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    Home » Recipes » Bread Recipes

    Published: Dec 28, 2020 by Paula Montenegro · Income from ads and affiliate links 45 Comments

    Sweet Potato Cinnamon Bread

    Jump to Recipe
    Overview of slices of cinnamon swirl bread on a wooden surface, crumbs around; red and brown text
    Slices of swirl bread on a wooden table; orange text overlay

    This bread is a cold-weather dream come true, with sweet potatoes, spices, and a crunchy topping that will make you lick your fingers. It can be frozen and it makes great sweet toast.

    Slices of swirl bread on wooden table, crumbs around

    Originally posted in December 2013 , this post has been updated with images and text to serve you better. The recipe remains the same.

    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 bread recipe. As if you didn't bake enough for the holidays, right?

    Table of Contents Hide
    Why this recipe works:
    About sweet potatoes
    The dough
    How to make this recipe
    Baking
    Related recipes you might like:
    Sweet Potato Spice Bread

    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.
    Whole and sliced swirl bread with sugar topping on a wooden table, grey background

    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. Most easily available ones are suitable for this bread.

    • Japanese: it has pinkish-brown skin (image below) 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 a bread is perfect, they will add moisture and an undefinable flavor – a good thing sometimes – but still, we do have to add some kind of 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.

    Three whole red-skinned sweet potatoes on a wooden table

    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 to 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.
    Loaf pan with bread in background and crumbly slices in front on a wooden table

    The 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.

    Ingredients

    • Yeast - using active dry or instant is the easiest, but you can use fresh (3 times more in volume).
    • Sweet potatoes - this recipe uses puree, and it needs to be at room temperature. See above for different types.
    • 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 as they have better gluten content than cake 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.
    Loaf pan with bread in background and crumbly slices in front on a wooden table

    How to make this recipe

    Making the dough and assembly

    Mixing and kneading

    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.

    Stand mixer metal bowl with bread dough

    Mise en place

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

    Mise en place for sweet potato bread, including dough, lemon, crumble, brush, grater on a wooden table

    Rolling and 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.

    Rolled rectangle of dough with cinnamon sugar on wooden table; bowls and lemon in background
    Rolled bread dough on a wooden table, whole lemon in background

    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.

    Close-up of raw swirl bread on wooden table

    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.

    Two metal loaf pans with unbaked bread with crumble topping

    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?

    Baked loaves of swirl bread with crumble on a wooden table

    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 for more of both. It makes delicious toasts and bread pudding the day after. It’s spice bread after all, and it’s all good.

    Top view of stacked slices of swirl bread on wooden table; crumbs all around

    Related recipes you might like:

    • A white oval ceramic dish with baked bread pudding, white surface, wire rack in background
      Panettone Bread Pudding
    • Slices of pumpkin bread on dark metal wire rack, walnuts, white surface
      Pumpkin Walnut Bread
    • Tight cluster of hot cross buns. Close up image.
      Hot Cross Buns
    • On a wooden table a slice of sweet bread with crunchy topping, scattered almonds, whole braid in background.
      Almond Holiday Bread

    Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it and if you had issues so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here. It's much appreciated.
    You might also consider subscribing to our FREE email series to Boost your Home Baking Skills! And our regular newsletter.
    And let's connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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    Sweet Potato Spice Bread

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    • Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
    • Yield: 2 medium loaves

    Ingredients

    Units

    For the bread:

    • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
    • Pinch of sugar
    • ¼ cup warm water
    • 1 cup warm buttermilk
    • 1 cup sweet potato purée (see Notes below)
    • 3 tablespoons sugar
    • 3 tablespoons sunflower or canola oil
    • 1 egg
    • Grated zest of 1 lemon
    • About 4 to 4 ½ cups bread flour

    For the spice streusel:

    • ¼ cup sugar
    • ¼ cup brown sugar
    • Grated zest of 1 orange or lemon
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    • Pinch each of ground ginger and allspice
    • ⅓ cup all purpose flour
    • 4 Tbs 60g butter, cold, cut into pieces

    For the spiced sugar:

    • 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
    • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
    • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted + additional for pans

    Instructions

    For the bread:

    1. Butter two 9x5 inch loaf pans or use vegetable spray.
    2. Mix yeast, a pinch of sugar, and ¼ cup warm water in the bowl of the stand mixer, and let stand until foamy, about 3 minutes.
    3. Add the sweet potato purée, buttermilk, oil, sugar, egg, zest, and 1 cup of flour to the yeast mixture and mix with the paddle attachment until it's all integrated.
    4. Change to the dough hook attachment and mix at medium speed, adding half a cup flour at a time, until the dough starts to combine and come together. The dough will be slightly sticky and not completely clear the sides of the bowl. Be careful not to add too much flour or you will end up with a dry dough. 
    5. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place until doubled, about 1 ½ hours. Check at half-hour intervals to see how much it's rising. If the room is warm it might take less. 
    6. Transfer to a lightly floured board. The dough will be less sticky. 
    7. Deflate gently and roll (lightly flour the rolling pin) make a rectangle about ¼ inch thick. You might need to let it rest a few minutes between rolls to get it to the right thickness as it might be slightly elastic and shrink back. But you will be able to roll it a bit further with each resting period. 
    8. Brush evenly with melted butter and sprinkle with the spiced sugar. It might seem like a lot but the result is wonderful. Carefully start rolling from the long side, as you would a cinnamon roll, trying to get a fairly tight rope.
    9. Cut the dough in half and place each piece into one pan.
    10. Sprinkle with the streusel (recipe below), dividing evenly. 
    11. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise again until puffed, about 45 minutes.
    12. Preheat oven to 350ºF / 180ºC about 20 minutes before baking.
    13. Bake loaves until golden and a tester inserted comes out clean, from 45 minutes to 1 hour. 
    14. Let stand a few minutes after you remove them from the oven, and then invert them onto a wire rack. If you don’t do this while the bread is warm, the caramelized rim will harden and make it impossible to remove it later. You’d have to pop them again into the oven for 5 minutes to loosen it up if this happens.
    15. Keep leftovers well wrapped in the freezer, already cut in slices preferably if you plan on toasting them.

