Sourdough Sweet Potato Rolls

Name: Sourdough Sweet Potato Rolls
Prep time: 1 h 6 min
Cook time: 1 h 18 min
Total time: 2 h 24 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 medium (about 10½ oz) (300 g) sweet potato, scrubbed and pricked all over with a fork; 3¾ cups (450 g) bread flour; ½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter (100% hydration), fed 4–8 hours ago, bubbly and doubled; ⅓ cup (80 ml) whole milk, lukewarm (about 90°F / 32°C); ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil; 2 tablespoons (42 g) honey; 1 large (50 g) large egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten; 1½ teaspoons (9 g) fine sea salt; ½ teaspoon (1 g) ground cinnamon (optional); 1 tablespoon (14 ml) olive oil, for greasing the bowl and pan; 1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter, melted; ¼ teaspoon (1 g) flaky sea salt (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Soft, golden, lightly sweet dinner rolls made with roasted sweet potato, olive oil and an active sourdough starter. An overnight chill in the fridge builds gentle tang and makes the baking day easy.

Prep: 1 hr 6 min
Cook: 1 hr 18 min
Wait: 17 hr 24 min
Total: 19 hr 48 min
Makes: 12 rolls (one 9×13-inch pan)

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Ingredients

12 servings

1 medium (about 10½ oz) (300 g) sweet potato, scrubbed and pricked all over with a fork
3¾ cups (450 g) bread flour
½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter (100% hydration), fed 4–8 hours ago, bubbly and doubled
⅓ cup (80 ml) whole milk, lukewarm (about 90°F / 32°C)
¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
2 tablespoons (42 g) honey
1 large (50 g) large egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1½ teaspoons (9 g) fine sea salt
½ teaspoon (1 g) ground cinnamon (optional)
1 tablespoon (14 ml) olive oil, for greasing the bowl and pan
1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter, melted
¼ teaspoon (1 g) flaky sea salt (optional)

Equipment (9)

Rimmed baking sheet, lined with parchment
Large mixing bowl or stand mixer with dough hook
Kitchen scale
Fork or potato masher
9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking pan
Bench scraper
Plastic wrap or reusable shower cap-style bowl cover
Pastry brush
Instant-read thermometer

Steps

Before you start

Feed your starter 4–8 hours before mixing. Use it when it has doubled and is domed and bubbly. A starter that floats in water is ready.
Plan on about 20 hours start to finish: roast and mix in the afternoon, shape that evening, chill overnight, then proof and bake the next day.
Roast the sweet potato up to 2 days ahead if you like. Cool it completely before using.
Weigh the ingredients with a kitchen scale if you can. Sweet potato moisture varies, so grams give the most reliable dough.

