Sweet Potato Biscuits With Benne Seeds

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 around.

Benne seeds, an heirloom seed derived from the same plant as modern-day sesame seeds, were brought from West Africa by enslaved Africans who cultivated the seed and used the ingredient in many ways, such as to thicken stews, adding fat and protein to their food. Benne seeds add a rich and nutty flavor, and a brush of milk before baking will help to add color to the crust. I like to brush the baked sweet potato biscuits with honey for extra sweetness, but you can opt for just butter or nothing at all.

This recipe was excerpted from 'Still We Rise' by Erika Council. Buy the full book on Amazon. Get more biscuit recipes here →