The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Sweet Potato Bread

breadmantalking's picture
breadmantalking

Sweet Potato Bread


In North America, sweet potatoes or yams are traditionally harvested and eaten in the fall of the year.  Sweet potatoes are root vegetables and, although they look very much like regular potatoes, have certain qualities that make them ideal for bread. They are sweet of course, hence the name. More importantly, they are orange in color something that adds a wonderful, delicate shade to the bread.

They are to be found everywhere in the world in many shapes and sizes. In Israel we have a member of this family, locally called batata, (stress on the second syllable) an Arabic word for potato.  It is both similar in texture and bright orange just like the North American sweet potato. It can be used interchangeably for all recipes that call for sweet potato. I have even used it to make a great sweet potato pie and candied yams.

This bread is a soft, delicate sandwich bread that is a gentle orange color. It is not the screechy, bright orange of Halloween, but rather it takes on a subdued, understated hue. It is perfect for sandwiches that have drier contents (meat and/or cheese) but probably would not be appropriate for wetter ingredients (like sauces and gravies). Mostly, it's delicious and perfect for breakfast. Makes great toast, too, and tastes great with butter or jam.

Here's What You'll Need:
for the starter (poolish):
200g (1 3/8 cup) AP flour
200g (3/4 cup + 1 1/5 Tbs) warm water
1 tsp. yeast

for the dough:
400g poolish
1 cup (250ml) warm water
10g yeast (2 tsp.)
800g (about 3 1/2 cups) AP flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 sweet potatoes, baked until soft and mashed
1 Tbs. coarsely chopped rosemary

Here's What You'll Need to Do:
1. Make the poolish by  mixing the ingredients together. Let it sit, covered, at room temperature for about 3 hours. Place in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Peel and mash the baked sweet potatoes. You can bake them with the rosemary if you wish to intensify the flavor.
3. Knead together all the ingredients, including the poolish to make a slightly sticky dough. Knead it until it is smooth, then form it into a ball
 and place the dough in an oiled bowl, covered, to rise. Let the dough rise until doubled, in a warm place. This will take about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
4. De-gas the dough as little as possible when handling. Form the dough into 2 round loaves, or torpedo shape or even rolls. Cover with a towel for a final rise, about 45 minutes.

5. Bake at 350F (175C) for about 40 minutes for loaves, or about 20 minutes for rolls. Cool on a rack.

Comments

wally's picture
wally

That's a really nice looking loaf.  I am originally from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and sweet potatoes are a staple there.  But instead of bread, the culinary delight of the Shore is sweet potato biscuits, which are a ubiquitous side dish to just about any meal.

I'd never thought of using them in a bread, however, until your post.

Nice bake and thanks for sharing!

Larry

Amori's picture
Amori

One Lovely Loaf!

Thanks for posting the recipe, Amori.

breadmantalking's picture
breadmantalking

This was a posting from my blog www.breadmantalking.blogspot.com specializing in bread. Why not check it out for yourself?

David

JimmyChoCho's picture
JimmyChoCho

I think there's a mistake in the amount of flour. Your recipe states for 800 grams of AP flour, 3 1/2 cups of flour weighs about 450 grams. Your bread looks absolutely gorgeous BTW.

breadmantalking's picture
breadmantalking

There is some confusion. I think it's a problem of volume vs. weight. Three and a half cups of flour weighs about 450 grams.

It is more accurate to use weight than volume, always... precisely because of these kinds of problems. Go with 450 grams.

Sorry.

David at: www.breadmantalking.blogspot.com