Sweet Potato Yeast Bread
A delicious yeasted bread with sweet potato puree, a cinnamon swirl and a crunchy topping that will have everyone coming back for more! It can be frozen and it makes great sweet toast.
Servings 2 medium loaves
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ cup water warm
- 1 cup sweet potato purée see Notes below
- 1 cup buttermilk warm
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil like sunflower oil
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest loosely packed
- 4 to 4 ½ cups bread or all-purpose flour
For the spice streusel:
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon orange or lemon zest loosely packed
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cold, in 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:
- Butter two 9x5 inch loaf pans or use vegetable spray.
- Stir 1 tablespoon yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, and ¼ cup warm water in the bowl of the stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if making it by hand, which is a bit laborious), and let stand until foamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add 1 cup sweet potato purée, 1 cup buttermilk, 3 tablespoons oil, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 egg, ½ teaspoon lemon zest and 1 cup flour to the yeast mixture and mix with the paddle attachment until it's all integrated.
- In the stand mixer: change to the dough hook attachment and mix at medium speed, adding ½ cup flour at a time until the dough starts to 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. By hand: stir with a spoon and add ½ cup flour at a time until the dough starts to come together and you can no longer stir. Transfer to a lightly floured counter and knead 7-8 minutes until the dough comes together but is still slightly sticky to the touch but can be kneaded. It might take you longer.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl, large enough so it can double in size comfortably, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place until doubled, about 1 ½ hours. Check at 1 hour to see how much it's growing. If the room is warm, it might take less. If it's cold and the dough hasn't risen much, take it to a warmer place or wrap it in a blanket or sweater (yes).
- While the dough is proofing (rising), make the streusel and keep it refrigerated. Make the spiced sugar about 10 minutes before rolling the dough.
- Deflate the dough gently in the bowl with your closed fist. Transfer to a lightly floured board. The dough will be less sticky. Deflate gently again with your fingers.
- Using a lightly floured 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 elastic and shrink back. But you will be able to roll it a bit further with each resting period.
- 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.
- Cut the dough in half and place each piece into one pan.
- Sprinkle with the streusel, dividing evenly.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise again until puffed, about 45 minutes.
- About 20 minutes before baking preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Bake loaves until golden and a cake tester or toothpick inserted comes out clean, from 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Let stand a few minutes after you remove them from the oven. Run a smooth-bladed knife around the edges to unstuck any bits of dough, and then invert the bread carefully 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. If this happens, you’d have to pop them again into the oven for 5 minutes to loosen them up.
- Keep leftovers well wrapped in the freezer. I slice them so they're easier to defrost one at a time, especially if I plan on toasting them.
For the streusel:
- Mix ⅓ cup flour, ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon lemon zest, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger, and ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice in a medium bowl.
- Add 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) butter pieces and integrate them with a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture starts to clump. Cover and refrigerate.
For the spiced sugar:
- Mix 1 and ¼ cup light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, and ¼ teaspoon ground allspice in a medium bowl.
- Stir in ⅓ cup melted butter and mix until combined. Reserve while making the dough.
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. Or make it in the oven as explained in this post for homemade sweet potato puree.
Types of yeast: besides active-dry yeast, you can use instant yeast (¾ of the amount given for active dry) and add it to the flour, then add the liquid. Or fresh yeast (3 teaspoons) that you crumble and mix with water or liquid first.
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.
Flavorings: lemon zest is my first choice, but orange or tangerine zest also work.
