Visit our Bread Recipes page for more wonderful homemade bread recipes and check out all our other wonderful Sweet Potato Recipes, too!
My family most often gathered around my Grandma and Grandpa’s table for Thanksgiving. Grandma’s table was never fancy looking and never had a swank tablescape. To the best of my recollection, I don’t even think any of the dishes matched. We all dressed comfortably and most definitely casually. Here’s the thing, though.
NO ONE who sat there and ate her food cared one little bit because everyone who walked through those doors could smell the feast that awaited them and felt the love that had invited them to dine together on Grandma’s finest fare. It was a case of love goggles at the table, folks. Everything took on a magical glow. Now just imagine you’re sitting at that stretched-to-capacity-table with all the leaves in place. What do you go for first after Grandpa says grace? Do you grab for the platter of turkey? The mashed potatoes and gravy boat? The cranberry sauce?
I can tell you without fear of exaggeration that every single Thanksgiving of my life, I reached first for the rolls. Carbs and I go way back. Grandma’s rolls were the stuff of legend. She served two kinds every year: Honey Potato Wheat Rolls and Buttery Crescent Rolls. Her rolls were known far and wide for their stellar buttery softness. Grandma always kept a few aside in a little bread basket on top of the refrigerator for me not because this picky kid deserved it, but because she loved me and she had to be a little moved by my unwavering enthusiasm for her breadstuffs.
I think the bread was the only item at the table that got a fancier serving vessel. It was always in a cotton towel lined bread basket or bread bowl, and where it was you would find me.
Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast. Active Dry Yeast or Instant are both acceptable or one packet
- 1 1/2 cups warm water for best flavour, use the water in which you cooked potatoes
- 2/3 cup maple syrup preferably dark
- 1 cup lukewarm mashed sweet potatoes
- 2/3 cup butter softened to room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 5 to 5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Instructions
To Make the Dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water and maple syrup, stir gently and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Let stand for 2 minutes. Add everything but the flours and stir well (using a sturdy spoon or dough hook) to combine. Add the white whole wheat flour and 2 cups of the all purpose flour and stir well until even. Add the remaining flour and stir it in. If you have a stand mixer, use the dough hook to knead it. Otherwise, turn onto a generously floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about five minutes. Transfer the dough into a large clean mixing bowl or dough bucket, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours but no longer than 5 days.
To Shape the Rolls:
- Grease or butter two 9”x13” rectangular or four 8” round baking pans or 3 standard sized muffin pans and set them aside.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and punch it down. Divide in half, then portion each half into 20 equal sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
- If making standard dinner rolls, place the dough balls into the prepared pans (5 rows of 4 in each rectangular pan or 10 rolls in each round pan.) If making cloverleaf rolls, divide each ball into 3 pieces, roll them into tight balls, toss with melted butter, and put 3 balls in each prepared muffin tin. Either way, cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until puffy in appearance and nearly doubled in size, about 2 hours.
To Bake the Rolls:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Bake the rolls for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. If desired, brush the finished rolls with melted butter.
This post was originally published November 14th, 2014.
Barb says
not magazine worthy at all very much a family with our personalities table
sue/the view from great island says
Absolutely got my love goggles on and these rolls are incredible — love that plump clover shape!
kate C. says
Magazine worthy? Maybe if the magazine is called: “random assortment of whatever containers best hold the really delicious food made for people that love food and don’t care about decorating.”
Nora B says
Personalities — for sure!
Kathleen says
Mine is all about the people. The dishes don’t match, but the food goes fast!
Karen D says
We prepare a Thanksgiving meal on Thanksgiving day for our local soup kitchen….our tables are full of personalities!
SarAh Averett says
these look amazing, Rebecca! I’m totally going to make them this week!
Kyla says
Personalities! We don’t even set the table–everything is served buffet style in mismatched dishes. It’s the food that counts, not how it’s presented!
Lauren M says
I like to have a pretty nice table for Thanksgiving, but we definitely go casual!
Anne Weber-Falk says
My table is loaded with people personality! I will make these rolls for those people. Question about the flour…am I using WHITE WHOLE WHEAT flour or regular whole wheat flour? Your description says one thing and the list of ingredients says another. Thanks for all you do. I really enjoy your site.
Rebecca says
I’d better go make that reflect what I want it to say, then. Use white whole wheat! And thank you!!
heather says
We decorate the table with a nice center piece and use nice dishes.
Jill says
Our table decorations are provided by the 8 year old (with help from the 6, 3, and 1 year olds)… I don’t know of a magazine that would be interested! 🙂 The recipe looks amazing; I can’t wait to try it! Thanks, Rebecca!
