Sourdough Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls

Build the Levain:
In a clean jar, mix the sourdough starter, bread flour, and water.
Cover and set in a warm location (between 75-80ºF) for about five hours until it is at least doubled and bubbly.
Alternatively, skip this step and mix 105g of active sourdough starter into your dough.
35 grams Sourdough Starter, 35 grams Bread Flour, 35 grams Water
Make the Mashed Sweet Potatoes:
Peel and chop 1 sweet potato into 1-inch chunks. Place in a small saucepan and cover with a couple of inches of water. Boil for 25 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are completely soft and can be easily pierced with a fork.
Strain completely, place in a small bowl, and mash into a smooth puree with a fork. Set aside to cool completely.
Make ahead: Can store for 3-5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
1 medium Sweet Potato
Make the Tangzhong:
Place flour and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and continually whisk until it forms a thick roux that looks like mashed potatoes and leaves defined trails from the whisk.
Transfer to a small bowl, cover, and let it cool completely.
Make ahead: Can store up to overnight in the refrigerator.
30 grams Bread Flour, 150 grams Whole Milk
Mix the Dough:
Once the levain is ripe and potatoes/tangzhing are completly cooled, pour all of the dough ingredients except the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer with the bread hook attachment.
Mix on low speed for a few minutes until the flour is incorporated and the dough is rough and shaggy.
Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes until the dough becomes more cohesive.
434 grams Bread Flour, 40 grams Honey, 12 grams Kosher Salt, 2 TBS Fresh Sage, 2 Eggs
Add the Butter and Mix:
Slice the room-temperature butter into pieces and while continuing to mix the dough on medium speed, add one piece of softened butter to the bowl at a time until each piece is fully incorporated into the dough.
Continue to mix the dough for 10-15 more minutes until the dough passes the windowpane test, is smooth, tacky, and easily slides off of the dough hook. This will take longer than you think! Add a TBS of flour at a time if your dough continues to be very sticky.
85 grams Unsalted Butter
Bulk Fermentation:
Transfer the dough to a medium bowl, cover, and place it in a warm location for bulk fermentation. At 78ºF, bulk fermentation takes about 6 hours (longer if cooler).
Bulk fermentation is complete when the dough is doubled, domed in the bowl, and smooth.
Overnight Proof:
Cover the bowl and place it into a refrigerator to proof overnight and up to 48 hours.
Divide and Shape the Dinner Rolls:
The next day, butter or grease your baking pan.
Punch down the cold dough and weigh it. Then, divide the total weight by 16 so you'll have equal-sized rolls. Use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 16 equal-sized pieces (about 70 grams each).
On a lightly floured surface, press one piece of divided dough into a flat square. Pinch the four corners of the dough into the center of the square like a dumpling. Turn it over and use a hand to quickly roll it on the surface to create tension and create balls.
Repeat with the remaining rolls and space them in 4x4 rows in your baking pan.
Final Proof:
Cover and place in a warm location for the final proof.
At 78ºF, the final proof takes about 3-4 hours. The rolls are finished proofing when they've doubled in size and poofy. If you poke the rolls with a floured finger, they should leave a slight indentation and feel full of air.
Bake:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (191ºC).
Make the egg wash by whisking one egg and a tsp of water in a small bowl. Brush the rolls with the egg wash and place a small sage leaf on top of each roll (optional).
Bake the rolls for 25-28 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack before pulling apart and enjoying! For more shine, brush melted butter and flaky salt on top of the warm dinner rolls.
1 Egg, 1 tsp Water, 2 TBS Unsalted Butter, Fresh Sage, Flaky Salt

Sourdough Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls

Equipment

Ingredients

Levain

Tangzhong

Sourdough Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls

Topping

Instructions

Notes