Sweet Potato Biscuits

Yeah, yeah. I know I said I'd be posting sweet potato recipes "throughout the week". But I lied. But what I really meant was throughout the week(S). Plural. Because that's what time is allowing right now, and I've decided to stop fighting the whole "Let's try to squeeze more than 24 hours in a day" thing.

Anyway, let's get to the good stuff.

So, I've shared a unique sweet potato drink recipe, a fantastic sweet potato starter, and now I'm moving on to give you a little taste of fabulousness: Sweet Potato Biscuits. Oh, yeah.

Remember back in May when we drove up to Gainesville to move my little sister out of her dorm for the summer and discovered The Flying Biscuit Cafe? {You know, the place that has the best grits EVER, featured in this post?} Well, these biscuits are their recipe. So you know they've got to be good. What am I talking about... they've got to be UH-mazing.

My mom gave me a copy of The Flying Biscuit Cafe cookbook for my birthday, and as soon as I saw the title of this recipe, I knew it was something I had to try. Immediately.

These biscuits are exactly what you'd think yet not at all what you'd expect. The addition of orange zest gives them a little citrusy edge, and the sweet potato, though not highly detectable, makes them just different enough to give traditional biscuits a rest and give these a try.

I made a batch last week and brought them along to our tailgate last weekend. They made a fantastic base for breakfast sandwiches, but are certainly yummy enough to nibble on them all by themselves.

If you love someone, you will make them these biscuits. That is all. 🙂

Sweet Potato Biscuits
Slightly adapted from The Flying Biscuit Cafe Cookbook

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon double-acting baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon brown sugar
Generous pinch ground ginger
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
6 tablespoon unsalted butter, chilled & cut into small pieces
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
⅔ cup buttermilk
3-4 tablespoon melted butter

Preheat oven to 370 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, ginger, and orange zest.  Using your hands or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the pieces of butter are the size of small peas. Add sweet potato mash and fully incorporate.

Add buttermilk and mix just until dough comes together. {If you are using your hands, it will still stick to your fingers at this point.} Once you add the buttermilk, it is critical that you do not over mix.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 4-6 times. Using lightly floured hands, pat out the dough to a thickness of 1 inch.  Dip a 2 ½ inch diameter biscuit cutter in flour, then cut the dough.  Repeat until all the dough has been cut.  Do not twist the cutter - apply pressure straight down then pull back evenly.  Scraps can be gathered together and re-rolled one time.  Using a fork, prick the tops of each biscuit 3 times.

Place the biscuits on the prepared sheet pan, leaving about ¼ inch between them.  Brush the tops of each biscuit with melted butter.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Biscuits will be golden brown on top and flaky the center when done.