1
Roast the sweet potatoOven 400°F / 205°C
- Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Place the pricked sweet potato on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 45–50 minutes, until the skin wrinkles and a knife slides into the center with no resistance and some syrupy juices have leaked out.
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Ready when: Skin is wrinkled and the flesh is completely soft when pierced with a knife
Tip: Roasting gives a drier, sweeter puree than boiling. Wet puree makes sticky dough.
2
Cool and mash
- Let the potato cool for about 25 minutes, then peel off the skin.
- Mash the flesh in a large mixing bowl until completely smooth with no lumps.
- You need 240 g (1 cup) of puree.
- Discard any extra or save it for another use.
- Make sure it is cool to the touch before the next step.
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Ready when: Puree is smooth and no warmer than lukewarm
Tip: Hot puree can kill the wild yeast in the starter and scramble the egg.
3
Mix the dough
- To the bowl of puree, add the starter, milk, 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil, honey and egg.
- Stir until mostly combined; it will look lumpy.
- Add the bread flour, salt and cinnamon (if using).
- Mix with a wooden spoon or your hand until no dry flour remains and you have a shaggy, tacky dough.
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Ready when: No dry flour pockets remain; dough is shaggy and tacky
Tip: Hold back the salt until the flour is added so it doesn't sit directly on the starter.
4
Rest the dough
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature (72–76°F / 22–24°C) for 30 minutes.
- This lets the flour absorb the liquid so kneading is quicker and easier.
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Ready when: Dough looks slightly smoother and relaxed
5
Knead until smooth
- Knead with a dough hook on medium-low for 8–10 minutes, or by hand on an unfloured counter for 10–12 minutes.
- The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.
- Stop when it clears most of the bowl sides and passes the windowpane test: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through without tearing.
- Do not add much flour; at most 1–2 tablespoons if it sticks like batter.
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Ready when: Dough is smooth, soft and elastic and stretches into a thin translucent windowpane
Tip: Wet your hands instead of adding flour. Extra flour makes dense rolls.
6
Bulk ferment
- Transfer the dough to a clean bowl greased with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil for greasing, and turn it to coat.
- Cover.
- During the first hour, do two sets of stretch and folds 30 minutes apart: grab an edge, stretch it up and fold it over the center, turn the bowl and repeat 4 times.
- Then leave it covered at 74–78°F (23–26°C) for a total of 4–6 hours, until the dough has grown by about 50%, is puffy and has bubbles at the edges.
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Ready when: Dough has grown by about 50%, feels airy and jiggles when the bowl is shaken
Tip: Sweet potato sugars ferment fast. In a warm kitchen check at 4 hours; in a cool one it may need 6.
7
Divide and shape
- Grease a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) pan with the remaining olive oil for greasing.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled counter and cut it into 12 pieces of about 85 g each (weigh them for even rolls).
- Shape each into a tight ball: flatten slightly, pull the edges to the center and pinch, then flip seam side down and roll under a cupped hand until smooth and taut.
- Arrange in 3 rows of 4 in the pan, with small gaps between them.
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Ready when: Each ball is smooth and tight on top with the seam underneath
Tip: Use oil, not flour, on the counter. The dough needs a little grip to build surface tension.
8
Chill overnight
- Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or a large reusable cover and refrigerate for 8–12 hours.
- The cold slows the yeast and develops a mild sourdough tang.
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Ready when: Rolls look slightly puffy and have started to touch each other
Tip: Oil the plastic wrap lightly so it doesn't stick to the rolls as they swell.
9
Finish proofing, preheatOven 375°F / 190°C
- Take the pan out of the fridge, keep it covered and let it sit at room temperature for 60–90 minutes.
- About 30 minutes before the end, heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack in the center.
- The rolls are ready when they look puffy, have filled the pan and a gently poked roll springs back slowly and leaves a small dent.
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Ready when: Rolls are puffy and touching, and a floured finger poke springs back slowly
Tip: If the poke springs back instantly, wait another 15–20 minutes. Underproofed rolls bake up dense.
10
Bake the rollsOven 375°F / 190°C
- Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 25–30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the tops are deep golden brown and the centers of the rolls read 195°F (90°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
- If the tops brown too fast before 20 minutes, cover loosely with foil.
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Ready when: Tops are deep golden and the centers read 195°F (90°C)
Tip: Sweet potato dough browns fast because of its sugars. Watch from minute 18.
11
Brush and cool
- As soon as the rolls come out, brush the tops with the melted butter and sprinkle with flaky salt if using.
- Let them cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then pull apart and serve warm.
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Ready when: Rolls are glossy on top and no longer steaming heavily
Tip: Brush the butter on while the rolls are hot so it soaks in and keeps the crust soft.

Good to know

Tips

Judge fermentation by the dough, not the clock. Look for a 50% rise, bubbles and a jiggly, airy feel.
Dough made with sweet potato stays tacky. Wet hands or a bench scraper work better than extra flour.
For even rolls and even baking, weigh each piece of dough at about 85 g.
If you want to bake the same day, skip the fridge and proof the shaped rolls at room temperature for 2–3 hours until puffy and touching.

Make ahead

"Roast and mash the sweet potato up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it in a covered container; bring to room temperature before mixing. The shaped rolls can also be chilled for up to 14 hours before the final room-temperature proof."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: keep covered for up to 2 days. Refrigerator: not recommended, as it dries the crumb, but fine for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Freezer: wrap tightly, or freeze in a zip-top bag, for up to 3 months. Reheat room-temperature or thawed rolls, wrapped in foil, at 300°F (150°C) for 10–12 minutes, or microwave one roll for 15–20 seconds."

Substitutions

sweet potato → 240 g (1 cup) canned plain sweet potato puree or pumpkin puree. Blot with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Do not use sweetened pie filling.
bread flour → All-purpose flour. Rolls will be a bit softer and less chewy. Hold back 1–2 tablespoons of flour if the dough feels very wet.
whole milk → Unsweetened oat or soy milk, or water. Works well for dairy-free rolls. Brush with extra olive oil instead of butter.
honey → Maple syrup or light brown sugar. Use the same weight (42 g). Maple adds a slightly deeper flavor.