Bread Machine Sweet Potato Rolls with a Honey-Butter Glaze
Sneak Preview: These Bread Machine Sweet Potato Rolls are mixed on the DOUGH cycle, then baked in your oven. The glaze is delicious but optional.
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Sweet potato lovers, listen up! Adding sweet potatoes to this bread machine dough will make you a rock star at Thanksgiving. Top with an optional honey-butter glaze for some of the best dinner rolls you’ve ever eaten.
See the “notes” in the recipe to make these rolls by hand or with a stand mixer.
These rolls are on our Thanksgiving menu, and I can’t wait!
The secret to their tenderness, Hawaiian-bread-like color, and lasting freshness is in the sweet potatoes. Don’t worry. No one will guess it because you can’t taste the potatoes.
The secret to success with a bread machine:
I don’t use a bread machine in an orthodox way. The reason I’ve fallen in love with my bread machine is that my method is all about the DOUGH cycle, and checking the dough as you go. Be sure to read this article about opening the lid and watching the dough knead so you know how to adjust the moisture in the dough on the fly.
How to make perfectly round rolls:
Check out the video to see how to make perfectly round rolls.
Make them into balls or go all fancy and make crescents.
Ingredients and substitutions:
- EGGS: I use large-sized eggs in all my bread recipes.
- SWEET POTATO: Microwave or bake a medium-sized sweet potato and peel. Smash the potato before adding it to the pan. Leftover mashed sweet potatoes work perfectly as long as there are no conflicting flavors added.
- SUGAR: Use granulated sugar (not powdered sugar). Substitute brown sugar if you prefer.
- SALT: I use table salt or sea salt. Use 1/4 teaspoon more if using Kosher salt
- BUTTER: Be sure to use room-temperature butter, not melted or icy-cold butter. Substitutes include shortening and margarine although I wouldn’t recommend either.
- MILK: Milk contributes to a tender crumb. The more fat in the milk, the richer the roll. Whole milk would be my first choice. 2% is my second choice and what I usually use since that’s what I keep on hand.
- CINNAMON: It’s optional, but I implore you to try it. Your tastebuds won’t be able to call it by name, but they will recognize something special. It all just goes together.
- BREAD FLOUR: You can substitute all-purpose flour if that’s what you have. Bread flour will give you a better rise.
- BREAD MACHINE OR INSTANT YEAST: Yes, you can use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast but it is slower acting. Give the dough more time to rise or add 1/4 teaspoon of extra yeast.
- HONEY: Maple syrup is a possible substitute. It will change the flavor slightly.
How to make crescent-shaped Sweet Potato rolls:
A note about the Honey Butter Glaze:
The sticky sweetness of the Honey Butter Glaze makes these rolls irresistible. However, I recommend glazing only those you think will be eaten straight out of the oven as they will become even stickier after sitting a few hours.
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Sugar attracts moisture. A quick pass of butter when the rolls are still hot makes a tasty roll.
IF you have any leftover rolls, they make perfect slider buns or containers for my Poppy Seed Chicken Salad. Better make a bunch if that’s your plan because it’s easy to eat a whole pan of these without even realizing it.
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Did you enjoy this recipe? If so, leave a rating 🤩 inside the recipe below. No comment required. If you have any questions or suggestions, email me privately: Paula at saladinajar.com. Hope to see you again soon! Paula
Sweet Potato Rolls Recipe with Honey Butter Glaze
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 egg - 50 gr
- ½ cup cooked and mashed sweet potato - (see notes) 100 gr
- ¼ cup granulated sugar - 48 gr
- 1 teaspoon salt - 6 gr
- ¼ cup butter - (room temperature) 57 gr
- ⅔ cup warm milk - 151 gr
- Dash of cinnamon
- 3 cups bread flour - 360 gr
- 2 teaspoons bread machine or instant yeast - 6 gr
Honey Butter Glaze
- 1 egg white - stirred with a fork, 35 gr
- 2 tablespoons honey - 21 gr
- 1 tablespoon melted butter - 14 gr
- 3 tablespoons sugar - 36 gr
Instructions
Making the bread dough:
- Add all the dough ingredients to the bread machine pan in the order listed.
- Choose the DOUGH cycle and press "Start." After 15 minutes, open the lid and check the dough. The dough should stick to the side, then pull away cleanly. If the dough is too wet, add flour one tablespoon at a time. Wait a couple of minutes to let the flour work into the dough. Add more if necessary. If the flour is too dry and bounces off the side or rides on top of the paddle, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. Allow a couple of minutes for the water to work into the dough.
- When the DOUGH cycle is finished, check the dough. It should be doubled in size. If not, leave the dough in the machine until it doubles. Then, move the dough from your bread machine to a floured surface. (I like to use a silicone baking mat so I can throw the whole mess into the dishwasher.) Push the dough down gently to deflate it.
- See the directions below to form dough into the shape of your choice. Cover with a tea towel.
- After rolls have almost doubled in size, brush with honey butter glaze if using.
- Bake at 350˚F for 12-15 minutes or until rolls are golden brown.
- Remove from the pan or cookie sheet to allow cooling. (If you leave them in the pan too long, they will get soggy on the bottom.)
How to make balls:
- Divide dough in half, then half again making four sections. Divide each of these sections into 4 pieces of dough which should leave you with 16 little dough balls. Form into round balls.
- Arrange balls into two round (or square) 8 or 9-inch greased pans.
- Cover rolls loosely with a tea towel to rise.
How to shape crescents:
- Divide dough in half and form each half into a ball. Roll to approximately 10 inches in diameter. Use a knife or pizza cutter to create 8 triangles (see picture). Roll each triangle starting from the wide end and finally, tucking the small end under so it will not pop out when baked. Place on a greased cookie sheet.
- Cover rolls loosely with a tea towel to rise.
Honey Butter Glaze:
- Combine all ingredients and brush carefully over each roll just before popping them into a preheated oven. Try not to let the glaze touch the cookie sheet.
Video
Notes
- To make this recipe in a heavy-duty stand mixer: Add ingredients to the bowl in the same order. Turn on LOW to mix until all ingredients are moistened. Then, using a dough hook, turn the speed to 2 or 3. Continue beating/kneading until dough becomes smooth and elastic (about 5-10 minutes). Cover and allow to rise in a warm place. Deflate dough gently and shape as indicated in the recipe.
- If making by hand: Combine all ingredients into a shaggy ball in a large bowl. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead with your hands until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Kneading will likely take 10-20 minutes, depending on your experience. Place the dough ball into a greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise until double. Deflate the dough gently and shape as indicated in the recipe.
- Please note: If you only have active dry yeast, use 1/4 teaspoon more than called for in the recipe. It no longer needs to be dissolved first, but you can if you prefer.
Paula Rhodes, author
I’m a retired home economist, wife, mother, grandmother, and creator of Saladinajar.com. I believe you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Here you’ll find time-saving tips, troubleshooting advice, and confidence-inspiring recipes to make life in the kitchen more fun, appetizing, and satisfying.