Flaky Southern Sweet Potato Biscuits
Savory Southern sweet potato biscuits with peelable buttery layers, a whisper of nutmeg and only a tablespoon of sugar. Built for butter, ham and gravy.
Servings 10 biscuits
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour plus more for the counter
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold, cut into cubes
- ¾ cup mashed roasted sweet potato cold
- ½ cup buttermilk cold, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon salted butter melted, for brushing
Instructions
Prepare the Sweet Potato
- Roast 1 medium sweet potato at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes, until completely soft. Scoop out the flesh, mash it smooth and measure ¾ cup.
- Spread the mash on a plate and refrigerate at least 1 hour, until fully cold. This step can be done up to 4 days ahead.
Make the Dough
- Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and nutmeg in a large bowl for 30 seconds.
- Scatter the cold cubed butter over the flour and cut it in with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the largest pieces are the size of peas. Some flat pieces should still be visible.
- Whisk the cold mashed sweet potato and cold buttermilk together until smooth, pour into the flour, and stir with a fork just until a shaggy dough forms. Add buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time if dry flour remains.
Fold, Cut and Bake
- Turn the dough onto a floured counter and pat it into a rough rectangle ¾ inch thick. Fold it in thirds like a letter, pat it out again, and fold in thirds a second time. Do not fold more than twice.
- Pat the dough to a final ¾ inch thickness and cut rounds with a 2 ½ inch cutter, pressing straight down and lifting straight up without twisting.
- Arrange the biscuits on a baking sheet with their sides touching and bake 14 to 16 minutes, until risen and golden.
- Brush the tops with the melted salted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.
Notes
- Cold sweet potato: Warm mash melts the butter you cut in, and melted butter means no layers. Chill it fully.
- Never twist the cutter: Twisting seals the cut edge and the biscuit rises short and crooked.
- Two folds only: A third fold develops gluten and toughens the crumb.
- Freeze raw: Cut biscuits freeze for 3 months and bake from frozen with 4 to 5 extra minutes.
- Savory build: Only 1 tablespoon of sugar and no cinnamon, so these carry ham, gravy and eggs.