"My paternal grandmother, Mildred Edna Cotton Council, founded Mama Dip's Kitchen restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1976. The daughter of a sharecropper and granddaughter of an enslaved person, she built a culinary empire. Her sweet potato biscuits were one of her most popular dishes, and they are still featured on the menu today. Sweet potatoes add an earthy, sweet flavor to more than just your favorite pie. They make for a tender and moist biscuit that is great as a substitute for dinner rolls. These biscuits are the soul sisters of the basic buttermilk biscuits and are inspired by my grandmother's version. Make them whenever you have leftover sweet potatoes."
- Erika Council
The more we work with sweet potatoes, the more we fall in love with them. If you've tried Peruvian donuts, you know exactly what I mean.
These sweet potato benne seed biscuits are made with ultra-smooth, creamy fine cloth-bolted pastry flour and they're so delicious, they're history.
Enjoy them on their own or build your new favorite sandwich. We like them so much, we made a free recipe with pictures for you to try at home.
If you enjoy these biscuits, you'll want the buttermilk biscuits, mixed-up potato gratin, mallorcas, Easter bread, cinnamon pound cake, and Ukrainian welcome bread too.
Learn more about cooking with kids.
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Amazon links are not affiliate links. You can read my full affiliate disclosure.
Still We Rise Cookbook
These sweet potato biscuits with benne seeds are from Still We Rise: A Love Letter to the Southern Biscuit with Over 70 Sweet and Savory Recipes by Erika Council.
Erika Council is the granddaughter of Mildred "Mama Dip" Council, (if you've heard of Mama Dip's Kitchen in Chapel Hill, NC you already know what's up) as well as a teacher and activist who cooked to raise money to support the Civil Rights Movement.
This cookbook will help you unleash the creativity in your kitchen w/ recipes like Everything "Bagel" Biscuits & Biscuit Bread Pudding with Whiskey Cream Sauce. There are plenty of process shots included with the recipes, making the results just as attainable as if you were baking alongside Erika.
You can find Erika Council at Bomb Biscuit Co. in Atlanta, where she is chef and owner.
More from Still We Rise:
related recipe!
Duke's Mayo Biscuits
The best basic biscuit with the flakiest of layers.
related recipe!
Easy Drop Biscuits
Sweet donut-style biscuits.
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This silky smooth pastry flour feels like cream on your fingertips. You can find it at Anson Mills:
"Screened to a silken finish from the finest Red May wheat, this flour is an exact reproduction of the pastry flour of the Colonial South, which has been out of production since the 1850s. Esteemed historically for its crisping properties, Red May wheat represents crisping nonpareil when it is stone-milled gently, and then sifted immediately by hand through a fine silk bolting cloth at 100% bran extraction. Its texture is so fine that when rubbed between the fingers, it feels almost like cream (historically, the flour was known as “crema”).
Red May pastry flour is loaded with whole wheat germ flavonoids and nutrients. It is soft enough to make biscuits tender and pie dough flaky, but strong enough to support buttery layers in laminated doughs like Danish or croissant."
As described by Anson Mills:
"Enslaved Africans brought benne seeds from Africa to the Carolina Sea Islands in the early 18th century and cultivated them in hidden gardens for nearly a century as a staple food seed for rice cookery. By the time of our Revolution, benne seeds and their oil had earned a place at table for rich and poor alike, and benne became the focus of intense market farming. Benne plants were consumed at every growth stage: tender young leaves, petite green seed pods similar to okra, and, at the end of the growing season, as mature dried seeds we know as sesame.
When heated in cooking, new crop benne seeds possess lovely field flavors, characteristic nuttiness, and deep burnt-honey notes. Unlike modern sesame seeds, benne asserts its culinary presence by magnifying umami nuances in foods, making it unparalleled for use in both modern and historic recipes."
How to Make Sweet Potato Biscuits With Benne Seeds
Ingredients
- flour - we recommend Red May pastry flour for an unforgettable biscuit, but you can use any all-purpose flour you like. If you're using something other than Red May pastry flour, you may not need quite as much flour in your biscuit recipe. See the recipe card for details.
- baking powder
- sugar - we prefer stevia to cut down on sugar intake but you do you
- cinnamon - we like this Peni Miris Cinnamon, which has notes of whiskey, honey, orange blossom, and vetiver
- salt - this recipe call for kosher salt. If you're using Surya Salt like us, you can use slightly less than what the recipe calls for
- baking soda
- butter - you're going to want cold, unsalted butter for these sweet potato biscuits
- sweet potatoes
- milk - if you have cold whole milk, you're all set. Substitute as needed
- benne seeds - pick up a bag of Sea Island benne seeds to enhance the flavor of your sweet potato biscuits
Equipment
- prep bowls
- kitchen scale
- measuring spoons
- measuring cup
- whisk
- box grater
- mixer or blender
- spatula
- mason jar or biscuit cutter
- silicone baking mat
- baking slab
- basting brush
- learning tower (as needed)
1. Measure the Dry Ingredients
Wash your hands with soap and water. Use a kitchen scale to measure the flour in a large bowl. Grab a measuring spoon set and measure the baking powder, sugar (or stevia), cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.
All your dry ingredients should be together in one bowl.
2. Whisk the Dry Ingredients
Whisk the ingredients in the bowl to combine.
3. Slice the Butter into the Flour Mixture
Use a box grater to slice the butter into the flour mixture. Erika says you should toss the butter in the flour until it's coated thoroughly. Afterward, use your fingers or a pastry cutter to break up the butter.
