Recipe: Sweet Potato Bread
Bonus recipe from The Everyday Baker by Abby Dodge.
Kara Rota
Makes 1 loaf (13⁄4 lb./794 g)
I have a weakness for soft, rich breads, and this one is no exception. In fact, this sweet potato bread takes me beyond “weakness” and straight into “wildly obsessed.” Its deep yellow–orange color is swoon-worthy, and one bite of this honey-sweetened, pumpkin seed–studded loaf and you will be hooked. It’s a perfect pairing for chilis or stews, and leftovers are delicious toasted and slathered with butter and honey.
The interior color of the bread depends entirely on the color of the sweet potato you use. For this reason, I prefer to use Garnet sweet potatoes, with their deep orange flesh. However, the flavors of the different types of sweet potato aren’t incredibly distinct, so if you can’t find the Garnet variety, use whatever type is available.
Shaping this loaf is a snap. Simply press the risen dough into a rectangle, roll it up like a jellyroll, pinch the seams, and pop it into the pan. You’ll need to use a large, 10 x 5-inch (25 x 12 cm) loaf pan that has a capacity of 8 cups (2 liters). (Standard Pyrex loaf pans hold 6 cups, so they are too small.) Squeezing the dough into a smaller pan will cause it to burst up and out of the pan during baking.
The bread will still taste the same but it won’t look nearly as pretty.
1 large (11⁄2 lb./680 g) sweet
potato (preferably Garnet),
scrubbed and dried
6 Tbs. (3 oz./85 g) unsalted butter, divided
2 Tbs. honey
4 cups (18 oz./511 g) unbleached
all-purpose flour
13⁄4 tsp. quick-rise (instant) yeast
11⁄2 tsp. table salt
1⁄3 cup (80 ml) sour cream
1 large egg, at room temperature
1⁄2 cup (2 oz./57 g) unsalted
pumpkin seeds
Nonstick cooking spray or neutral
oil (safflower, canola, vegetable, or
corn), for greasing the bowl
Make the sweet potato purée
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F (220°C/gas 7). Using the tines of a fork, prick the skin of the sweet potato several times. Put it on a small foil-lined cookie sheet and bake until very tender when pierced with a small knife, 55 to 60 minutes. Move the cookie sheet to a rack and let cool until the potato is just cool enough to handle, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Make a long cut down the top of the potato and push the ends toward the middle to open it up. Using a spoon, scoop the flesh into a medium bowl and mash until almost smooth.
Make the dough
- Scoop out 1⅓ cups (10⅝ oz./301 g) packed sweet potato purée and put it in a small saucepan over medium-low heat with 4 Tbs. (2 oz./57 g) of the butter, cut into pieces, and the honey. Cook, stirring constantly, until the butter melts and the mixture is about 115°F (45°C). (This can also be done in the microwave.) Put the flour, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until well blended, and fit the mixer with a dough hook. With the mixer on medium-low speed, pour the warm sweet potato mixture into the flour along with the sour cream and egg and beat until completely incorporated. Add the pumpkin seeds, increase the speed to medium-high, and beat until the dough is smooth and shiny, 5 to 8 minutes. If the dough climbs up the hook, stop the mixer and scrape the dough into the bowl as necessary. The dough will pull away completely from the sides and bottom of the bowl and it will be soft and slightly sticky to the touch.
- Remove the dough hook, scrape the dough onto the counter, knead once or twice until it no longer sticks to the counter and passes the windowpane test, and shape into a ball. Lightly grease the sides of the bowl and put the dough, rounded side up, back in. Cover the bowl with a plate or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Lightly grease a 10×5-inch (25×12 cm) loaf pan (8 cups/2 liters). Scrape the dough onto an unfloured work surface and press down on the dough to deflate it. Gently press and shape the dough into a 5×10-inch (12×25 cm) rectangle, about 1¾ inches (4.5 cm) thick. Starting at one of the short sides, roll up like a jellyroll and pinch the ends closed to form a smooth, rounded top. Place it seam side down in the prepared pan. Press on the dough to flatten and fill the pan in an even layer.
- Cover the pan loosely (to allow for rising) but completely with plastic and let the dough rise in a warm spot until the top of the loaf reaches the rim of the pan, 30 to 45 minutes. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F (180°C/gas 4); continue to let the dough rise.
- When the oven is heated and the dough is risen to about 1 inch above the pan in the center, remove the plastic. Melt the remaining 2 Tbs. (1 oz./28 g) butter and brush it on the top of the bread. Using a razor (lame) or long, very sharp knife, cut a long slit, about ½ inch (12 mm) deep, down the center length of the loaf. Bake until the loaf is browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the loaf reads 195° to 200°F (91° to 95°C), 40 to 45 minutes. Move the pan to a rack and let cool for about 20 minutes, then tip the loaf onto a rack, lift off the pan, and set the loaf on its side until completely cooled.
Make Ahead
> The bread can be baked, cooled, covered, and stowed at room temperature for up to 5 days or wrapped tightly and frozen for up to 1 week. To freeze, wrap the bread in plastic and put in a large zip-top freezer bag. To thaw, unwrap the bread and set on a rack at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.
> The sweet potato purée can be cooled completely, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months before proceeding with the recipe.
Twists
Flavor swap
> Herb-flavored: Add 3⁄4 cup (1 oz./
28 g) lightly packed, chopped fresh herbs (I like a combination of chives, parsley, basil, and dill) to the dough just as it is beginning to pull up from the bottom of the bowl. Continue kneading until the herbs are well blended and the dough is smooth.
> Nutty: Instead of the pumpkin seeds, add the same amount of sunflower seeds or medium-fine chopped walnuts and proceed as directed.
> Potato bread: Instead of using
sweet potato purée, use the same amount of mashed baked potato. Use
31⁄2 cups (153⁄4 oz./446 g) unbleached all-purpose flour, 3⁄4 cup (180 ml) sour cream, and keep the remaining ingredients the same. Proceed as directed.
Baker’s Wisdom: Sweet potatoes
Sweet, moist, and typically orange, this root vegetable is often and incorrectly called a yam. True yams are starchy and dry with white flesh and thick, dark skin; they are not available in most grocery stores. Sweet potatoes have thin, edible skins and come in many shapes and colors, from the more common orange-fleshed varieties to yellow- and even purple-fleshed ones. Rich in beta carotene, vitamin C, and good carbohydrates, sweet potatoes come into season in late summer and are available right through spring, but they’re at their best in the fall and early winter. Choose firm, unblemished sweet potatoes and store in a cool, dark place for up to 3 or 4 months.
Recipes reprinted from The Everyday Baker. Copyright ©2015 by Abigail Johnson Dodge. Photographs by Tina Rupp. Published by The Taunton Press.
About the Author
Kara Rota headed children’s programming at Chicago’s Green City Market and studied food politics at Sarah Lawrence College. Kara has been a featured speaker at numerous venues including Food Book Fair, the Roger Smith Food Conference, and the Brooklyn Food Conference. She has written about food for Irish America Magazine, West Side Rag, Recipe Relay, and Food + Tech Connect, and is the former Director of Editorial & Partnerships at Cookstr.com.