Prepare the Sweet Potato:

Put the chopped sweet potato in a saucepan and cover with water. Add the water and bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to medium-high heat. Cook for another 10-12 minutes or until the sweet potato is soft. Drain and coarsely mash sweet potato with some small lumps remaining. With 1 cup (230g) of mashed sweet potato for the dough, let it cool slightly.

Proof the Yeast:

Place milk, yeast and 2 tablespoons honey in the bowl of your stand mixer. Whisk, cover and let sit for 5 minutes. But if you don’t own a stand mixer, you can still use a large mixing bowl and a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Do not use a hand mixer; the sticky dough gets caught up in the beaters.

Mix the Dough:

Stir in the rest of the honey, the eggs, the butter, the sweet potato, the salt and 1 cup (125g) of the flour. If using the dough hook or the paddle attachment, mix on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl’s sides, and add the remaining flour. Continue mixing on medium speed until the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes. If the dough seems too wet and unruly, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is soft, slightly tacky and easy to handle.

Knead the Dough:

With the dough hook on low speed, knead an additional 5 minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured work surface for 5 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add 1 teaspoon flour at a time until dough is soft and slightly tacky. To see if the dough is ready, do a “windowpane test”: tear off a small piece of dough and stretch it out until thin enough to let light through. If it tears, knead longer.

First Rise:

Lightly oil or spray a large bowl with nonstick oil. Put the dough in the bowl and turn it to coat it in the oil. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or until double in size. (Usually about 1 and 1/2 hours on the counter.)

Prepare the Baking Pan:

Melt butter or nonstick spray on a 9×13-inch baking pan.

Shape the Rolls:

When the dough has risen, punch down to remove the air. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 20 equal pieces (65–75g each). Form each piece into a smooth ball and place in the prepared pan.

Second Rise:

Cover the shaped rolls and allow to rise until they are puffy, 30 to 45 minutes.

Preheat the Oven:

Position oven rack lower and heat oven to 350° F (177° C). This position helps to keep the tops from burning.

Bake the Rolls:

Bake the rolls for 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Internal temperature should be 190°F when checked with an instant-read thermometer. Halfway through baking, rotate the pan. If the rolls start to brown too rapidly, loosely tent the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil after 20 minutes. After baking, brush the rolls with melted butter, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Allow them to cool for roughly 15 minutes before serving.

Storing Leftovers:

Store leftover rolls covered tightly at room temperature for 3 days, or refrigerate up to 1 week.

Notes

Notes: Freezing Instructions: Once baked, cool completely before storing the rolls in a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw in the fridge or at room temperature and then reheat in a 300-degree-F (150-degree-C) oven for about 10 minutes. If freezing the rolls, hold off on the melted butter and sea salt until after the reheating step.

Overnight Instructions: For ease, you can make the rolls in step 1 through step 7, then... Cover the shaped rolls and refrigerate for no more than 15 hours. Allow to rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours before baking. Or allow the dough to rise overnight in the refrigerator and then rise for 2 hours before proceeding with recipe.

Yeast and Flour Tips: Instant yeast is preferred — although active dry yeast can be used; anticipate slightly longer rise times be using active dry. Bread flour gives you chewier rolls, but all-purpose works, too, and will give you a slightly softer roll without otherwise changing the recipe.

Sweet Potato Substitutes: If you don’t have sweet potatoes, you can use regular potatoes without modifying the recipe. Canned sweet potato, on the other hand, is a no-go, since it tends to be thinner and could disrupt the moisture equilibrium in the dough.