Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
I am so excited about this recipe, you guys don’t even know. First off, I LOVE sweet potatoes and second, this is a NO knead NO machine necessary type dough. All you really need is time and patience. The outcome: a very fluffy and delicious sweet potato cinnamon roll.
Once upon a time, when I was young and naive I didn’t like sweet potatoes but as I grew older, wiser, and cooler, I learned to appreciate them more than ever. I’m always on the look-out for an easy and simple recipe and these sweet potato cinnamon rolls are no exception.
But like I said, this is a no knead and no machine required recipe which is great. However, for that reason the dough must rest overnight to allow the gluten to develop. Remember, good things come to those who wait and these cinnamon rolls are goood!
Once the dough is ready to be rolled out, the cinnamon-sugar filling is spread all over along with toasted pecans. Note: I got a little too excited while handling the dough and totally forgot to add the pecans to the filling but I just sprinkled them on top and all was good. The cinnamon rolls will need to rest for about thirty minutes once they have been rolled and cut up. Caution: I’m letting you know right now that these sweet potato cinnamon rolls are highly addictive.
Things You Should Know:
- This recipe calls for bread flour but you can use all-purpose flour if that’s what you have on hand. However, bread flour will make them more tender.
- Don’t allow the yeast and salt to come in contact with each at first when added to the flour. But once they are whisked together with the flour there will be no issue.
- I took an extra step and browned the butter for the dough but you don’t have to do that.
- If the dough springs back when you roll it out, it just needs like five more minutes to rest. Leave it on the counter to rest for a few more minutes.
- You can use fresh sweet potatoes or canned sweet potato puree. I found organic unsweetened sweet potato puree and it was just as good as fresh and it saved me an extra step.
- Make sure the cream cheese and the butter are at room temperature before mixing. This will guarantee you a silky smooth icing.
- The unrolled dough can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.
- OR: after rolling and cutting dough, immediately place in fridge overnight if you’re not ready to bake them. When ready to bake, take out of fridge , keep them covered in plastic and let them rest until doubled in size.
- 3 1/2 (470g) cups bread flour can also use all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup heavy cream OR milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter I browned the butter, optional.
- 1/2 cup unsweetened sweet potato puree
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 1/2 Tbs cinnamon
- 1 cup toasted pecans chopped
- pinch salt
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temp
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbs heavy cream OR milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- Combine flour, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Place yeast on one side of bowl and salt on the other side so they are not touching. Then whisk everything together.
- In a heat proof bowl, place heavy cream, water, sugar and butter. Heat until the butter is completely melted and whisk until sugar has dissolved. You can also heat on stove but do not boil! Quickly whisk in eggs and sweet potato puree. ** You want the mixture to remain hot but not too hot that you can't touch it.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula, until there are no more lumps of flour. The dough will be sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and place kitchen towel over it and let it rest at room temperature for 2 hours, it will double in size. Once is has doubled in size, keep wrapped with plastic and place in the fridge over night.
- Next day, Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread pecans on sheet pan and toast for about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat. Chop and set aside.
- Remove dough from fridge and place on counter. For the filling, combine softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Beat with a hand mixer until nice and fluffy.
- Line a deep 9' by 13' baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll out dough into a rectangle 1/4 inch thick (if dough springs back, allow to rest on counter for 5 minutes). TIP: while rolling out dough, rotate/move the dough around so it doesn't stick to work surface. Spread the cinnamon-sugar filling all over, leaving 1/4 inch space around the edges. And sprinkle with toasted pecans.
- Starting with the long edge, start rolling your dough tightly BUT gently away from you. Not too tight. Once it's rolled into a log, wet the edge that we left with no filling with a little bit of water and pinch the dough together to close it up. With a sharp knife slice the rolls 2 inch thick.
- Place rolls about 2 inches apart and place in prepared baking dish, cut side facing up. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and allow to rise one last time for half an hour or until the rolls have doubled in size. They should be touching. While this is happening, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- When rolls are ready, remove plastic wrap. Melt 2 tbs of butter in microwave and brush the sweet potato rolls with butter. Place in the oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes.
- While rolls are in the oven, place softened cream cheese and butter in a bowl and beat until nice and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat until well combined. Add the vanilla, milk and pinch of salt and beat again until smooth.
- Remove cinnamon rolls from oven and allow to cool just a little, cool enough to handle. Slather on the cream cheese icing and consume immediately!
