Vegan Sweet Potato Rolls - Nuts About Greens

Ingredients

Sponge:

1/2 cup bread flour (or all-purpose flour, see notes)
2 1/4 tsp active/instant yeast (I used SAF instant yeast)
1/2 cup warm unsweetened almond milk (or any non-dairy milk)

Dough:

1 cup cooked sweet potato puree (I roasted my sweet potato, then pureed it in the food processor with a splash of water; see notes below)
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
1/4 cup melted vegan butter (plus about 1 Tbsp for brushing the tops)
1 tsp sea salt
3 - 3 1/2 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour, see notes)

Instructions

First make the sponge. In the mixer bowl of your Kitchen Aid or stand mixer, add the flour and yeast. Whisk together to combine. Add the warm almond milk and lightly whisk until just combined and cover the bowl with a towel and let it sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, it should be foamy/bubbly, letting you know the yeast is alive.
Add the sweet potato puree, maple syrup, 1/4 cup of melted vegan butter, salt, and 3 cups of flour to the mixing bowl with the sponge. Use the dough hook of the mixer and mix on low until a dough is formed, about 3 minutes. Add more flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed to the dough until it is slightly sticky, elastic, and smooth. You don’t want it sticking to the sides of the bowl or your fingers when you touch the dough. If it is too dry, add a little bit of warm water, 1 Tbsp at a time. Continue kneading with the dough hook for 3-4 more minutes, a total of about 6-7 minutes.
Spray the top of the dough with oil and around the bowl (or oil a separate bowl and put the dough in there) and cover with a towel. Place in a warm area and let it rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour to 1.5 hours). I like to warm up my oven just a little bit, turn it off, and put the dough in there to rise with the light on.
Place the dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface and lightly knead the dough one or two times to deflate it. Shape the dough into about 12 rolls, depending on how big you want them. You want the rolls to be smooth on top by lightly stretching the dough underneath itself, pinching it underneath, and rolling the dough with a cupped hand on the counter. Place rolls seam side down in a greased 9X13 pan or a parchment lined baking sheet (for slightly flatter rolls) with a little space in-between each roll. Brush the tops with the 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a towel and let it rise for 30-40 minutes.
When there is just about 15 minutes left of the second rise, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Once preheated, place rolls in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes (depends on how big you made your rolls) or until tops are a light golden brown. Once done, you can brush more melted butter on top if you want. Let it cool for about 10 minutes and then enjoy warm!

Notes

*I roasted my sweet potatoes at 400 degrees F for about an hour. I let it cool then I added it to my food process to puree it until smooth. I added a splash of water to thin it out a little. If you want to use canned sweet potato puree, you will need more flour for the dough, but I highly recommend making your own sweet potato puree.

**I used my favorite bread flour by Lehi Mills (use code: NUTSABOUTGREENS to save $$ at checkout). You can use all-purpose flour but the texture is better with bread flour.

Servings: 12 rolls

Author: valeria.chao