Sweet Potato Biscuits

By Yewande Komolafe

Published November 16, 2021

  • Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Getteline Rene.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
2 hours 10 minutes
Rating
4(580)
Comments
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Chunks of baked sweet potato enhance warm, tender and flaky biscuits, which also get a savory lift from sliced scallions. To achieve distinct biscuit layers, an integral characteristic of this quick bread, keep your butter cold and work quickly when folding. You can chill the dough in between steps if needed to keep the butter solid, because cold, hard butter will help the dough maintain its layered structure in the oven. Serve the biscuits piping hot right out the oven, broken open and slathered with a generous smear of the spiced honey butter. The sweet potato can be baked in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The spiced honey butter can be prepared up to a week in advance.

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Ingredients

Yield:12 biscuits

FOR THE BISCUITS

  • 1 medium sweet potato (11 to 14 ounces), scrubbed

  • 4 cups/526 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough

  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda

  • ¾ cup/170 grams cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

  • 2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (⅓ cup)

  • 1 ¼ cups buttermilk

FOR THE SPICED HONEY BUTTER (OPTIONAL)

  • ½ cup/114 grams unsalted butter, room temperature

  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

  • 2 tablespoons honey

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

45 grams carbs; 52 milligrams cholesterol; 381 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 20 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 309 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein; 7 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the biscuits: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Wrap the sweet potato tightly in foil and bake until tender enough for a knife to go in with no resistance, 45 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Scoop out 6 ounces/175 grams of cooked sweet potato flesh (about ¾ cup). (The sweet potato can be baked in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.) Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

  2. Step 2

    In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Working quickly, rub or cut the cold butter into the dry mixture using your fingers or a pastry cutter until the butter pieces are the size of peas. (Alternatively, use a food processor and pulse the dry ingredients with the butter to cut in the butter.)

  3. Step 3

    Add the scallions and toss to coat with the flour mixture. Cut the cooked sweet potato into ½-inch chunks and drop into the bowl, tossing gently to coat with flour so that the pieces stay separated. Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk. Use a wooden spoon to stir until a shaggy dough forms. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface.

  4. Step 4

    Roll the dough into an 11-by-7-inch rectangle. Use a floured spatula to lift one end of the dough and fold over one-third of the rectangle. Fold the other end over the top as if folding a letter. You should end up with a rectangular piece of folded dough. Lightly flour the surface of the dough and roll again into a 12-by-6-inch rectangle. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 (2-by-3-inch) rectangles. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 1 ½ inches apart.

  5. Step 5

    Bake until biscuits are golden brown and cooked through, rotating the pan about halfway through, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving warm.

  6. Step 6

    While the biscuits bake, make the honey butter, if you like: In a small bowl, combine the butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper and salt. Add the honey, and use a fork to cut the ingredients into the butter until incorporated and smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and serve with the warm biscuits. The butter can be covered and refrigerated for up to 7 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
580 user ratings
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Comments

PV

I made the biscuits only. Microwaved the sweet potato. Once cooled, cut it and put the cubes in the freezer for 15 minutes so they'd retain their shape, along with the cut butter and buttermilk. Ala Samin Nosrat, put about half the butter in the dry ingredients in a stand mixer until the consistency of sand. Then added the remaining butter and mixed until butter was pea-sized. Then hand mixed in the rest. They came out tender, with nice layers, and looked great.

Dgper

It's so much easier to just peel the sweet potato, cut it into slices about 1/2 " thick, steam them, and then when cooled cut into the cubes.

PV

Not quite sure on the time. It was a big one! About 4 minutes on full power, then another 4 or so on 40%, until it pierced easily with a fork. I let it sit for a while and it cooked more at rest. Peeled the skin off rather than scoop out the insides so the pulp would be more intact for cubing.

Castle

So much easier than traditional southern biscuits but flaky enough for the ancestors

BarbB

this is why I love reading the comments. Bakers always come up with great suggestions to improve the recipe! @Kristin Tregillus

Bubbles

These taste good but are not flaky. Next time I will use the method I usually use for biscuits: Shape dough into rectangle. Cut into quarters. Stack. Smoosh down into rectangle again. Repeat this twice. The final time, smoosh the dough back down and cut into the 12 biscuits called for by the recipe. Put the biscuits on the prepared sheet and pop into the freezer for 10 minutes before baking.

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