Sweet potato or pumpkin biscuits

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/4 cups store-bought or homemade self-rising flour, divided
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup chilled shortening or lard, cut into 1cm pieces.
• 1 cup sweet potato or pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup milk (optional)
• 0.5 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp. sour milk or milk

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 230°C.
2. Choose your baking pan based on whether you want a soft or crispy crust on the outside. For a soft crust, use a round pie pan, pizza pan, or oven-safe 20-22 cm (8-9 inches) pan to allow the buns to fit snugly together. For a crispy crust, choose a baking sheet or other baking pan that allows the buns to be spaced wider apart to allow heat to circulate freely, and grease the pan with butter.
3. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups self-rising flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. A wider bowl is better than a deeper one. Set aside the remaining 1/4 cup flour. Sprinkle the shortening with flour and mix, rubbing it with your fingers, using your thumb and forefinger together (or use a fork, knife, or pastry blender), until the mixture resembles finely crumbled feta cheese, with chunks no larger than peas. Shake the bowl occasionally to help any larger pieces of shortening rise to the surface of the flour. If it takes longer than 5 minutes to rub, refrigerate the bowl for 5 minutes to allow the shortening to set again.
   
   Self-rising flour:
   Sift together 1 cup of all-purpose flour (or 0.5 cups of cake flour with 0.5 cups of all-purpose flour), 0.5 - 1 tsp of salt and 1.5 tsp of baking powder.
4. Make a deep well in the center of the flour. Place the sweet potato in the well and stir with a rubber spatula or large metal spoon using wide, circular motions to quickly incorporate the flour into the sweet potato. Stir until the dry ingredients are moistened and the sticky dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it's too dry, add 1-4 tablespoons of milk. (For bacon rolls, stir in 1/2 cup of crumbled bacon.)
5. Lightly dust a board or other clean surface with a little remaining flour. Turn the dough out onto the board and lightly dust the top with flour. Using floured hands, fold the dough in half and roll it out into a circle just under 1 cm thick, adding a little more flour as needed. Dust the dough with more flour if necessary and fold the dough in half a second time. If the dough is still lumpy, flatten it and fold it a third time. Roll the dough out into a circle 1 cm thick for standard buns, 2 cm thick for tall buns, and 2.5 cm thick for jumbo buns. Brush off any visible flour from the surface. Dip a 2-inch cookie cutter in the remaining flour and cut out circles from the dough, starting at the outside edge and cutting very close together, being careful not to twist the cutter. The scraps can be collected and re-rolled to cut out more circles, but these scraps will make stiffer buns.
6. Transfer the dough circles to a baking sheet. Bake on the top rack of the oven for a total of 12-14 minutes, depending on the thickness, until lightly golden brown. After 6 minutes, rotate the baking sheet and check to see if the bottoms are burning. If so, place another baking sheet underneath. Continue baking for another 6-8 minutes, until the buns are deep golden brown.
7. Meanwhile, mix the powdered sugar and milk until you have a smooth glaze. When the buns are done, remove them from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack lined with waxed paper. Pour the glaze over the hot buns. Remove the paper and any excess glaze. Serve the buns warm.