Sweet Potato Cinnamon Buns

IMG_0208_TK

“Cinnamon buns make all mornings better. Knowing that standard potatoes do wonders for the texture of plain white bread, I assumed that sweet potatoes might add something special to my morning bun recipe. A little roasted purée in the mix gave the dough a beautiful burnished-orange colour, just the right amount of moisture, and a hint of earthy sweetness. These are the squishiest buns I’ve ever been proud to call my own.” The Kitchn.

Cinnamon buns do make all mornings, even all moments, better! My kids adore cinnamon buns. You can throw them a bun or two and they will do whatever you want them to do!

That’s the thing about kids. They eat what they like to eat, and it’s extremely hard to get them to eat things they don’t like. A case in point here is sweet potatoes. Or just all potatoes! They only eat them when they become fries which they still have a hard time understanding the truth behind it. Yet they can’t deal with yam fries or sweet potato fries.

IMG_0199_web

So what do you do as a mother? Hide it in something that they love to it. Thanks to this clever recipe from The Kitchn, my kids gobbled these buns like the ones I normally make without noticing anything at all. The sweet potato puree made the buns look so much prettier with the vibrant orange colour. I used the glaze I normally use to frost the buns, instead of the suggested cream cheese frosting. My kids are not big fans of cream cheese. Maybe wait until I am able to find a way to hide it!

Ingredients:
Bun
3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups whole milk
1 stick unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/2 cup sweet potato purée
Filling
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:
To prepare buns, in the bowl of a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, yeast and salt.
In another bowl, warm milk and butter in a microwave or stove top, until butter is melted and just warm to touch, about 110F.
Stir in the egg and sweet potato puree to combine.
Add milk mixture to the flour mixture, and mix until combined.
Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to an greased bowl, cover it with a tea towel and let sit in a warm place for an hour to rise.
When the dough is risen, move the dough to a lightly floured surface.  Roll to flatten the dough into a big rectangle, about 12 x 11-inch.
To make the filling, pour the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly.
Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the butter.
Beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the long side of the rectangle tightly toward you. Pinch the seam together at the end.
Slice it into 1 1/2-inch slices. Place the sliced rolls in a well greased baking pans, one inch apart. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F. Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.
To prepare the glaze, mix all the ingredients and whisk until the mixture becomes thick and smooth. Generously drizzle the glaze over the hot rolls. Serve warm or in room temperature.

5 comments

  1. I just made these cinnamon rolls, but I stacked them in a bundt pan and oh my gosh! They taste amazing! For the people wondering, 350 for 20-24 minutes was perfect for mine.

    Tip: add a little extra cinnamon and sugar between the layers. You’ll thank me later ;)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *