Naturally colored, slightly sweet, and extra fluffy. This purple sweet potato bread is a beautiful loaf to bake with homegrown sweet potatoes and its cloud-like texture can’t be beat.
A couple years ago, I found some beautiful purple sweet potatoes at a local grocery store. I bought them, grew them into slips, and planted the slips in my garden.
By the end of the season, I had more sweet potatoes than I knew what to do with.
After roasting, steaming, and mashing them all winter, it was time to try something new.
This is the recipe I chose and it’s quickly become a family favorite.
This sweet potato bread is easy to make, and the starch from the sweet potatoes gives it a deliciously soft, fluffy texture.
Although you can use any kind of sweet potato to make this bread, I love the lavender color that comes from the purple kind.
Where Does the Purple Color Come From?
Fun fact: The purple color in the sweet potato comes from anthocyanins.
It’s an all-natural pigment that gives fruits and vegetables that gorgeous, deep red, purple, or blue color.
Blackberries, blueberries, red cabbage, and eggplant all are colored with anthocyanins.
Anthocyanins are rich in antioxidants and are good for you!
Want to try growing your own sweet potatoes? Check out my tutorial for starting sweet potato slips and growing them out.
Ingredients and Equipment
Here’s what you’ll need to make sweet potato bread.
- 3/4 cup (160g) mashed sweet potato
- 3 cups (390g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (185ml) warm milk
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoons melted butter or neutral oil (plus extra to coat the loaf pan)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (skip if using salted butter)
You’ll also need a 9×5-inch loaf pan to bake the dough in.
I like using my stand mixer with the dough hook attachment to mix this up, but you can just do it by hand as we won’t be kneading it for very long!
How to Make Purple Sweet Potato Bread
Step 1: Steam and Mash the Sweet Potato
I prefer to steam sweet potatoes rather than boil them for this recipe to keep the flesh drier and preserve more of the nutrients.
To do this, scrub a medium-sized sweet potato well, then cut it in half lengthwise.
Place the halves in a steamer basket for an electric cooker or for a stovetop steamer.
- For an Instant Pot or electric rice cooker, follow your appliances steaming instructions
- For the stovetop, fill a pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Set the basket inside, cover tightly, and steam for 15-20 minutes until the potato is fork tender.
You can also microwave the potatoes to soften them. Halve the potato, wrap each half in a damp paper towel, and microwave on high for 5-6 minutes or until fork tender.
Allow the potatoes to cool. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh and mash with a fork or potato masher.
You’ll need 160g or roughly 3/4 cup of mashed sweet potato.
Step 2: Mix the Dough
Warm the milk until it’s lukewarm, or about 100°F (38°C). It should feel comfortable to touch, not too hot or it will kill the yeast.
In a large bowl, add the milk, honey, yeast, melted butter, and the cooled, mashed sweet potato.
Stir until it makes a soupy purple mixture.
Yummy.
Add the flour and salt.
Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
If the dough is too wet, add a handful of flour. If it’s too dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time until it feels right.
Then use your hands (or switch to a dough hook with a stand mixer) to knead until the dough comes together into a soft, slightly tacky ball.
(I oil my hands to keep the dough from sticking if I’m kneading by hand.)
Lightly oil the the dough and place it in a large bowl for the first rise.
Cover the bowl with a lid or damp towel and put it in a warm place until it’s nearly doubled. This takes about 1 hour.
NOTE: You’ll notice that I don’t bloom my yeast in this recipe. Unless the yeast is really old or I have doubts about its ability to rise, I typically skip this step in all my bread recipes. Never had a problem!
Step 3: Shape the Loaf
When the dough has nearly doubled in size, turn it out onto the countertop.
Divide the dough into four equal pieces.
Shape each piece into a small log roughly as long as your loaf pan is wide.
To do this, flatten each piece slightly, then roll it up tightly to form a small log.
Pinch the seam closed, then turn it so the seam is on the bottom. Holding the bottom third of the loaf, pull it gently on the countertop to tighten the top of the loaf until it’s smooth.
Place all four pieces side by side in a buttered 9×5-inch loaf pan. Shaping this way makes the loaf easy to pull apart!
Cover the pan with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let it rise again in a warm spot for 30-45 minutes or until the dough is puffy and has risen jsut above the rim of the pan.
Step 4: Bake the Loaf
Once the shaped dough has risen to the top of the pan, preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C).
While the oven is preheating, beat an egg and brush the egg wash over the top of the loaf.
This will give the loaf a shiny, golden-brown crust on top.
Bake the bread for 20-25 minutes.
It’s done when the top is golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap on it.
If the top is browing too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the remaining bake time once it reaches the color you want.
Allow the sandwich loaf to cool slightly in the pan before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool.
For best texture, let the loaf cool before slicing or tearing into it… if you can wait that long!
Enjoy Your Purple Sweet Potato Bread
This bread is delicious on its own, of course, but a little pat of yummy herb butter using herbs from the garden can’t be beat.
Or pair it with a gorgeous butter board like this one for a dramatic presentation.
Sliced purple sweet potato bread makes a great grilled cheese sandwich as well!
Turning homegrown sweet potatoes into a delicious bread like this is so satisfying and a fitting way to enjoy the work of growing your own food.
Enjoy!
Purple Sweet Potato Bread
Equipment
- 9×5-inch loaf pan
- potato masher
- large bowl
- stand mixer optional
Ingredients
- 3/4 c mashed purple sweet potato (about 1 medium potato) (160g)
- 3 c all-purpose flour (390g)
- 3/4 c warm milk (whole or 2%) (185ml)
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 3 tbsp melted butter or neutral oil (more to coat loaf pan)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
Instructions
- Scrub and halve a medium sweet potato. Steam for 15–20 minutes until completely tender. Cool, scoop out the flesh, and mash lightly. Measure 160g (¾ cup).3/4 c mashed purple sweet potato (about 1 medium potato)
- In a large bowl, combine warm milk, cooled and mashed sweet potato, honey, and yeast. Stir to combine.3/4 c warm milk (whole or 2%), 1 tbsp honey, 2 tsp active dry yeast, 3 tbsp melted butter or neutral oil
- Add flour and salt. Mix until a soft dough forms. If dough is too wet, add flour one handful at a time. If dough is too dry, add water one tablespoon at a time.3 c all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp salt
- Cover the bowl and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled, about 1 hour.
- Turn the dough out onto a countertop and divide into 4 equal pieces. Shape each into a small log the width of your loaf pan.
- Place the four pieces side by side in a buttered 9×5-inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise until level with the top of the pan, 30–45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Brush the top of the loaf with beaten egg.1 egg, beaten
- Bake 20–25 minutes, until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing for best texture.
Notes
- Any variety of sweet potato works in this recipe.
- Instead of steaming, you can microwave sweet potatoes on high for 5-6 minutes.
- Store the loaf wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze slices individually for up to 2 months.
- If the top is browning too fast in the oven, tent loosely with aluminum foil for the last few minutes.