The sweet potato produces a moist, almost fluffy texture and results in a richer, heartier loaf. Bonus? Like my other no-knead artisan bread recipes, it’s also a super easy bake that requires only 20 minutes of hands-on prep time to make.
With a touch of sweetness and a lovely orange hue, this savoury, seasonally inspired sweet potato loaf is chewy, wonderfully herby and just So. Very. Good.
Sweet Potato Sage Artisan Bread
Makes 10-12 servings; prep time 20 minutes plus 8-24-hour rise, bake time 45 minutes.
Ingredients:
1¼ cups (300 grams) water, room temperature
1¼ teaspoons (3.75 grams) active dry yeast
3 cups (390 grams) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1½ tablespoons (5 grams) fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
½ teaspoon (3 grams) sea salt
1 cup mashed sweet potato, cooled (*see notes)
1 tablespoon (14 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions:
Add the yeast to the water and let it sit for 10-15 minutes until it starts to foam. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sage and sea salt. Add mashed sweet potato and continue to stir until coated and well distributed.
Add yeast, water and olive oil to the bowl and mix until well incorporated. The dough will appear sticky and stringy and there should still be a little flour around the edges of the bowl.
See AlsoMarinated Roast BeefCover and let rise somewhere warm until it has doubled in size (*see note).
When you're ready to bake your bread, preheat oven to 450°F (232ºC) with a Dutch oven or covered baking dish inside the oven. At this point the dough should be puffy and have risen to almost level (or higher) with the top of the bowl. It will be sticky and well-hydrated.
While the oven is preheating, flour your hands (or a dough scraper, if using) as well as your shaping surface. Pull the dough away from the edges of the bowl and turn it onto the floured surface. Adding bits of flour if needed to prevent sticking, gently fold the dough into itself several times just until a soft, flour-covered ball is formed. Transfer dough to parchment paper and let sit until the oven is pre-heated (~20 minutes).
Once the oven is preheated, score your loaf then remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Next, transfer the dough, still on the parchment, into the Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the cover and bake for 15-20 minutes more. Your bread will be done once the top is browned.
Using parchment edges, lift bread from Dutch oven and transfer it to a wire cooling rack to let cool for up to an hour before slicing.
Notes:
Flour: I like to use a hard wheat unbleached bread flour to get a good crusty, chewy loaf. Hard wheat or ‘strong’ flour is made from hard wheat kernels and is a little more dense and higher in protein than other flours. Other bread or all-purpose flours can be used in all my bread recipes, as can good quality 1:1 gluten free blends, but results will vary in terms of both texture and appearance.
Water: Room temperature water at or near 70°F/21°C is best. If the water is too warm or too cold, the yeast may die and your loaf will not rise.
Sweet potato: For mashed sweet potato, wash sweet potato(es) then prick with a fork 3 or 4 times and bake in a 425°F (218ºC) oven for 30 to 40 minutes until pierced easily with a fork. Alternatively, sweet potatoes can be steamed in a microwave for 4-5 minutes. After checking for doneness, continue to cook in 30-second increments as needed until cooked through. Let cool completely then remove peel and mash before adding to recipe.
Seasoning: If you don’t have sage, rosemary and thyme are delicious alternatives. Adding ground cinnamon in place of the sage will produce a slightly sweeter tasting loaf. Dried herbs may also be used if fresh herbs are not available.
Rise time and temperature: An ambient rise temperature somewhere between ~70º-75º/20º-23ºC is ideal but even high 60's/18º-19ºC should work if the dough is kept away from drafts. Note that rise times can vary based on temperature, environment and ingredients used. You will know your loaf is ready to bake when it has doubled in size, and this can take a minimum of 8 hours or as long as a full day.
Bakeware: Either a 3-quart or larger Dutch oven or a 3-litre or larger glass covered casserole dish may be used for this recipe.
It’s finished baking when: If you feel your oven temperature is unreliable, you can tell your bread is fully baked once it has pulled away from the sides of the baking dish and it sounds hollow when you knock on the top.
Scoring: Scoring isthe process of using a lame, razor blade or sharp knife to score/slash the top of your loaf before baking. Bread dough expands when first placed in the oven (an effect known as “oven spring”) and scoring controls this expansion by allowing steam to escape. While entirely optional, without scoringthe steam will find its own weak point and burst through the crust as it hardens. The advantage of scoring, therefore, is to guide the expansion of the dough to maintain the shape of your loaf and achieve optimal oven spring. When scoring your loaf, aim to cut between 1/4" and 1/2" deep. There is no need to press hard, but the cut does need to be deep enough that it won’t fill back in when baking.
Allow to cool before slicing: You can slice your bread right away if it will be consumed immediately. Letting it cool for at least 45-60 minutes, however, will allow the internal cooking process to complete and seal in moisture to prevent your bread from drying out too quickly.
Storage: This loaf will store well covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or frozen in a well-sealed plastic bag for up to 1 month.
