Purple Sweet Potato 50% Whole Wheat Sourdough Pan Loaf with Poppy Seed Crust

I have a stash of mashed purple sweet potatoes that I made the last time I went to Chinatown to load up on them last year.  I keep them in ziplock bags with about 80 g of mashed purple sweet potatoes in each bag.  This way I can just defrost a bag and then have enough purple sweet potato to make a loaf of bread at about 18-20% potato.  This is what I did for this loaf which is otherwise the same as my last 50% whole wheat sourdough pan loaf with 40% prefermented flour for a quick fermentation.  Now with 18% purple sweet potatoes I didn’t get quite the rise as my previous loaf, but that was expected.  I also tried allowing the loaf to open up organically without a score by putting the shaped dough into the pan seam side up.  Well the seam wasn’t quite centered, I think I still prefer to score than let the dough do it on its own LOL.

For 1 loaf in a 9x4x4” Pullman Pan

Overnight levain build, at 74°F about 10 hours to rise 3x.

In the morning add salt to water and dissolve.  Add levain and mix.

Add flours and knead until good gluten development, I will use my Ankarsrum Assistent and mix until a good windowpane is achieved about 12 mins.  Add mashed purple sweet potato and mix until well incorporated.

Remove dough from the bowl and do some slap and folds.  Next set up aliquot jar.

Bulk fermentation at 82ºF.

End bulk when aliquot jar reaches 40% rise.

Shape the dough into a batard and place in buttered Pullman pan.  Optional, sprinkle poppyseeds on the bottom and sides of the pullman pan.

Shape and allow an initial final proof warm until 100% rise in aliquot jar, start oven preheat 425ºF preparing for steam bake.

Allow the dough to rise until within 1 cm of the rim of the pan and then bake immediately or about 130% rise in the aliquot jar.

Once oven reaches 425ºF score top of dough and then brush with water.  Optional sprinkle with seeds and then score.  Transfer to oven and bake with steam for 25 mins.  Vent the oven (remove steaming gear) rotate the pan and drop temperature to 350ºF.  Bake for another 30 mins rotating as needed until browned.  Remove from the pan and place directly on the rack baking for another 5-10 mins to firm up the crust if desired.

My index of bakes.