Whole Grain Sweet Potato Biscuits
Whole grain sweet potato biscuits made with mashed yams, whole wheat flour, and a touch of brown sugar. Tender, faintly sweet, and built for honey butter or sausage gravy.
YIELD
24 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
30 minREADY
45 minSweet potato biscuits are the South’s secret weapon: the natural starches and moisture in the potato create a tender, faintly sweet crumb that whole wheat flour alone could never deliver. The mashed potato also keeps these biscuits soft for an extra day longer than a standard buttermilk biscuit.
Cooling the mashed sweet potato completely before adding it to the dry ingredients is worth your patience. Warm potato will start melting the butter and activating the gluten in the whole wheat flour, both of which lead to dense, gummy biscuits instead of tender flaky ones.
Cutting the butter into the flour until it looks like coarse crumbs (not fine sand) gives these their layered texture. Pea-sized butter pieces stay solid until they hit the oven heat, where they steam and create the flaky pockets that make a biscuit a biscuit.
Kitchen Tips
- Roast the sweet potatoes whole in their skins instead of boiling them, the dry-heat caramelization gives deeper flavor than waterlogged boiled potato
- White whole wheat flour gives a softer, lighter biscuit than regular red whole wheat. King Arthur’s white whole wheat is widely available
- Don’t twist the cutter when stamping biscuits, twist seals the edges and stops them from rising. Press straight down and lift
- Brush the tops with milk or melted butter before baking for golden crowns
- Eat warm, biscuits go from glorious to just-okay within an hour. Reheat in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 minutes
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
In a 3 quart saucepan over high heat, heat the diced sweet-potato and enough water to cover to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 12 to 15 minutes until potatoes are fork tender. Drain the potatoes; mash and set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 425 degress F. In large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. With pastry blender cut in margarine until mixture resembles couarse crumbs. Stir in milk and cooled mashed sweet potatoes; mix until just combined.
On lightly floured surface, pat dough into an 8½-inch square. Cut dough in half. Cut each half into 10 equal pieces. Place biscuits, 2 inches apart, on 2 large ungreased cookie sheets.
Place cookie sheets on 2 oven racks; bake biscuits 12 to 15 minutes until golden, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower racks halfway thruogh baking time to ensure even cooking.
Serve biscuits warm. Or cool on wire rack, store in tightly covered container to use within 1 day or wrap in foil and freeze to use within 2 weeks.
Makes 2 dozen.
NOTES: Per serving: One biscuit; 200 calories. 6g fat, 33g carb. Chopped walnuts or pecans, dried cranberries or raisins can be added to batter.
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