Jennifer says
Our table isn’t magazine pretty, but we love it. Our centerpieces are the Thanksgiving projects the kids made at school. We use our everyday dishes, and the food is set up buffet style on the kitchen island, so those centerpieces really shine! It would be great to add something pretty to the mix.
Karen says
I was just thinking of this the other day, there is not room for candles or fancy centerpieces. We have a family crowded around the table. There are fiver generations represented; the past is there in my Nana’s china, my Grandmother’s relish bowl, my Mother in Law’s wine glasses and the faces of three generations.
Nikki says
Definitely not magazine worthy, it’s a mish-mash of all the people sitting around the table
Nicole D says
Yes we love to have the kids help us in the decorating of the table for Thanksgiving. We love for everyone to have there own personal touch to it, so it may be a little mix of style, but it is all about each and everyone’s sense of taste and likes, as I think everyone brings something that makes our table scape unique.
Nicole D says
Posted to my twitter page- https://twitter.com/lil_lady_dz/status/533416689614852096
Crystal | Apples & Sparkle says
Love these, the rolls are always the first to go at Thanksgiving. These sound so amazing!
Pam says
Definitely not magazine pretty, with my hodgepodge of serving pieces and slightly stained tablecloth. Thanksgiving (at least to me) is more about the food and the people anyway.
Marina says
I keep it pretty simple. Herb garnishes. Wipe down the edges of the platters. Mini pumpkins with votive candles inserted in them placed here and there. I decorate the buffet in dining room with desserts on glass platters or pedestals. That’s it!
Natalie says
We do not buy very expensive table settings but my Thanksgiving table is color coordinated!
Natalie says
https://twitter.com/yarbr012/status/533438862698483712
Heather says
I only have everyday dishes, nothing spectacular. My table is definitely decorated by the personalities of the people who sit around it!
Heather says
I shared on twitter, https://twitter.com/HeatherLynn626/status/533480563643265024.
Rachel Tilly says
Both! The people are most important though:) these rolls look amazing!
Millie | Add A Little says
SO gorgeous! I bet the sweet potato gives a nice little sweetness!
Kristen says
These are the prettiest rolls, Rebecca!
The kids help with the table too if we are home! I love Thanksgiving!
Chris B says
I set my Thanksgiving (Christmas, New Years & Easter) table with my 20+ year old fine china, crystal, and silver. Both our families believed that newly wedded couples should have “proper” dinnerware for special occasions. Since we are a family-on-the-go 90% of the time, tradition of unwrapping the china and polishing the silverware makes us slow down and focus on setting up for a celebration. The teenage boys actually enjoy the ritual which sets it aside from just grabbing a regular dinner plate and plastic cup!
Thanks for the recipe, these rolls are going to make an appearance on the table very soon. They sound divine!
Deitan says
Wow! Those sound absolutely perfect and deserving of their own special bread basket to grace any Thanksgiving table!
Anna Pry says
our table is pretty small so we dont decorate it for holidays, we need room for our food! [email protected]
Anna Pry says
i tweeted https://twitter.com/dapryz5/status/533747817148198914 [email protected]
marybeth i says
we pull out the tablecloths, china and crustal and go formal all the way!
DAWN SCHMIDT says
My table is definitely not magazine worthy, I do try to make it look festive with lots of homemade items and kid friendly things
DAWN SCHMIDT says
TWEETED https://twitter.com/mummytotwoboys1/status/534056336229531648
Susan Christy says
Not magazine worthy at all, but no one cares. As long as we are together.
Rachel Cooks says
I like to have a sit down dinner for Thanksgiving. Nothing fancy–paper napkins, all the plates and silverware I can come up with. I love it when grace has been said, every dish has been passed, and there’s this moment of silence as everyone just kind of digs in and enjoys, their mouths too full to talk.
Rebecca says
Yesssss. That moment is a beautiful one.
tammigirl says
Our table is definitely decorated by personalities! And it’s FULLY decorated! What a lovely way of putting it. 🙂
Rachael S says
We eat at my mother’s and she has a vast collection of Fiesta Ware. Some years all the colors of each setting match, and some years we mix it up, but the result is always incredibly colorful.
Jessie C. says
My table is decorated by the personalities of the people who sit around it. Silverware plus orange and gray theme.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
Jessie C. says
-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/535289218713804800
Mami2jcn says
This year the kids are making little Native American and Pilgrim people out of paper towel rolls and construction paper to decorate our table. I think the grandparents will say it’s very cute.
Mami2jcn says
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/535432827014496256
Julie Wood says
I always decorate my table. I usually use my nice Orange tablecloth and put out my green plates with my green napkins and regular silverware with my orange goblets. For my centerpiece I put out my Cornucopia.
