Welcome March with Sweet Potato Orange Rolls

It's raining and blowing up a storm outside...and we are thrilled in our neck of the woods because even if it rained buckets for the next couple of weeks, we are still facing a drought this summer...and I want to plant a mess of tomatoes and squash, both water needy plants.

The house smells wonderful. I just took a pan of lovely Sweet Potato Orange Fantan Rolls out of the oven. I started the dough yesterday and shaped the rolls this morning, then let them rise. The dough was a soft and slightly sticky one, full of garnet yams (which the grocers often call sweet potatoes), oatmeal, sourdough starter, and a few other goodies like butter, maple syrup and extra yeast. I really shouldn't have added the extra yeast because the dough baked up really puffy and I think this kind of roll is meant to be more genteel.

Usually you brush the rolled out dough with melted butter, then stack them, cut into rolls and put them into muffin tins. I decided to use orange marmalade instead of the butter since orange is a great flavor combo with yams and sweet potatoes.

These are perfect for a Sunday brunch with some fresh fruit and coffee or tea. They would also be good for afternoon tea or snacks. You can finish them up to the part where they are stacked and cut into rolls, then lay on a try and freeze. Once frozen store in the freezer in a ZipLok or similar bag and you can have a treat in short order. I'd thaw them and let rise for at least an hour, then bake as directed.

To guild the lily, you could also drizzle the final rolls with a mixture of orange juice and confectioners sugar. I thought, after tasting one, that they needed the extra sweetness.

When March comes in like a lion counter with hot sweet rolls and welcome the month!

Sweet Potato Orange Fantan Rolls
based on similar rolls found at Andreas's Recipes

Makes 12 rolls

Equipment
stand mixer with hook attachment (or mixing bowl and wooden spoon)
large mixing bowl, lightly coated with cooking spray
12 cup standard muffin tin, buttered

Ingredients
1 large sweet potato (about 1 cup), cooked , cooled and mashed well
1 cup rolled oats mixed with 1 cup water, refrigerated 3 days
1 cup sourdough starter
3 cups unbleached bread flour, plus more for dusting, divided
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105-115° F/41-46° C)
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup pure maple syrup
6 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
2/3 cup marmalade (about), warmed

Preparation
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the sweet potato, rolled oats mixture, sourdough starter, and 1 cup of the flour. Stir until thoroughly combined. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours.

2. Mix the active dry yeast and the water and let sit 10 minutes to proof the yeast. In the bowl of the stand mixer, mix together the sweet potato mixture, yeast mixture, salt, syrup, and butter. Mix to combine.

2. Attach the dough hook. Mix in the flour until the dough starts to come together, using about 2 ½ to 3 more cups. Mix on 2 for about 6 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic and soft.

3. Put the dough into the oiled rising bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a draft free spot at warm room temperature until the dough doubles, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

4. Dust your work surface with flour. Punch down the dough, then halve it. Wrap one half in the plastic wrap and set aside. Roll the other half into a 12×12-inch (30.5×30.5 cm) square. You may have to roll slightly larger then trim the ends to even out the square.

5. Spread the surface of the dough with about 1/2 the warmed marmalade, leaving 1/6 strip plain. This will allow you to have a plain side of dough on each side of the roll touching the muffin cup. Cut into 6 equal strips,

then stack the strips on top of each other with the plain strip on top. Cut through the layers into 6 equal pieces,

then place each into a buttered muffin cup, standing up so the layers are visible. Gently fan them open. Repeat with the remaining dough & the rest of the marmalade.


6. Cover with a tea towel and let the rolls rise in a draft free spot at warm room temperature until the dough doubles, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. (Optional - I put a piece of plastic wrap between the rolls and the towel because of the sticky marmalade.)

7. Place the rack in the middle and preheat the oven to 375° F/190° C.

8. Remove the towel and bake the rolls until they are golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.Cool in the pan ten minutes, then transfer to a rack and allow to cool for about another 20 minutes before serving.

I'm sending this over to that bread bakers's wonderland, YeastSpotting on Susan's Wild Yeast blog, plus as an entry in the Bread Baking Day # 17, themed with potatoes, at Lien's blog Notitie van Lien.