Heat the soy milk to 110°F (either in the microwave or on the stovetop). Transfer the warm soy milk to a large bowl and stir in the sugar. Sprinkle the active dry yeast over the top and mix it in a bit. Set aside until the top is foamy and active looking, about 5-10 minutes.
First Rise
To the soy milk mixture, add the sweet potato, 4 tablespoons of the vegan butter, salt, celery seed, garlic powder, thyme, sage, rosemary, and dehydrated minced onion. Give this mixture a good whisk to break up the sweet potato. Add the flour. Stir until a sticky and shaggy dough forms. Spray the surface of the dough with olive oil and cover. Set the dough in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
The dough should have doubled in size after 1 hour. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with olive oil. Punch/press down the dough and divide it into 16 even pieces (about 70 grams each).
Shape the dough portions. Take one piece of dough and press down with your fingers. Then, use your fingers to gather the edges into a ball, creating surface tension. Flip the piece of dough over on the counter, still holding the edges and keeping the tension. Cupping your hand in a loose "claw", roll the dough on the counter briefly to form a ball (dusting your fingers with flour if necessary) and then place it in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining dough pieces.
Second Rise
Cover the baking dish and let it rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.
Bake
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Brush the tops of the rolls with remaining 2 tablespoons of vegan butter and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake until golden brown and internal temperature is 200 degrees F, about 18-20 minutes.
Let the rolls cool slightly before enjoying.
Recipe Notes
Do make sure that your yeast is fresh before starting!
I really must insist on soy milk here. I tried versions with oat milk and nut milk, and I was not as happy with the results. The protein content of soy makes it superior for performance in this recipe.
Here in Canada, yeast is sold in 8 gram packets. In the US, the packets contain 7 grams. For this recipe, you’ll need 14 grams of active dry yeast total–or 4 ½ teaspoons.
This dough is quite sticky and a little fussy to work with in the shaping stage. If you need to repeatedly flour your fingers, go right ahead.
In the fall and winter, you can sometimes find a “stuffing mix” of fresh herbs at grocery stores that contains sage, thyme, and rosemary. This is perfect for this recipe!
To prep and shape the rolls ahead of time: Assemble the dough as described in step 1 and the first step of the "First Rise" section. Let the dough rise for only 30 minutes during the first rise. Then, shape the rolls as described in steps 2 & 3 of the "First Rise" section. Do not do the second rise! Cover the rolls and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours. Let the rolls stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking as outlined in the "Bake" section.
Enjoy these buttery and savory no-knead dinner rolls with sweet potato and herbs. Make-ahead instructions are included with this vegan recipe