Sweet Potato Cinnamon Bread

I made this spice bread years ago for a baking group and thought it perfect for a repost since, for most of you reading this, the weather is cold, and it's the perfect season for bread baking.

Also, you might need a new holiday bread recipe. As if you didn't bake enough for the holidays, right? Have you tried the almond braid or the braided pulla?

Why this recipe works:

• Breakfast and brunch. This sweet potato bread makes great sweet toast. The cinnamon sugar caramelizes and adds even more crunch. You don't even need a topping.
• Freezable. The recipe makes 2 loaves so my top recommendation is to slice leftovers and freeze them.
• Flavor. It reminds me of cinnamon bread with a different undertone. The spice swirl is what makes it sweet and moist, and the crunchy topping, well, you'll love it! It's a traditional streusel, but it adds a layer of flavor that makes the whole so much better than the parts.

Ingredient list

• Yeast: I use active-dry yeast, which needs to be hydrated before. You can use instant yeast (¾ of the amount given for active dry) and add it directly to the flour, then add the water; no need to foam it first. If using fresh yeast (the ratio is 3:1 to dry) and is used in the same way as the active-dry, you need to hydrate it first and let it foam.
• Sweet potatoes: this recipe uses puree that should be at room temperature. See above for different types.
• Cinnamon: any ground cinnamon you normally use works fine. I like Frontier Vietnamese cinnamon and Simply Organic Ceylon cinnamon. 
• Buttermilk: it adds a slight tanginess that goes well with the sweetness of the rest of the ingredients, but you can use milk.
• Flour: use all-purpose or bread flour.
• Sugar: I use both granulated regular white and brown for the different parts of this recipe. They work great together and each adds its own personality to the bread.
• Oil: a neutral type such as sunflower or canola are great because they don't add an extra flavor.
• Egg: make sure it's at room temperature.
• Flavorings: lemon zest is my first choice, but orange or tangerine also work very well.

About sweet potatoes

It's a root vegetable with a starchy sweet flavor and texture. Depending on where you are in the world, you might have easy access to different varieties.

• Japanese: have pinkish-brown skin and a light yellow interior. It's the one I get year-round and use for this bread.
• Beauregard and Jewel: both types are easily available in the US and have similar skin but an orange interior. They give the bread a very different color.
• Hannah: both the skin and flesh are a pale yellow. I never baked with them, but they should work just fine as the texture is similar.

It turns out that baking them into bread is perfect as they will add moisture and an undefinable flavor – a good thing sometimes – but still, we do have to add some enhancer or tugboat to throw them into the limelight.

In this case, spices, a crowd-pleaser, and one of my favorite things in the history of ever. Spices make my kitchen come alive.

How to make sweet potato puree

Let’s not forget they’re more on the dry side; there’s never a need to drain them like we need to do when making pumpkin or squash puree.

• Microwave: this is a method I've used for years and it's fantastic because it takes anywhere between 5 to 10 minutes for a sweet potato to be easily pierced, depending on the size.
• Oven: this good old reliable method is just as good but it takes longer.

Sweet potato bread dough

A stand mixer is highly recommended. As with most bread, you can make them by hand, even those like the golden Pandoro recipe that has butter, but it's laborious to integrate well.

The dough is easy to make as all ingredients are added and the stand mixer does the job. The final dough should be sticky and slightly wet. Don't be tempted to add flour until it completely clears the sides of the bowl because that will make the bread dry.

Mise en place

This means measuring and having ready all ingredients for the final assembly before you start rolling and filling.

Cinnamon sugar filling

Both the working surface and the rolling pin have to be lightly floured. Make sure you move and flip over the dough periodically so it doesn't stick, and lightly flour as needed.

The filling is similar to cinnamon rolls and, since the butter is melted, a brush is the easiest way to spread it.

Make a roll

Make it as tight as you can without overworking or tearing the dough. It will still unravel a little when baked, so don't be overly concerned with perfection.

The crumble

The dough is cut in half and fitted into the prepared pans. It's then topped with the crumble. It will be loose.

Baking

This is a cross between a cinnamon roll and a bread. And with yeast recipes, it's important to have that last full rise that will translate into a plump and fluffy (within reason as this is a denser dough) bread.

The loaves might crack open in the top, something I absolutely love about baked bread and loaf cakes, and here it has the bonus of the caramel oozing out too. I could’ve eaten the streusel and caramelized edges forever. Who says I didn’t, right?

Not too sweet as a whole, it does have a spicy syrup that forms while baking and looks almost like pumpkin or apple butter and a streusel that will be hard to leave alone.

The bread is all about the filling and the crunchy topping. You'll crave more of both. It makes delicious toast and bread pudding the day after.

It’s spice bread after all, and it’s all good.