Utah Sweet Potato Rolls

My Cupboard Project recipe collection includes a booklet entitled, Sweet Potato Recipes "With That Old Fashioned Flavor".  Sweet potatoes happen to be a favorite of mine, so I was excited when I noticed it in my pile.  The Subtitle is correct--many of the recipes have an old fashioned flair to them, such as Possum and Taters.  I, however, am not planning on eating any possum in the near future, so I rifled through it hoping to find a normal recipe that would catch my eye.

And boy did I.  I want to make many of these recipes, ones like Sweet Potato Souffle, Missouri Potato Pudding, and the incredibly enticing Sweet Potato Doughnuts.  But those will have to wait for another day, when I have the energy (and calories) for such delicacies.  Today I made Utah Sweet Potato Rolls.

2 C hot mashed sweet potatoes
3 T butter or margarine
1 t salt
1 egg
3 T sugar
1 yeast cake (2 1/4 t yeast)
1 C lukewarm water
2 C flour

Beat the butter in hot sweet potatoes and let cool to lukewarm.  Soften the yeast cake in warm water.  Add the salt, well beaten egg, sugar, and yeast mixture to sweet potatoes.  Add the flour and knead until smooth.  Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place til it has doubled in bulk.  Knead down again.  Break off small balls and place in well greased muffin tins.  Put aside to rise again until doubled in bulk.  Bake in a moderate oven (350F) until delicately browned (Usually 12-20 minutes).

These were incredible.  I'm generally not so good when it comes to making rolls and breadsticks and the like.  But these, these were perfect.  Moist and flavorful, and of course unbeatable when slathered with butter. I did have to add almost double the amount of flour it called for.  I roughly measured the sweet potatoes, but maybe added too many, causing that.  The dough was still very sticky when I shaped them, but they turned out swell, so I guess it didn't matter.

I paired it with this chicken, which I also highly recommend.

In other news, happy birthday to me!  Whew, I'm sure getting along in the years.  24 big ones.  I spent my day with a baby that moved much less than usual and cried and whined much more than usual.

Laying with me (which never happens), while watching some dumb baby show and petting her dog with her feet.

Turns out she has pressure in her ears, but no fever, so no official ear infection, so no medicine.  Here is my annual picture of the cake the Jakester made for me.  He really likes those ball candy things and has to always put them on my cake.