Sweet Potato Sticky Buns

This will be a fairly short post. Why? Because Sweet Potato Sticky Buns don't really need a lot of conversation. Maybe I'm not the first to think of them, but dang these are good. There's even a hint of orange in there. I like these. Bunches. A good finale to my 2012 sweet potato series, no?

Sweet Potato Sticky Buns
Printable Recipe

3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange peel
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 package)
4-4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
1 teaspoon sweet dough flavoring or vanilla
1 teaspoon salt

Filling:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Topping:
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans

In a small saucepan, combine the milk, butter, sugar, and grated orange peel. Heat until the temperature is just 110-115 degrees F. (bathwater warm). If the temperature is too warm, let it cool for a few minutes.

Put the warm milk mixture in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and stir. Let it rest for about five minutes or until it becomes foamy. Add two cups of the flour, the eggs, sweet potato, sweet dough flavoring or vanilla, and salt. Fit a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat for about 4 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a stiff dough (alternately, use the dough hook on the mixer and knead for 5 minutes). Continue to knead for about 6 to 8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Form into a ball and place into a buttered bowl, turning once to grease the dough's surface. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about an hour or until doubled in size.

When the dough has doubled in size, gently deflate and let it rest for 10 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the filling by mixing the brown sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Keep the melted butter in a separate bowl.

In a medium saucepan, combine the all of the topping ingredients except the pecans. Heat over medium heat until just melted. Spread into a 9X13 baking pan and top with the pecans. Set aside.

Roll out the dough into a 9X12 inch rectangle. Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture evenly over the top. Starting from the long end, roll up the dough like a jelly roll, pinching the seams to seal. Using a very sharp knife, cut the dough into 12 rolls. Place the rolls over the topping mixture in the pan, cover loosely, and let rise for 20-25 minutes (if desired, refrigerate the dough overnight after placing the rolls in the pan). Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.; bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden. A few minutes before taking the rolls out of the oven, line a sheet pan with non-stick foil. Remove the rolls from the oven and immediately, but carefully, invert them over the prepared sheet pan. Serve warm.

Can you blame me for having this for dinner?

Sweet on Weck...A Sweet Potato Patty on a Kimmelweck Roll

.......with Spicy Ketchup and onions.

Some of you may recall that I was lucky enough to go to The Taste of  the NFL in Indianapolis the night before the Superbowl. While there, I was able to sample some really great food. One item that caught my attention was called Beef on "Weck"...basically a sliced beef sandwich on a Kimmelweck roll. Believe me, I didn't know what it was, either. It took at least 6 times of my asking someone, before it sunk in. The Kimmelweck roll (also spelled "Kummelweck") is a Kaiser roll that is topped with a mixture of course salt and caraway seeds. While the beef on this sandwich was tasty, the roll is what really grabbed my attention. The Kimmelweck roll was the first thing I googled when I got home.

As much as I love sliced beef, I wanted to make something with these rolls that even my vegetarian family could eat, and since I'm deep into sweet potatoes at the moment, why not use those, too? So, at the risk of receiving the stink eye from the good folk in Buffalo, New York (home of Beef on Weck), may I present to you.....Sweet on Weck!

Sweet on Weck

Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed

1 bag (14 oz) frozen bell peppers and onions, preferably fire-roasted

1 cup frozen corn (again, I'm partial to the fire-roasted variety)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 (6 oz) bag baby spinach leaves

1 large sweet potato, baked and skinned*

1 (15.5 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 cup crushed hot and spicy cheese crackers

1 cup panko bread crumbs

6 Kimmelweck rolls (easy recipe follows)

*Bake the sweet potato at 400 degrees F. for about an hour, or until soft.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the frozen peppers/onions, corn and garlic; stir with a wooden spoon and cook until the vegetables are heated through, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Put aside a few spinach leaves for each sandwich and add the rest to the pan. Cook until the spinach leaves are wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mash together the cooked sweet potato and the cannellini beans. With a wooden spoon, stir in the pepper/onion mixture, salt, pepper, paprika, and chili powder, mixing until combined. Stir in the egg, cracker crumbs, and panko crumbs.

To form the patties, line a custard cup with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang, and fill nearly to the top with the sweet potato mixture. Carefully pull the sweet potato mixture out of the custard cup and fold the plastic wrap over the top to form into a patty. Repeat until 6 patties are formed, leaving wrapped in the plastic until ready to cook (you may freeze the patties at this point).