    For the streusel:

    1. Mix all ingredients except butter in the food processor. Or in a bowl if making by hand, with a fork or pastry cutter. 
    2. Add butter and mix until it starts to clump. Reserve, covered, in the refrigerator. 

    For the spiced sugar:

    1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

    Notes

    • Sweet potato purée: microwave the sweet potato, skin on, for about 8-10 minutes, and check by piercing it with a fork. It should go straight through it, no resistance at all. It needs to be at room temperature before using it for this recipe. 
    • Yeast - using active dry or instant is the easiest, but you can use fresh (3 times more in volume).
    • 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 as they have better gluten content than cake 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.
    • Flavorings: lemon zest is my first choice, but orange or tangerine also work very well.
    • Author: Paula Montenegro
    • Prep Time: 150
    • Cook Time: 50
    • Category: Bread
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: International

    Keywords: sweet potato bread

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @vintagekitchenblog on Instagram and hashtag it #vintagekitchenblog

    Adapted from Bread For All Seasons, by Beth Hensperger

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    About Paula Montenegro

    I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe developer, sharing the best ones here with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.

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    1. Anca says

      November 22, 2017 at 10:22 am

      The recipe sounds very interesting. I haven't made a sweet potato bread recipe, but I think I should, yours looks amazing.

      Reply
      • Paula Montenegro says

        November 25, 2017 at 11:02 pm

        Thanks Anca!

        Reply
    2. Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says

      November 19, 2013 at 5:16 pm

      Swirled bread is a favorite for breakfast and this sweet potato variety is perfect for November!

      Reply
    3. Anne ~ Uni Homemaker says

      November 17, 2013 at 8:47 pm

      I would LOVE to have a few slices of these. I adore swirl breads and sweet potato spice swirl bread is not something I see everyday. Delicious!

      Reply
    4. SeattleDee says

      November 17, 2013 at 5:55 pm

      While the bread sounds SO flavorful, I think I would rush past sampling the first slice (or two) and head straight to bread pudding. Deeelicious with your amazing loaf.

      Reply
    5. Burkha says

      November 13, 2013 at 12:10 pm

      Que ricor!! Me tienta mucho. Lastima que soy un cero cocinando. Aunque desde que me mude con mi novio, me esta picando un poquito el bichito de la curiosidad.
      Muy lindo blog! Beso 😉

      Reply
    6. Terra says

      November 11, 2013 at 4:07 am

      I wish I had a few slices of this gorgeous bread for breakfast tomorrow:-) Your bread looks soooooo delicious! 🙂 Hugs, Terra

      Reply
    7. mividaenundulce says

      November 05, 2013 at 3:55 am

      Se ve más que delicioso.
      Nosotros tenemos dos tipos de camote, el amarillo y el morado, y la verdad no sé para que tenemos el morado porque no es tan rico. Además del sabor, de pinta tampoco le gana, es más claro, con algunas pintas moradas, bueno, digamos que de pinta está bonito, pero no es como el amarillo, que más que amarillo es naranja.

      Reply
    8. Renee Goerger says

      November 04, 2013 at 11:48 am

      I'm not sure about other countries sweet potatoes, but what you've made with ours is amazing! I love the way you described your skin in the winter too. Very funny (and relateable)! Your photos are to die for here, and your bread looks ah-mazing!!!
      Renee - Kudos Kitchen

      Reply
    9. Anne ~ Uni Homemaker says

      November 04, 2013 at 7:06 am

      I'm a sucker for those raisin/blueberry swirl breads you see at the store but sweet potato spice swirl bread? I love this sound of it! Looks perfect and delicious for breakfast Paula!

      Reply
    10. laurasmess says

      November 03, 2013 at 11:41 pm

      I didn't realize that golden sweet potatoes weren't available everywhere! Haha... they're the common variety over here but we also get purple ones with a white interior quite regularly. I actually saw some white sweet potatoes some months ago (the ones that seem to be the norm for you in Argentina) and I got quite excited because they were so unusual!!! Strange, isn't it! Anyway, colours aside, this bread looks amazing. I LOVE the look of that streusel, I think I'd eat it entirely on its own! Gorgeous recipe xx

      Reply
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