These sticky buns are the business.
And you know that when I say that, I do not lie.
The not-secret, but totally magical ingredient is sweet potato. This was a hard-sell for me, because the gentleman in my life is not a fan of orange coloured vegetables showing up in his baked goods.
But I say life is too short not to try everything! I’m a total glutton for experiences. And I am SO GLAD that I tried adding a little sweet potato into my sticky buns. As Edith Piaf would say, ‘je ne regrette rien’.
In all honesty, if you didn’t know there was sweet potato in these, you probably wouldn’t guess it (my boyfriend certainly didn’t – he ate two before I told him). There is only the merest hint of bright sweet potato flavour. But there is a layer of earthiness and complexity, highlighted by a pinch of cardamom, that regular sticky buns just don’t have.
The true benefit of the sweet potato, though, is in the texture. These sticky buns have the most silky, downy, buttery texture imaginable. All the better to soak up that sweet, brown-sugar-and-maple goo.
Alright, so this isn’t the healthiest way to get some beta-carotene in your diet. And alright, so the recipe takes a little time from beginning to end. But just look at these! The pillowy dough, the cascading stickiness! What better way could there possibly be to spend a lazy Saturday morning?
I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Do you have a sticky bun secret? Let me know your tips and tricks in the comments!
xx Sarah.
- 6oz (150g) raw sweet potato (or ½ cup sweet potato puree)
- 3 cups (450g) plain flour
- ¼ cup (50g) caster sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp dry active yeast
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ stick (50g) butter, melted
- ¼ cup milk, warm
- 1 stick (115g) butter
- 1 cup (220g) brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup chopped or flaked nuts of your choice, optional
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- Peel and chop the raw sweet potato into small chunks. Place in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a slow boil for about 20 minutes, or until completely tender. Drain and thoroughly mash.
- Place the mashed sweet potato, and all the remaining dough ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Work on a low speed until the dough comes together. It should ball up around the dough hook, and be slightly sticky. You may need to splash in a little extra milk, if the mixture is too dry.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm spot for about an hour or until doubled in size.
- While the dough is rising, make the goo by melting all the ingredients together in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil for approximately 30 seconds, and then set aside to cool.
- Mix together the filling ingredients in a small bowl and lightly grease either a 12-cup muffin tin (that's what I used) or a 9x13inch baking dish. (22x33cm)
- When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down in the bowl (so satisfying), and then scrape it out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat and stretch the dough out into a large rectangle, about 13 by 15 inches. (33x38cm)
- Pour ¼ cup (4 tbsps) of the goo onto the dough, and spread it to cover the entire surface very thinly. Sprinkle over the brown sugar and cinnamon filling, and then roll the dough up tightly, starting from the short side.
- Divide the rest of the goo between the holes of your muffin tin, or just pour it into your baking dish. Sprinkle about 2 tsps of chopped or flaked nuts per bun over the goo (if using).
- Slice the rolled up dough into 12 pieces, and place them on top of the goo, with their swirls facing up. Leave to rise again for 30 minutes or until puffy. While they are rising, preheat the oven to 375F/180C.
- Place the sticky bun pan on a lined baking tray (just in case it overflows), and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown, risen and springy when quickly and carefully pressed (they're hot!). Turn them out of the pan and onto a clean tray immediately, as they will stick if you leave them in there. And then leave them to cool for as long as you can bear it, before diving in!
Ive made pumpkin yeast rolls and sweet potato quick bread – I need to make these Buns! They look totally incredible! Pinned
You totally should! Thanks Averie!
Seriously??? Do you ever make a bad recipe??? These look sooooo good!
FoodNerd x
I do…but I don’t put them on the blog!
Sweet potato?! COOL! These buns look so freaking yummy…and pretty too :)
Would it be weird if I told you I loved you right now? I don’t care. These are amazing, therefore, you are amazing and I love you for it. Now I am off to go pin these and sneak home to make a batch.
Great pics!! These look amazing!! Wish I had one right now!
You have to love sweet potato! I can just imagine how tender and sweet these buns must be. :)
These are so beautiful! You’re making me crave fall foods, and it is barely summer here! :)
You just combined my love for potatoes with my love for sweets and then you go on and quote Edith Piaf. Too much!
Hahaha ditto food nerd ^. “so this isn’t the healthiest way to get some beta-carotene in your diet.” <– um, I don't care when beta carotene can look like this. I'll be stalking your comments for tips on sticky buns because I've never tried them!! I need all the help I can get, but come Fall and/or cooler weather, these will definitely be happening <3
dem buns! My husband doesn’t like orange vegetables in his baked goods either, but I make these pumpkin cinnamon rolls and he LOVES them…it must be the rolls that get them.
These look PERFECT! So much better prettier than the ones I have going up tomorrow. I love how sticky, gooey and awesome yours look, YUM!!!!
AHHHMAZING. As always, I bow down to your epic awesomeness!!! LOVE how gooey and buttery and perfect these sticky buns look-and cannot believe there’s sweet potato in them!
I like to leave ingredients out of meal description to my husband when I think he’ll turn his nose up to it. Works every time. However, I would never need to lie to him about these, they look so phenomenal, he wouldn’t think twice about eating them! And neither would I.
I totally do that too! But I’m glad your husband would have the good sense to recognise the deliciousness of these babies!
I made sticky buns last week. The thing that was different was that they were baked together in a 9 inch round pan. I think that way contains more of the goo- like, there isn’t goo gooing all over the place, but you can cram a lot more goo in also. If that makes sense. The only bad side is that they aren’t gorgeously shaped and brown all around like yours, because they rise together and are touching each other.
Anyways… another awesome recipe!
I totally agree – both ways have their upsides and downsides. This time I went for beauty, but I do love em when they stick together, too! Thanks Sarah! PS your email address is awesome.
The custard stuffed donuts were amazing (and super easy to make), so I figure I owe it to myself to at least try this recipe too eh?
DEFINITELY! I’m so glad you like the donuts!
Mwahahah, sneak attack sweet potatoes! Love that you snuck them past the boyfriend unawares–that is truly the sign of a great recipe. :)
These are so perfect! Love the ones with almonds — gorgeous.
Yum! These look like the best sticky buns everrrr! I love sweet potatoes and sweets together. Gorgeous photos too :)
Gosh these buns look so amazing!! your photography is brilliant! I am dying here! I need these!
Thanks Ami!
How could anybody ever say no to cascading stickiness. These sound amazing!
These look. ah-may-zing. I can’t think of a buttah way to add silky texture.
Sweet Potato desserts are my weakness (I’m weird I know!). I must give these a try