Sweet Potato Biscuits

Who doesn't love a fluffy, steamy biscuit fresh out of the oven, especially when slathered in butter? These golden beauties are a fantastic spin on a classic Southern recipe that your whole family will love. Trust me when I say there will be no leftovers.

Makes about 12 biscuits

Course Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine soul, Southern

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 321kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

2½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour, spooned into a measuring cup and leveled off with the back edge of a knife
3-4 tablespoons (50g) sugar
4 teaspoons (16g) baking powder
1 teaspoon (6g) salt
12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter, frozen and grated
1 cup (240ml) sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed (see notes)
¼-½ cup (55-120g) buttermilk (optional, see sweet potato notes)

Instructions

Sift flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Quickly grate frozen butter into the bowl of flour. Alternatively, you can quickly cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; this might take about 5 minutes. Your flour should be crumbly with pea-sized chunks. Let the bowl rest in the fridge if there is any wait time.
Make a well in the center of the bowl, add mashed sweet potatoes, and stir until it barely comes together. DO NOT OVER-MIX because you want those flakes. Let the dough rest in the fridge for about 10 minutes while you prepare your work surface.
Sprinkle flour onto a board or clean surface. Remove the dough from the fridge and place it on the board. Knead 3-4 times – just enough for it to come together. You will still see flakes of butter in the dough. Again, don't overmix.
Gently, gently pat the dough with your hands or roll it out to about ½″ thick.
Fold the dough into thirds, roll it out again, and repeat folding the dough into thirds and rolling it out a couple of times to ensure flakiness. After the folding is complete, gently press the dough down to 1 inch thick, ready to be cut.
Use a 2- or 3-inch round cookie cutter or the rim of a glass to cut out the biscuits. Firmly push it straight down, then pull it up. Use your fingers to gently loosen the dough from the cutter and space them out equally across your prepared baking sheet.
Knead any leftover scraps of dough and repeat until all of the dough is used up. They might not look as pretty as the rest, but they will pass the taste test.
Lightly brush with buttermilk or cream.
Bake at 400℉ (205℃) for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. While they are baking, melt the butter.
Remove the biscuits from the oven, immediately brush them with melted butter, and serve with honey if desired.

Notes

How much moisture is in the mashed sweet potatoes depends on the kind of potato, which makes this recipe a little tricky. If your sweet potatoes are the drier kind, add a little buttermilk at a time until the dough comes together (it may take ¼-½ cup; use your best judgment).
Knead lightly and quickly so the biscuits don't become tough.
Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition