Failproof Sweetpotato Yeast Buns {Recipe Redux Sponsored Recipe Contest}

Sometimes I start with an idea and surprisingly end up with a successful recipe. Most times I don't, but I never know what will happen until I get down to business. The one thing I have learned is that there will be more failures than successes and not to get discouraged. If you firmly believe you have a good idea, stick to it.
Take this recent challenge.........
Recipe Redux members were among the first to be introduced to California sweetpotatoes!

Screeech!!!  Whoa, wait a minute. Yes, I know. We all thought California sweet potatoes have been around for as long as there has been farming. Well, not really. California sweet potatoes are not in fact a “sweet potato”- they are a different vegetable entirely. What we are being introduced to is the fact that California Sweetpotatoes will now be known as one word to emphasize to consumers that they are quite different from the white potato and other sweet potatoes out there.

What’s unique about California sweetpotatoes is that they are grown in soft sand and are hand sorted during harvest to minimize scarring and scratching. The result is a visually, higher quality (i.e., more attractive) sweetpotato. California sweetpotatoes are a “nutrition bang for the calorie buck” with 4 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein, a good source of vitamin C and more than a day’s worth of vitamin A, all for 105 calories per serving (1 medium size, cooked). Plus, they are available year-round.

They are also a Diabetic Super Food. I don't think too many of us knew that either. The GI of a white potato depends totally on how you cook them. Steamed is the best, baked is the worse.
With a sweetpotato, the GI range is never out of 61-65.

I wanted to make a yeasty muffin/bun/roll-like English muffin but with sweetpotatoes. Took three tries with three different recipes. I just didn't give up. English muffins are normally cooked in metal rings on a flat top grill. I had two rings and two tuna cans but if this challenge was to be successful, I had to make it so anyone could do this. I cut 6 (4-inch) strips of heavy duty aluminum foil (you could make 8), folded them in half and then in half again to make a 4 ply 1" strip. Any metal pin or floral pick will hold the ends together but I don't know if tape might melt. I used a tuna can for the size and in 10 minutes I had six disposable round rings. (see pics)

This recipe requires no bread maker, dough hook or food processor. A simple bowl and wooden spoon will suffice. You don't even need to wait for the dough to rise, it only needs a thirty minute rest.

Instead of a griddle, I created these to bake in the oven. Can't get any easier than this. Your family will be asking for these muffins every Sunday and with Thanksgiving around the corner, split and toast them with some good jam and butter and suddenly everyone is in no hurry to run out the door, your guests will flip over your creativity. If you make 8 instead of 6, they will be a skinny version and more like the English muffins you are used too.

Consumers often mistakenly think that sweetpotatoes are yams. The California Sweetpotato Council also wants to set the record straight to clear up this confusion and shift the vernacular. Sweetpotatoes are sweet and moist, while yams are dry and starchy and not readily available in the U.S. Part of the confusion comes from the fact that there are varieties of sweetpotatoes called yams. Sweetpotatoes with orange interiors have a higher beta-carotene content than true yams. Sweetpotatoes are grown in the United States, while yams are imported from the Caribbean. (The scientific name of sweetpotato is Ipomoea batatas and it's a member of the morning glory family. A yam on the other hand belongs to the Yam plant family.)

“I received free samples of California sweetpotatoes mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the California Sweetpotato Council and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”

Let's get cooking.....

Sweetpotato Yeast Buns
makes 6 - 8

* 3/4 cup mashed California sweetpotato
* 1/2 cup non-fat powdered milk
* 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
* 3/4 cup hot water
* 1 envelope pizza crust yeast
* 1 teaspoon salt, divided (1/2 tsp+1/2 tsp)
* 1/4 cup warm water
* 2 cups flour
* Vegetable spray

1. In a bowl combine, 3/4 cup hot water with milk, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Let cool and add mashed sweetpotato, yeast and 1/4 cup warm water. Stir in flour until mixed completely, cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350° and place a rack in the bottom of the oven.. Spray sheet pan and rings.
3. As soon as the dough puffs and you see bubbles, add the last of the salt, stir and spoon into the prepared rings, as evenly as you can. I used an ice cream scoop (2 scoops with a #20) to make it easier.
4. Use an offset spatula or spoon dipped in warm water to spread the dough to the edges.
5. Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
6. Remove and cool completely before cutting rings away.
7. To serve, cut in half and simply toast as usual.