Peel and cube 1 medium sweet potato. Boil in water with a pinch of salt until potato is fork tender. Mash and let cool.
While sweet potato is boiling make the “sponge” – Combine yeast, warm water and flour in a small bowl (if you are using a standmixer use the mixer bowl for this). Lightly whisk to combine, cover and let sit for approximately 20 minutes until foamed up with little bubbles, letting you know the yeast is ALIVE!
Add cooled mashed sweet potato, maple syrup, salt, grapeseed oil, baking powder and 2 -2/12 cups of the flour to the sponge (it’s better to start with less flour and then add as needed) If using a standmixer, use the dough hook to mix on low speed until a dough forms (approx. 5 – 7 min). Slowly add the remaining flour as needed to form the dough, scraping down the sides as needed. If you don’t have a standmixer, combine ingredients by hand and knead, slowly adding flour until the dough is formed. The dough should be soft, slightly stick and elastic (but not so sticky that it sticks to your fingers).
Pour an extra 1/2 tsp of grapeseed oil over the dough and spread over until the dough is lightly coated. Cover the dough and let rise in a warm area for approximately 1 – 1 1/2 hours or until doubled (see photos). We put the dough in the oven with the light on.
Place the dough on a surface that is lightly floured, press the dough down with your hands to deflate it a bit. Shape the dough into 16 balls approximately 1.5 inches in diameter. You want the buns to be smooth on top and can achieve this by lightly stretching the dough underneath itself, pinching it underneath. Place buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment approximately 1/2 inch apart. Brush a bit of grapeseed oil over the dough balls and place back in the oven to rise for 15 minutes.
Remove buns from the oven. Heat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 15 minutes.
ENJOY 🙂 Serve as dinner rolls or use as slider buns. Or you can make larger burger buns and bake for an extra minute or two.
