Southern Sweet Potato Biscuits with Honey Butter

Why you’ll love it

• Soft and flaky: sweet potato keeps the crumb moist, and simple folds create buttery layers.
• Beautiful fall color: golden-orange biscuits that look as good as they taste on a holiday table.
• Freezer-friendly: freeze them unbaked and bake from frozen, for about $0.40 a biscuit.

Quick facts

Ingredients

For the biscuits

• 1 large sweet potato (about 1 lb / 450 g), to make 1 cup (240 g) mashed sweet potato
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup (80 to 120 ml) cold buttermilk
• 2 3/4 cups (345 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 tbsp (25 g) packed light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1/2 cup (113 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) cubes
• 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter, melted, for brushing

For the honey butter

• 1/2 cup (113 g) salted butter, softened
• 3 tbsp (63 g) honey
• A pinch of ground cinnamon or flaky sea salt (optional)

Step-by-step method

1. Cook the sweet potato. Prick the sweet potato all over with a fork and microwave it on high for 8 to 10 minutes, turning it halfway, until very soft (or roast it at 400°F / 200°C for 45 to 60 minutes). Scoop out the flesh, mash it until completely smooth and measure 1 cup (240 g). Refrigerate it about 15 minutes, until cold.

2. Heat the oven. Place a rack in the upper-middle position of the oven and preheat it to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk the cold mashed sweet potato with 1/3 cup (80 ml) of the buttermilk until smooth.

4. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

5. Cut in the butter. Add the cold butter cubes and cut them in with a pastry blender or your fingertips until most pieces are the size of peas, with a few larger pieces.

6. Make the dough. Add the sweet potato mixture and stir with a fork just until a shaggy dough forms. If there are dry floury bits at the bottom of the bowl, add more buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time. Do not overmix.

7. Fold for layers. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and pat it into a rectangle about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Fold it in thirds like a letter, then pat it out again. Repeat the folding 2 more times, using a bench scraper to help lift it. Finally, pat the dough 3/4 to 1 inch (2 to 2.5 cm) thick.

8. Cut the biscuits. Dip a 2 1/2-inch (6 cm) biscuit cutter in flour and press straight down without twisting. Place the biscuits on the baking sheet so they barely touch, which helps them rise taller. Gently press the scraps together once and cut more biscuits. If the dough feels warm, chill the biscuits 10 minutes.

9. Bake. Bake 14 to 17 minutes, until the biscuits are tall and golden brown on top and bottom. Brush the hot biscuits with the melted butter.

10. Make the honey butter and serve. While the biscuits bake, beat the softened butter, honey and cinnamon or flaky salt until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Serve the biscuits warm, split open and spread with the honey butter.

How to know it is done

The biscuits are done when they have risen tall, the tops are golden brown and the bottoms are a deep golden color. The sides should look set and dry, not doughy, when you gently pull two biscuits apart, and an instant-read thermometer in the center of one should read about 200°F (93°C). Inside, the crumb should be soft, flaky and orange, not wet or gummy. If the centers look damp, bake 2 to 3 minutes more.

Tips for the best result

• Keep everything cold: the butter, the buttermilk and the mashed sweet potato. Cold butter creates steam and flaky layers.
• Mash the sweet potato until completely smooth so there are no stringy pieces in the biscuits.
• Mix and fold the dough gently; overworking makes tough, flat biscuits.
• Never twist the cutter; twisting seals the edges and keeps the biscuits from rising.
• Moisture varies with each sweet potato, so add the extra buttermilk only if the dough is dry.

Variations and substitutions

• Canned sweet potato: use 1 cup (240 g) drained and mashed canned sweet potatoes or yams (not in syrup if possible).
• Savory biscuits: skip the brown sugar and cinnamon and add 1/2 cup (55 g) shredded sharp cheddar and 1 tbsp chopped fresh chives or rosemary.
• With pecans: stir 1/3 cup (40 g) chopped toasted pecans into the dry ingredients.
• Pumpkin biscuits: use 1 cup (240 g) pure pumpkin puree instead of sweet potato and add 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice.
• Ham biscuits: fill the warm biscuits with thin slices of country ham or leftover holiday ham and a little mustard.

Make ahead

The mashed sweet potato can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. To bake fresh biscuits any day, freeze the cut, unbaked biscuits on a tray until firm, then store them in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Bake them straight from frozen at 425°F (220°C), adding 3 to 5 minutes. The honey butter keeps in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Storage and reheating

Store baked biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Freeze baked biscuits in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. To reheat, wrap them in foil and warm them in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 to 8 minutes (10 to 15 minutes from frozen). Keep the honey butter in the refrigerator for up to 1 week and let it soften before serving.