Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Buns

5 from 2 votes

1 word to describe these buns, soft! They are super duper soft, but also taste amazing and have a really pretty color. The sweet potato is a great combination with the nutty whole wheat flour and they go great with all kinds of fillings.

Prep Time40

Cook Time15

Rising Time2

Total Time2 55

Course: Breads

Cuisine: American

Servings: buns

Calories: 198kcal

Author: Jessica and Merissa

Ingredients

Sweet potato mash

1 small (1 small) sweet potato about 6 ounces
water

Dough

½ cup (120 g) warm water 100-110°F
1 tablespoon packed (13 g) brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons (1 ½ teaspoons) active dry yeast or instant yeast
½ cup (128 g) mashed sweet potato
1 large (1 large) egg
2 ¼ cups (288 g) hard white wheat flour
½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) sea salt
3 tablespoons (42 g) butter softened
Optional for topping: 1 beaten egg and sesame seeds

Instructions

Make The Sweet Potato Mash

Peel the sweet potato and cut into ½ inch pieces. Place into a small pot and add about ½ - 1 inch of water. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork. Drain the excess water and mash well. Let cool to room temperature or refrigerate for up to 5 days.

To make the buns

In the bowl of a stand mixer add ½ cup warm water, 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar, and 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast, it should be foamy and bubbly.
Add ½ cup mashed sweet potato and 1 large egg, stir to combine. Add 2 ¼ cups hard white wheat flour and ½ teaspoon sea salt, attach the dough hook and mix on medium/low speed until combined (the dough may look a little stiff but it will thin out once you add the butter).
After the flour is incorporated and the dough has come together, add 3 tablespoons butter a couple pieces at a time. Then knead on medium/low speed for about 6-10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and stretchy, the dough should be quite sticky. You can also do the windowpane test (see notes) to see if it has been kneaded enough.
Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, we use a half sheet pan size.
After the dough has doubled in size, divide it into 8 equal pieces (use a kitchen scale to get them precise).
Shape each piece into a tight ball, place onto the baking sheet about 2-3 inches apart. Press the ball with your hand to flatten to about ½ inch.
Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 45-60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400° about halfway through the rise time.
Using a pastry brush, brush the tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. You can also test the internal temperature, it should be above 190°F. Let cool and slice just before serving.

Notes

To do a window pane test, lightly grease your hands, get a small ball of dough (about ping pong ball size) roll it around in your hands then flatten and gently stretch the dough out thinner and thinner. You should be able to see light through the dough before it tears.

Nutrition