1small or mediumsweet potato,peeled and cut into large pieces (approximately 8 ounces (see notes)
8ouncesall-purpose flour(approximately 1 3/4 cups), plus more as needed
1tablespoonlight brown sugar
1teaspoonkosher salt
2 1/2teaspoonsbaking powder
1/2teaspoonbaking soda
1/4teaspoonfresh ground nutmeg
3ouncesunsalted butter,cold and cut into small pieces
1/3cupcold buttermilk
1tablespoonpure maple syrup,cold
1tablespoonunsalted butter,melted and cooled (for brushing)
Instructions
Place the sweet potato in a medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, around 15 minutes. Drain, then puree in a food processor. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until the puree is cold, approximately one hour. (Note: do not skip this step; you need cold ingredients for delicate biscuits).
Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and place a rack on the lower shelf. Grease an 8-inch cake pan with butter or baking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Using a fork or pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, with pea-sized lumps of butter remaining here and there. In a separate small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together sweet potato puree, buttermilk and maple syrup; stir into the flour mixture until just combined (do not over-mix).
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, kneading gently a few times until the dough comes together. If the dough is too sticky to work with, kneed in 2-3 additional tablespoons of flour. Pat or roll the dough until it’s approximately 1-inch thick. Cut the biscuits using a 2 1/2 inch cutter, as close together as possible. Re-roll the scraps to cut the remaining biscuits (do not reuse scraps more than two times; once is ideal).
Arrange biscuits snugly in pan (to help them stay upright). Brush with melted butter. Bake until fluffy and golden, rotating once, 20 to 24 minutes.
Notes
After peeling, cooking and pureeing, the recipe only needs 3/4 cup of sweet potato puree. Most smaller sweet potatoes are going to give you enough to work with, but it’s always better to play it safe and have some leftover puree. I recommend pureeing over mashing the sweet potatoes if possible. No matter how thoroughly I mash the sweet potatoes, there are always a few lumps in the biscuits, and that also means the flavor is less thoroughly dispersed.Make sure to use all cold ingredients. For extra credit, you can even chill the flour in a covered bowl before getting started!Loosely adapted from Martha Stewart.