Napa Farmhouse 1885™: Sweet Potato Biscuits

I found this recipe for sweet potato biscuits in 1995 from Bon Appetit magazine and have been making them ever since. They are perfect for Thanksgiving because the light, flaky texture works well with all the other rich dishes on the menu. These biscuits do not contain the massive amount of butter found in traditional recipes. Mashed sweet potatoes and a touch of buttermilk provide all the moistness.

The original recipe calls for all white flour. I make mine a bit healthier by swapping half of the white for white whole wheat flour. I love the nuttiness flavor the whole wheat adds. These biscuits are delicious just as is with butter and honey...but feel free to experiment with additional items. Try adding a 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon and ginger, or 1/4 cup crumbled crispy bacon or swap one tablespoon buttermilk for maple syrup, or spice it up with a tablespoon of chopped green chile. Bonus points, you can make the dough and cut out the biscuits in advance. Place on a baking rack and freeze. Place the frozen (unbaked) biscuits in a freezer bag until you need them. When ready to bake, bake frozen...do not defrost. You may need to add an additional 5 minutes to the baking time. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Sweet Potato Biscuits
(makes 12)

1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups mashed peeled & cooled baked sweet potatoes (about 2 large)*
6 tablespoons buttermilk
sweet butter for serving
wild honey for serving

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Sift together the flours, baking powder, soda and salt in a large bowl. In a small bowl add the mashed sweet potatoes and the buttermilk. Whisk together until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine with a fork just until mixed together.

Pour out dough to lightly floured counter and need 5-6 turns. Pat to form a circle 3/4 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2 inch round biscuit cutter (or do like I do and use the rim of a glass the same size), cut out as many circles as you can. Place the biscuits on the prepared sheet. Form another circle using the dough scraps and cut out a few more biscuits. Repeat until all dough is used. (you may need to free form the last biscuit).

Place in preheated oven and bake until biscuits are golden brown (15-20 minutes). Remove from oven and serve immediately with butter and honey.

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It is "Thanksgiving Sides" week at Food Network's Fall Fest roundup. Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving recipe? Share in the comments section and/or link to your blog if you have one. Be sure to check out the delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and from Food Network.