Julie Wood says
Tweet Entry
https://twitter.com/JewelWood/status/535440630504112128
Elena says
My table is decorated by the personalities of the people who sit around it 🙂
Elena says
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/535467950166126592
Kelly D says
My table is decorated more for the personalities of the people around it, we like pumpkin and leaf themed decorations and festive colors.
Kelly D says
tweet
https://twitter.com/Kellydpa/status/535483144808697857
Melissa M says
Umm no lol We are plain.
Melissa M says
https://twitter.com/618mom23boys/status/535484523631607809
rachel says
I’d say a little of both!
Madeline says
I use linens that my mom gave me years ago, and usually our good white dishes. Not magazine worthy but we like it!
Madeline says
Tweet link: https://twitter.com/shala_darkstone/status/535630393949818880
Vincent says
We use autumn colors for the tablecloth, napkins and placemats, and plain white dishes.
Vincent says
tweeted
https://twitter.com/rubylorikeet/status/535925955164786689
tina m says
i like it simple. i put a red color table cloth and candles.
tina m says
https://twitter.com/HappyTina0115/status/537395037890285568
Shannon S says
It’s decorated for the kids at the table! Turkey shaped napkins!
Shannon S says
https://twitter.com/Shannon91981/status/537686014379454464
maria cantu says
Neither, we usually do buffet style with disposable dishes.
Anne says
Thanksgiving at our house is most certainly not magazine worthy–hardly any of the tableware and serving pieces match, and none of it is fancy-schmancy. But the food is good and homey, and we’re happy. It’s just the two of us, so it’s hard to say that we’re decorating the place with our personalities (love the concept, though!), but we enjoy our special day and the special meal. And the special dessert, too; can’t forget the dessert!
Anne says
I shared your beautiful Sweet Potato Rolls (which I hope to make soon) and the JCPenney promotion on Twitter; here’s the link:
https://twitter.com/NotherAnneOther/status/538040750219755522
Thank you, and Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
erica best says
i keep it simple cause thanksgiving it about family and friends
erica best says
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/538455274063790080
Stacey b says
I wish it was magazine worthy. I just use a nice floral or candle centerpiece, and put my dishes and food around it.
Stacey b says
https://twitter.com/MomOF2Boysz/status/539296830484660224
Ashley Hewell says
Mine is not fancy at all.
Susan Smith says
I set my table with a colorful centerpiece and a white tablecloth.
Susan Smith says
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/539833159693918209
sandra says
my sister uses tea light candles
Donna Marchlewski says
I use my white dishes with natural twigs and leaves for centerpieces
Janice says
definitely decorated by the people who sit around it! 🙂
debbie says
No magazine would ever feature my table! But it is greatly filled with love, wonderful family and friends, and my very best attempt at delicious food.
debbie says
tweet: https://twitter.com/suburbsanity/status/541597800916877313
Kerry says
Not really magazine worthy here! I do break out the good china for the day, but it’s never picture perfect!
Kerry says
tweeted: https://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/541703301247426561
Debbie B says
i prefer to keep things simple – just a centerpiece i bring out each year
Debbie B says
i posted a tweet here:
https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/541724034409697280
Ellie Wright says
I set my Thanksgiving table with my wedding china and a centerpiece made by my kids every year.
Ellie Wright says
tweeted
https://twitter.com/eswright18/status/541740637935374337
angie says
Neither, actually! LOL It was simple. The food, our only set of plates, our only set of silverware, mixed cloth napkins, our only set of wine glasses, and a paper fold out turkey in the center! LOL
angie says
I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/MsTofuFairy/status/542386854419382273
Tabathia B says
I use a cream or red tablecloth, different size plastic pumpkins and candles
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
Tabathia B says
tweet https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/542709624000892929
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
Betty C says
We really don’t pay much attention to how the table looks. We are usually too busy talking with family we haven’t seen for a while and enjoying good food. We don’t do any special table decorations.
Rebecca says
I use a pretty green leaf tablecloth.
Kimberley Meier says
Our holiday tables are always beautiful thanks to my mom. She’s amazingly crafty and every year she out does herself. Though beautiful enough to be in a magazine it’s still homey and intimate enough to fit our relaxed family.
Kimberley Meier says
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/MRSMEIER5627/status/549012063159595009
Cori Westphal says
I’m one of those people who just uses the plate settings we use everyday. Nothing special!
coriwestphal at msn dot com
Cori Westphal says
Tweet: https://twitter.com/coriwestphal/status/550101135873167361
coriwestphal at msn dot com
Patty says
Do these rolls freeze well? They look amazing but I would have enough for both thanksgiving and Christmas.
Rebecca says
I think they freeze like a treat!
Wendy says
I was wondering, have you ever tried to make these rolls the day before and refrigerate them? Or do you have to make them the day you plan to serve them?