Sweet potato cinnamon buns.
Today was bloody cold. It was also rainy, so I couldn't be bothered to ride the 8/9 mile round trip to the supermarket to get pumpkin. We did, however, have sweet potatoes in the cupboards, and I was told that I could easily swap this for pumpkin in certain recipes. I felt like a bit of a traitor to my more rounded orange friend, but I was also cold and bored, so sweet potato would do fine for now. I found a suitable looking recipe from don't eat off the sidewalk and decided to adapt it for sweet potato cinnamon buns.
Ingredients:
Dough:
1/2 cup soy milk
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 package dry yeast
3/4 cup sweet potato, cooked (microwave for about 5 minutes) and mashed
[Zest of 1/2 orange if desired]
1/4 cup scant melted margarine
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger, or extra 1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour [plus extra 1/4 cup if needed]
Flour for dusting table
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Filling:
1/4 cup melted margarine
3 tbsp granulated sugar
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Icing:
3/4 cup sifted icing sugar
1 tbsp water
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Warm the milk with the sugar until lukewarm but not too hot. Remove from heat, and whisk in the yeast. Leave to stand for 10 minutes until frothy - if it doesn’t froth up, either the milk was too hot and killed the yeast, or the yeast was too old. Either way, you’ll need to start again.
Mix in the mashed sweet potato, orange zest and melted margarine with the yeast mixture. Sift in the first two and a half cups of flour, salt, cinnamon and ginger and mix until smooth.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about ten minutes. The dough should be elastic but not too sticky; add more flour if needed.
Place dough in a large oiled bowl. Lightly coat the top of the dough with oil, cover with cling film or a clean kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm place for approximately 45 minutes. The dough will double in size.
Vent any frustrations on the dough and give it a punch or two to knock the air out. Knead for 2 or 3 minutes, then cover again whilst you do the next step.
Combine the sugars and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt the margarine in a separate bowl.
As evenly as possible, roll the dough into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle on a floured surface.
Use your hands to coat the dough with the melted margarine - this helps the cinnamon sugar to stick). Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the top, all the way up to the edges of the dough.
Roll up the rectangle tightly, pressing lightly as you go, and press quite firmly on the ends to get them to stick. If you want mini rolls (as in photos), roll it length-ways to make a long, thin roll, and vice-versa for fewer, larger rolls. Push the ends in if they aren't even.
Cut roll into 1 inch slices (approx 12). Flour your hands, and press down on each slice so as to make it more even. Place the slices into a lightly oiled baking pan, leaving a centimetre or two between them. Cover and leave to rise for about 30 minutes, or until they have doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Bake the rolls for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. If you have made mini rolls, check them after 10 minutes as they’ll cook faster.
Cool for 15 minutes in pan on a wire rack.
Sift the icing sugar into a small bowl. Add the water and vanilla, and mix until smooth. It should be thick, but fairly easy to drizzle. If it’s too thick, add another 1/2 teaspoon of water.