Yam Yam Honey Buns

Ambervim's Note:

This is a Pillsbury Best of Class Winner Grand National Senior Contes $1,000 winning recipe by Helen V. Zijonalski of Miami FL. It was a special day when my Mother made these!!!! Of course there was that really good bakery over in Old Orchard who also made them.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 12 Rolls

ROLLS

• 2 compressed yeast cakes
• 1/2 cup lukewarm sweet potato liquid (drained from canned potatoes) or 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup mashed sweet potatoes (canned or cooked) or 1/2 cup yam (canned or cooked)
• 3 tablespoons melted butter or 3 tablespoons shortening
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3 1/4-3 1/2 cups flour, sifted (All Purpose or Unbleached)

HONEY NUT TOPPING

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter or 1/4 cup margarine
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup pecans or 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

FINAL

• 2 tablespoons melted butter or 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup pecans or 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:

1. Soften compressed yeast in potato liquid. Let stand 5 minutes. (Or substitute 2 packages dry yeast softened in very warm, not hot, liquid.) Combine mashed potatoes, 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons salt*, vanilla, and unbeaten eggs in large bowl. Add the softened yeast. Gradually add flour to form a stiff dough. Cover with waxed paper or towel. Let rise in warm place (85° to 90°F.) until light and doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile prepare Honey Nut Topping.
2. Combine all topping ingredients except 1/2 cup chopped nuts in saucepan. Bring to boil and cook, stirring constantly, until a little syrup dropped in cold water forms a soft ball (234°F.), about 1 1/2 minutes. Pour into greased 13x9x2-inch pan.** Sprinkle with 1/2 cup chopped nuts.
3. Toss dough on well-floured board until coated with flour and no longer sticky. Roll out to 24x8-inch rectangle. Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup chopped nuts. Roll as for jelly roll, starting with 24-inch side. Cut or "tie off" with strong thread into twelve 2-inch slices. (To tie off slices, place thread under roll and pull ends around, crossing as if to tie in knot.) Place cut-side down over topping. Cover. Let rise in warm place until light and doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.
4. Bake in moderate oven (375°F.) for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool 2 minutes, then invert on serving plate or on rack over waxed paper. Let stand 30 seconds before removing pan.

Reviews

[Sydney Mike]

Wonderful tasting honey buns, but then I'm a big fan of yams! Am keeping the recipe around to make again! Thanks so much for sharing it! [Made & reviewed in the current Let's P-A-R-T-Y! event]

[pollyanne125]

My mother made these when this Pillsbury cookbook first came out, many years ago. These buns were just terrific. So surprising that they had yams in them. I had never eaten a yam or a sweet potato in my life, but these were just great! Just thinking about them now makes my mouth water.