Sweet Potato Biscuits

Back in the kitchen again……..I missed my kitchen.

I decided to kick off my return to the kitchen with a yummy breakfast.   I about a month ago I had seen this recipe for sweet potato biscuits.   

Holla!  Sweet potato biscuits I am all over that!

The recipe was for a sweet savory biscuit, served with hot mustard, honey and country ham.  I thought that the cayenne and hot mustard may not agree with my tummy that early in the morning so I decided to do cinnamon and honey butter instead.  Yum!  

When I first read the recipe I thought it was saying that I needed 1 and 3/4 lbs of sweet potatoes, but when I read the recipe it only called for using 3/4 cup, I was confused.  Then I realized that it said 1 3/4 lb potato, as in a potato that is 3/4 of a pound.   This is one of the reasons I encourage everyone to read your recipe all the way through, sometimes twice to make sure you know what you need to do.

I diced my 3/4 lb sweet potato, it was a little more the 3/4 of a lb but no biggy.

Boil the potatoes for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender.

Drain the sweet potatoes and transfer to a bowl, add orange zest.

Mash the sweet potatoes with the orange zest and set aside.

Butter a 9 1/2 inch cake pan with unsalted butter.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Don’t forget the nutmeg…..I love nutmeg!

Whisk all the dry ingrediants together….so they can harmonize into one.  Take notes folks…this is how we get deep with dry ingrediants.

 Remember those mashed sweet potatoes we put aside?  Whisk them with the butter milk, until creamy. 

Take a stick of butter and cut into 8 pieces, using a pastry cutter cut the butter into the flour until it resembles cornmeal.

Add the sweet potato to the flour mixture .

Toss the flour and sweet potato together using a fork until well combined.

Gather the dough together, kneed and form into a ball.

Flatten the dough out into a 1 inch round.

Using a biscuit cutter cut out your biscuits….duh!

Place in prepared pan and butter the biscuits with melted butter.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden, puffy and toothpick comes out clean when tested.

Let the biscuits cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out and serve. 

Lather with sweet buttery honey goodness, and lay on a thick slice of pan fried country ham.

Close the biscuit up and watch the butter drip out the sides. 

Consume with joy and vigor!

It makes a pretty sweet breakfast spread for company.

Print Recipe

Sweet Potato Biscuits (adapted from Bon Appetit Dec 09)

• 3/4 lb red-skinned sweet potato peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 Tbs (packed) dark brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 1 Tbs cinnamon
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/3 cup chilled buttermilk
• honey butter
• thinly sliced country ham or Black Forest ham

Cook sweet potato in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, cool, add orange zest and mash.

Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Butter bottom and sides of 9-inch cake pan with 1 1/2-inch-high sides.

Whisk flour and next 7  ingredients in large bowl. Add cubed butter to flour mixture; using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flouer until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk 3/4 cup mashed sweet potatoes and buttermilk in medium bowl. Add to flour mixture; toss with fork. Gather mixture in bowl, kneading until dough comes together. Turn dough out onto floured work surface and pat into 1-inch-thick round. Using 1 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits, flouring cutter after each cut. Gather scraps; pat into 1-inch-thick round. Cut out additional biscuits .

Arrange biscuits side by side in prepared cake pan. Brush with melted butter. Bake until puffed and golden on top and tester inserted into center biscuit comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Turn biscuits out and gently pull them apart. Cut each biscuit in half crosswise.

Spread bottom half of each biscuit with honey butter, then top each with sliced ham and second half of biscuit.