FEBRUARY 2020 93
Sweet Potato Yeast Rolls
ACTIVE 40 MIN; TOTAL 2 HR 20 MIN
MAKES 30 ROLLS
When shaping the rolls, use tension in
your cupped hand rather than too much
excess flour to coax the dough into a ball.
A generous brushing of melted butter on
the baked rolls adds shine and flavor. My
friend chef Cheetie Kumar introduced me
to ajowan seeds (also called carom
seeds), which offer an herbal bite reminis-
cent of thyme and cumin.
2 medium-size sweet potatoes
(about 1^1 / 2 lb.)
(^1) / 2 cup whole milk
3 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. cane sugar, divided
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter (2^1 / 2 oz.),
melted, divided
(^1) / (^4) cup warm water (100°F to 110°F)
1 (^1 / 4 -oz.) envelope active dry yeast
2 large eggs, divided
4 cups all-purpose flour (about 17
oz.), plus more for work surface
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
Cooking spray
2 tsp. ajowan, cumin, or caraway
seeds
- Prick sweet potatoes all over using a
fork; place on a microwavable plate.
Microwave on high, turning every 4 min-
utes, until softened, 8 to 12 minutes total.
Let cool 10 minutes. Peel and discard
skins. Mash sweet potatoes in a medium
bowl using a fork until mostly smooth. - Cook milk, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 3
tablespoons butter in a small saucepan
over medium-low, stirring often, until
sugar just dissolves, about 5 minutes. Let
cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile,
stir together^1 / 4 cup warm water, yeast,
and remaining 1 teaspoon sugar in a small
bowl. Let stand at room temperature until
foamy, about 5 minutes. - Place milk mixture, yeast mixture, 1 cup
(8 ounces) mashed sweet potatoes
(^3) / 4 cup cake flour (about 3 oz.) (such
as Anson Mills Artisan Fine Cloth-
Bolted White Lammas Cake Flour)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
(^1) / 2 tsp. baking soda
(^1) / 4 cup unsalted butter
Buttermilk Cream (recipe follows)
- Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in oven;
preheat oven to 425°F. Let skillet preheat
in oven 15 minutes. - Whisk together eggs and buttermilk in
a large bowl until frothy, about 1 minute.
Whisk in brown sugar and cane syrup. Set
buttermilk mixture aside. - Whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking
powder, salt, and baking soda in a sepa-
rate bowl. Add cornmeal mixture to but-
termilk mixture; stir using a wooden
spoon until combined. - Carefully remove preheated skillet from
oven. Add butter to skillet; swirl skillet
to melt butter, evenly coating bottom and
sides of skillet. Pour melted butter into
cornmeal batter in bowl; quickly stir to
incorporate. Pour batter into greased
hot skillet; immediately transfer to pre-
heated oven. - Reduce oven temperature to 375°F;
bake cake until top is evenly browned and
sides are dark golden and pull away from
skillet, 30 to 35 minutes. Immediately
invert cake onto a wire rack. Let cool 15
minutes. Serve warm with Buttermilk
Cream.
MAKE AHEAD Cake can be made 1 day
ahead and stored at room temperature
covered tightly with plastic wrap.
Buttermilk Cream
PHOTO P. 83
TOTAL 5 MIN; MAKES 4 CUPSWhole buttermilk adds a cultured tang to
classic sweetened whipped cream. A
touch of sugar and salt balance the light
and airy topping; adjust them to taste.2 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
Pinch of kosher salt(^1) / (^2) cup whole buttermilk (such as
Cruze Farm)
Using an electric hand mixer on medium
speed or a whisk, beat heavy cream in a
large bowl, gradually adding sugar and
salt, until medium peaks form, 4 to 5 min-
utes. Add buttermilk; beat until soft peaks
form and mixture is billowy, about 1 min-
ute. Serve immediately, or chill in the
refrigerator up to 4 hours.
(reserve remaining sweet potatoes for
another use), and 1 egg in bowl of a stand
mixer fitted with a dough hook attach-
ment. Beat on low speed until combined,
about 30 seconds. Increase mixer speed
to medium-low; gradually add flour and
salt, beating until combined, about 1 min-
ute. Increase mixer speed to medium;
beat until dough is smooth, elastic, and
slightly sticky, 6 to 8 minutes. (Dough
should stick to bottom of bowl but pull
away from sides.) Transfer dough to a
large bowl lightly greased with cooking
spray. Cover with plastic wrap. Let stand
at room temperature until almost doubled
in volume, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured
work surface, and divide into 30 (about
1-ounce) pieces. Shape into balls. Arrange
dough balls in 6 rows of 5 balls each on
a rimmed 13- x 9-inch baking sheet lightly
greased with cooking spray, spacing
about ½ inch apart. Cover loosely with
plastic wrap. Let stand at room tempera-
ture until dough balls have almost
doubled in size, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F. - Whisk remaining egg in a small bowl
until lightly beaten. Uncover rolls; brush
lightly with beaten egg. Sprinkle rolls
evenly with ajowan seeds. Bake in pre-
heated oven until golden brown and puffy,
14 to 18 minutes. Brush hot rolls with
remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Serve
rolls warm, or transfer to a wire rack, and
let cool completely, about 1 hour.
NOTE Find ajowan seeds at your local
Asian or Indian market, or order from
kalustyans.com.
Cast-Iron Cornmeal Cake
with Buttermilk Cream
PHOTO P. 83
ACTIVE 15 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR
SERVES 8 TO 10Pouring the batter into a preheated skillet
ensures a perfectly cooked, dark golden–
bottomed crust with a fluffy, golden
interior. To check for doneness, rely on
the visual cues for browning—a cake
tester will come out clean before the cake
is cooked through.3 large eggs
11 / 2 cups whole buttermilk (such as
Cruze Farm)(^1) / 2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cane syrup (such as Poirier’s)
or molasses
11 / 2 cups coarse yellow cornmeal
(about 5^3 /^4 oz.) (such as Anson
Mills Antebellum Coarse Yellow
Cornmeal)