Delicious and Healthy Sweet Potato Biscuits Recipe

Discover the magic of sweet potato purée in these vibrant, tender, and mouthwatering sweet potato biscuits. Perfect for any meal, these colorful delights will brighten your table and tantalize your taste buds.

Sweet potato biscuits are a delicious twist on the classic Southern staple. Born from resourcefulness and creativity, these biscuits transform an affordable root vegetable into a fluffy, flavorful treat. While not intended to reinvent the biscuit, this recipe offers a unique path to achieving that coveted tender, light, and airy texture we all love.

Crafting the Perfect Sweet Potato Base

Begin your biscuit journey with a velvety sweet potato purée. You have several options: boil, microwave, or roast a sweet potato until it’s fork-tender. Once cooked, remove the skin and mash the flesh with a splash of milk or water. For an ultra-smooth consistency, use an immersion blender, or embrace a rustic approach by mashing with a fork for delightful sweet potato flecks throughout your biscuits.

This step can be done just before baking or prepared up to a week in advance and stored in the refrigerator – a handy time-saving option for busy bakers.

Biscuit-Making Magic

The dry ingredients for these biscuits follow a tried-and-true method. Cold butter is incorporated into the dry mix, creating a crumbly texture. The thinned sweet potato purée then brings everything together into a cohesive dough.

Don’t be alarmed if the mixture seems dry at first – resist adding extra liquid. Keep kneading until the dough comes together and no flour remains in the bowl. Once combined, switch to a gentler touch for the remaining steps.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it out. Fold it in half, then repeat this process two more times. This folding technique develops layers within the dough, ensuring your biscuits will split easily for sandwiches or toppings.

After the final fold, pat the dough to about three-quarters of an inch thick. Cut into rounds using a 1 3/4-inch cutter (or your preferred size). Remember, the yield may vary based on your chosen cutter size.

Baking to Golden Perfection

Transfer your biscuit rounds to a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Bake at 400°F until they’re beautifully puffed and golden brown, which usually takes about 30 minutes.

While it’s tempting to brush the biscuits with butter before baking, it’s best to skip this step. The extra browning can make it challenging to judge when these ochre-colored beauties are done. Trust us – they’ll be plenty rich and buttery on their own!

Once out of the oven, exercise a little patience. Let the biscuits rest for about five minutes before serving. This brief cooling period allows the crumb to set, resulting in a light and airy texture that’s still wonderfully warm thanks to the cast iron skillet.

Whether you’re drawn to these biscuits for their lack of buttermilk, their vibrant color, or simply their delicious flavor, they’re sure to become a cherished addition to your recipe collection. Enjoy them alongside your favorite soups and stews, or split them for unforgettable breakfast sandwiches and shortcakes.

Sweet Potato Biscuit Perfection: Your Step-by-Step Guide

Ingredients

• 9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups, spooned; 255g)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons (8g) kosher salt; for table salt, use about half as much by volume or the same weight
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 ounces cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 8 tablespoons; 110g)
• 9 ounces sweet potato purée, from one large sweet potato (about 1 heaping cup; 255g)
• 3 ounces milk, any percentage will do (about 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon; 85g)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F, positioning the rack in the lower-middle. If your kitchen is warmer than 75°F, consider chilling your ingredients and equipment before starting.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk thoroughly to ensure even distribution of leavening agents. Add the cold butter cubes and toss to coat. Using your fingers, smash each butter piece flat, continuing to rub and smash until most of the butter is incorporated into the flour mixture. A few larger, Cheerio-sized pieces are fine. For a quicker method, pulse the mixture 4-5 times in a food processor, being careful not to overmix.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the sweet potato purée and milk. Mix with a fork or use an immersion blender for a silky smooth consistency. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and fold gently with a flexible spatula until fully absorbed. The dough may seem crumbly at first, but keep mixing until it forms a cohesive ball.
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat it into a rough square about 1/2-inch thick, then fold it in half. Repeat this patting and folding process two more times. This gentle handling develops layers in the dough, ensuring flaky, easy-to-split biscuits. After the final fold, pat the dough to a 3/4-inch thickness.
5. Using a 1 3/4-inch round cutter, cut out biscuits and arrange them in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Gather the scraps, give them one more gentle pat and fold, then cut out additional biscuits. Shape any remaining dough into a final biscuit by hand.
6. Bake the biscuits for about 25 minutes, or until they’ve risen beautifully and turned a lovely golden brown. If you’ve cut your biscuits thicker than 3/4-inch, they may need a few extra minutes in the oven. Allow the biscuits to cool in the skillet for about 5 minutes to set their crumb structure.

Notes

To prepare the sweet potato purée, roast or microwave a large sweet potato until it’s fork-tender. Discard the peel and mash the interior until smooth.