Purple Sweet Potato Bread

Januari 17, 2018

A super moist bread loaf that is full of Sweet Potato, this chic Purple loaf is not just delicious, it is made using 100% whole wheat flour!

Bread baking is my favorite blogging activity. And loaves made with different ingredients is something I enjoy a lot. From all the loaves I have made in the past, this one is my FAVORITE! What more does a girl want except a bread that is VIOLET?

A few days ago I saw some Purple Sweet Potatoes at the Farmer's Market. I bought myself a couple of pounds. While I used some to make Undhiyu, boiled and roasted a couple; I was left with two BIG ones. The color no longer looked enticing and I was short of ideas of what to do with these.

I made a couple of potato breads using regular potatoes some time back. I decided to replicate that using these sweet potatoes. And viola, the plan worked PERFECTLY! In a few hours I found myself standing with a knife at the kitchen counter staring at a pale violet colored bread.

'Would the bread be equally pale inside?' 'Will the bread be soggy inside from the extra moisture from the potatoes?' I had these questions as I sliced the first slice of this pale looking loaf. And I was so glad to see the result. The bread was bright colored inside, perfectly moist because of the potato, super soft in spite of being all wheat, mildly sweet given the potatoes were sweet and made perfect slices for any party sandwiches!

I have been a fan of violet, purple, pink, coral and all shades around these colors! I was super thrilled to see a bread that had these shades! In parts where there were small bits of potato, the bread was dark violet and evenly light colored in the remaining areas. A real treat to see this loaf and the slices!

The bread I baked lasted us less than a week. We used this loaf in a couple of sandwiches, dipped it in tea and had a few slices with just some warm butter. The little sweet taste was something I fell in love with. The same taste can be replicated even by regular sweet potato, not just the purple ones.

Variations

The bread I made was with whole wheat flour. To get the perfect texture I added the wheat gluten. However, you can make the same using all purpose flour. The all purpose flour does not need added gluten.

As I mentioned above, you can make the bread using regular sweet potato. It will be similar in taste, just not purple in color. If you want a moist but savory bread, add regular potato instead of the sweet one. It helps make the bread nice and moist.

The same dough can be used to make slider buns, rolls or breads of any other shape too. I would LOVE to try some violet colored burgers next! Till I make them, I am going to make another lot of this loaf soon!

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour 3 cups

Essential Wheat Gluten 3 tbsp

Olive Oil/ Unsalted Butter 3 tbsp

Sweet Potato boiled and mashed 1 cup

Sugar 1 tsp

Dry Active yeast 1 sachet (2 1/4 tsp)

Salt 1 1/2 tsp

Water 3/4 cup

Pin for Later

Method

Pressure cook 1-2 sweet potatoes with just enough water. Or steam in the microwave for 5-6 minutes. Peel and mash completely. Let the mashed potato cool.

In a bowl heat the water. When just warm (105-110 F), add sugar, 1 tsp salt and the yeast. Let the yeast bloom for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, add the wheat flour, essential wheat gluten, 1/2 tsp salt and unsalted butter (room temperature) or olive oil. Mix everything together and add the bloomed yeast and mashed sweet potato.

Using a stand mixer or with your hands knead the dough for 8-10 minutes till it comes together and is soft. Coat the dough with some oil and place it in a bowl.

Cover the dough and rest in a warm area for an hour till it doubles in size. Line a bread pan with parchment paper or with non stick spray. Set aside.

After the dough has doubled, punch down and knead for a couple of minutes. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle of 1 inch thickness. I did that on a cookie sheet.

Roll the dough into a tight loaf, ensuring the layers stick together. Carefully transfer the loaf to the prepared tin and rest covered for an hour.

Preheat oven to 400 F/ 250 C. Place the bread and bake for 20-22 minutes, till it is no longer wobbly and the top is darker in color and crisp. It will become soft once it cools down.

Remove and cool completely on a cooling rack. Slice the bread and enjoy with a side of butter or use them to make sandwiches.