Cast-Iron Sweet Potato Sticky Biscuit Rolls with Sorghum Caramel & Toasted Pecans

Instructions

1. 1

   Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C). In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup roasted sweet potato puree, 0.75 cup whole buttermilk, and 1 tsp pure vanilla extract until completely smooth and velvety. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to stay thoroughly chilled.

   5 min

   Tip: Keeping your wet ingredients ice-cold is the secret to soaring, flaky biscuit layers.

2. 2

   In a 10-inch well-seasoned cast-iron skillet set over medium-low heat, melt 4 tbsp unsalted butter. Whisk in 0.33 cup Southern sorghum syrup, 0.75 cup dark brown sugar, 0.25 cup heavy cream, 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon, and 0.5 tsp kosher salt. Cook, whisking gently, for 3 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the caramel gently simmers. Remove the skillet from heat and scatter 1 cup pecan halves evenly across the caramel bed.

   5 min

   Tip: Do not let the caramel boil hard; you just want the granules melted so it creates a silky sauce under the rolls.

3. 3

   In a wide mixing bowl, whisk together 2.75 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 0.5 tsp baking soda, 0.75 tsp kosher salt, 0.5 tsp ground ginger, and 0.5 tsp freshly grated nutmeg. Add 8 tbsp unsalted butter (frozen and grated) into the dry mixture. Use your fingertips to quickly toss the butter shreds through the flour until every shred is coated, without melting the fat.

   6 min

   Tip: Grating frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater guarantees cold, even pockets of steam when baking.

4. 4

   Pour the chilled sweet potato-buttermilk mixture into the flour bowl. Stir gently with a rubber spatula just until a soft, shaggy dough pulls together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently pat into a rough rectangle. Fold it like a business letter in thirds, rotate 90 degrees, and repeat once more to develop distinct buttery strata.

   5 min

   Tip: Handle the dough with a light, confident touch—overworking develops gluten and toughens biscuits.

5. 5

   Gently roll the laminated dough into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. Brush the surface with 2 tbsp unsalted butter (melted) and 0.5 tsp pure vanilla extract. In a small cup, mix 0.5 cup dark brown sugar with 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon, then sprinkle it evenly across the buttered dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border along the far long edge.

   5 min

   Tip: A pastry brush helps spread the melted butter evenly without tearing the tender dough.

6. 6

   Starting from the long edge closest to you, roll the dough into a snug, even log. Using a sharp serrated knife or unflavored dental floss, slice the log crosswise into 8 equal, thick rounds. Gently nestle the rolls cut-side up into the warm caramel and pecan bed in the cast-iron skillet, spacing them evenly with one in the center and seven around the perimeter.

   6 min

   Tip: Slicing with dental floss looped under and crossed over prevents squishing the delicate biscuit spirals.

7. 7

   Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake at 400°F for 26 to 28 minutes, until the tops of the biscuit rolls are deeply puffed, burnished golden brown, and the sorghum caramel is bubbling vigorously up around the edges.

   28 min

   Tip: Place a sheet of foil on the oven rack below just in case the bubbling sorghum syrup splashes over.

8. 8

   Carefully remove the skillet from the oven using heavy-duty oven mitts. Let the rolls rest in the skillet for exactly 5 minutes so the caramel slightly settles. Sprinkle the tops with 0.25 tsp flaky sea salt. Serve directly from the skillet warm, spooning extra sorghum-pecan caramel over each roll.

   5 min

   Tip: Serve warm within 20 minutes for peak flaky tenderness and crisp caramelized edges.