When the dough looks like sand with some small pieces of butter, move on to the next step.
4. Place the Biscuit Mixture in the Freezer
Place the biscuit mixture in the freezer for 15 minutes. You can clean up your workspace and gather your equipment for the rest of the steps.
5. Mash or Blend the Sweet Potatoes
Use a masher and a whisk to combine the sweet potatoes with the ¾ cup of milk or use a blender.
6. Combine the Sweet Potato Mixture and Chilled Flour Mixture
Use a spatula to combine the sweet potato mixture and the chilled flour mixture.
The dough should be sticky when well combined.
Now is a great time to preheat the oven to 450 °F. The oven rack should be in the middle position.
7. Transfer the Dough to a Floured Surface
Dust your clean surface with flour and transfer the dough to the surface.
8. Fold the Dough
Use your hands to pat the dough into an 11 x 6-inch rectangle, approximately ½-inch thick. You can see ours is more of an oval but it works.
Create a trifold by folding the left side toward the center and then folding the right side over top.
Repeat step 8 by dusting the top with flour and using your hands to press the dough back into the original rectangle shape. Next, proceed with the folding.
Repeat step 8 one final time for a total of 3 sets of folds.
9. Cut Out the Biscuits
Press the dough to ½ inch thickness. Use a floured biscuit cutter or mason jar to cut out the biscuits. Erika says to use care when cutting out the biscuits by pushing straight down into the dough and not twisting the cutter.
10. Place the Biscuits on the Baking Slab
Place the biscuits on the baking slab or a baking sheet with parchment paper.
The leftover scraps can be combined and reshaped to make additional biscuits.
11. Brush the Biscuits & Top With Benne Seeds
Use a basting brush to brush the remaining milk on the biscuits. Sprinkle the benne seeds on the biscuits.
12. Bake for 12 to 15 Minutes
Transfer the baking slab to the oven. Bake the biscuits for 12 to 15 minutes. Rotate the slab halfway through for even baking. Your sweet potato biscuits are done when the tops are golden brown. Turn off the oven.
Use the basting brush to apply melted butter or honey to the biscuits before serving or serve as is. We've tried them a few different ways and they always disappear quickly.
Free Sweet Potato Benne Seed Biscuits Recipe
For you to try at home!
Free Sweet Potato Benne Seed Biscuits Recipe
Grab your free printable recipe cards above. Kids can gather ingredients using the ingredient list, gather their equipment with the tools list, and prepare the meal using the step-by-step recipe cards, with assistance as needed.
The cards are easy to use, include pictures, and encourage confidence and independence in the kitchen. They also make an excellent addition to your Montessori continent box for North America.
Montessori Continent Boxes
Explore every continent with these solid maple hardwood boxes.
Sweet Potato Biscuits with Benne Seeds
Equipment
- Whisk
- Box Grater
- Mason Jar or Biscuit Cutter
- Learning Tower optional
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups Red May wheat pastry flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon stevia or your preferred sweetener
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 stick unsalted butter cold
- 1 cup sweet potatoes mashed & cold, about 1 medium potato
- ¾ cup whole milk cold
- 2 tablespoon whole milk
- 2 tablespoon benne seeds
- 2 tablespoon melted butter or honey, optional
Instructions
- Wash your hands with soap and water. Use a kitchen scale to measure the flour in a large bowl. Grab a measuring spoon set and measure the baking powder, sugar (or stevia), cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.
- Whisk the ingredients in the bowl to combine.
- Use a box grater to slice the butter into the flour mixture. Erika says you should toss the butter in the flour until it's coated thoroughly. Afterward, use your fingers or a pastry cutter to break up the butter. When the dough looks like sand with some small pieces of butter, move on to the next step.
- Place the biscuit mixture in the freezer for 15 minutes. You can clean up your workspace and gather your equipment for the rest of the steps.
- Use a masher and a whisk to combine the sweet potatoes with the ¾ cup of milk or use a blender.
- Use a spatula to combine the sweet potato mixture and the chilled flour mixture. The dough should be sticky when well combined. Now is a great time to preheat the oven to 450 °F. The oven rack should be in the middle position.
- Dust your clean surface with flour and transfer the dough to the surface.
- Use your hands to pat the dough into an 11 x 6-inch rectangle, approximately ½-inch thick. You can see ours is more of an oval but it works. Create a trifold by folding the left side toward the center and then folding the right side over top. Repeat this step by dusting the top with flour and using your hands to press the dough back into the original rectangle shape. Next, proceed with the folding. Repeat one final time for a total of 3 sets of folds.
- Press the dough to ½ inch thickness. Use a floured biscuit cutter or mason jar to cut out the biscuits. Erika says to use care when cutting out the biscuits by pushing straight down into the dough and not twisting the cutter.
- Place the biscuits on the baking slab or a baking sheet with parchment paper. The leftover scraps can be combined and reshaped to make additional biscuits.
- Use a basting brush to brush the remaining milk on the biscuits. Sprinkle the benne seeds on the biscuits.
- Transfer the baking slab to the oven. Bake the biscuits for 12 to 15 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through for even baking. Your sweet potato biscuits are done when the tops are golden brown. Use the basting brush to apply melted butter or honey to the biscuits before serving or serve as is.
Notes
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- The same amount of sugar can be substituted for stevia
- If using all-purpose flour, use 2 cups and add more if needed
- See more guidelines at USDA.gov
- Full Recipe Info and Pictures at: https://happyhomeschooladventures.com/sweet-potato-biscuits
Nutrition
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
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