Once they're wrapped, you can pop them in the freezer or make them right away.

Add a tablespoon of oil to the skillet and heat over medium high heat. Unwrap 2-3 sweet potato patties and carefully add to the heated skillet. Reduce the heat to medium low and fry for about 5 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through. Repeat for the remaining burgers, adding additional oil to the skillet, if needed. 

For an easy, easy way to make a Kimmelweck roll, simply purchase some good quality Kaiser rolls at your favorite bakery or supermarket. Then, use this method: (adapted from Bobby Flay)

Mix together 1 tablespoon caraway seeds and 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt; set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil. Dissolve 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in 1/4 cup warm water and stir into the boiling water. Cook until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and cool until room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the top of each Kaiser roll with the thickened cornstarch. Sprinkle desired amount of salt and caraway seed on each roll. Bake for 4 minutes or until the topping has dried.

To serve, simple top the bottom of the Kimmelweck roll with a few spinach leaves, add the sweet potato patty and top with some spicy ketchup (simply stir together 1/2 cup chili sauce with a few drops of Sriracha sauce), and some raw onions. Oh, and don't forget the top part of the roll--my favorite!! :)

Remember--it isn't required to use marshmallows and sweet potatoes in the same sentence. :)

Orange and Yogurt Glazed Sweet Potato Rolls

In my continuing sweet potato journey, I present to you my Orange and Yogurt Glazed Sweet Potato Rolls. These were interesting, as I truly invented these as I went along. Oh, I've made sweet potato dough before, and I based the rolls on the Orange Glazed Sweet Potato Breakfast Braid that I made for the Midwest Living Magazine's Best of the Midwest contest. But, I wanted these to be a little different, something easy to put together for a brunch or, in my case, a treat for my co-workers.

What's great about adding sweet potatoes to a yeast dough, is that it not only adds flavor, but it adds some moisture, and it surely adds a beautiful color. Of course I wanted to add a little spice to the mix, so there's cardamom and ginger, but the flavor that I think goes best with sweet potatoes is orange---so I started by putting some grated orange peel into the dough, and I finished it with a glaze made up of the rest of the orange. Not being one to leave well enough alone, I threw some vanilla yogurt into the glaze, as well, and I'm so glad I did....yum!

How easy is this? Just divvy up the dough into 24 balls and put them into buttered cupcake pans. I let mine sit in the fridge overnight--then I just baked them in the morning for fresh, warm rolls.



Orange and Yogurt Glazed Sweet Potato Rolls
Printable Recipe

1 cup milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
4- 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 cup mashed, cooked sweet potato

In a small saucepan, heat the milk, butter, granulated sugar, and orange peel until the butter is almost melted and the milk is 110-115 degrees F. (bathwater warm to the touch).

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour, the yeast, salt, ginger, cardamom, and sweet potato. Add the warm milk mixture and beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping down the side of the bowl. Turn the speed to medium and continue to beat for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes). Form the dough into a ball and place into a greased bowl, turning once. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size; about 1 hour.

Gently deflate the dough, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, grease 24 muffin cups and set aside.

Divide the dough into 24 pieces; shape into balls. Place one ball into each prepared muffin cup. Cover loosely with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray, and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes (if preparing ahead of time, refrigerate the dough overnight and allow the rolls to rise for about one hour before baking). Bake at 350 degrees F. for 22 to 25 minutes or until golden. Invert the rolls onto a wire rack and cool slightly. Place the rolls on a serving plate and spoon the glaze over them. Serve warm.

Orange and Yogurt Glaze:

1 orange, peeled and sectioned
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 (6 oz) container vanilla yogurt
2-2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a blender, combine the orange sections, orange peel, and vanilla. Cover and blend until nearly smooth. Blend in the yogurt. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup of the orange mixture* with 1 cup of the powdered sugar. Stir in enough of the remaining powdered sugar until glaze is of spooning consistency.

* Refrigerate the remaining orange mixture or blend in some additional fruit and use as a smoothie.

 I wouldn't tell anyone if you spread some of that leftover orange yogurt on the top, but at least use a little butter.

I think this will make a good entry into the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission's "No More Mallows!" recipe contest, don't you?