET POTATO PUN ROLLS
8 Servings
494 Calories / Serve
PREP
15 M
COOK
25 M
REST
1 H, 30 M
TOTAL
2 H, 20 M
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