Homemade Sweet Potato Bread

Directions

• Proof the Yeast – To proof, dissolve the yeast in a dish with half a teaspoon of sugar and warm water. You want the water to be around 110ºF. If you go hotter, you can risk killing the yeast (and then you have to start again). You know the yeast is alive and ready for bread when it starts to bubble and foam.
• Stir Up the Bread Dough – With the proofing taken care of, add canola oil to the yeast mixture. In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: half of the flour, sugar and salt. Add the wet mixture to the dry and work into a sticky dough. When the mix comes together, add in additional flour a half cup at a time until you have a soft bread dough.
• Knead – When your dough is made, turn it out onto a floured surface to knead. Kneading is the process where you push, pull and stretch the bread. The purpose is to develop gluten. Gluten helps give the bread structure (without it, it would crumble) and gives it that bit of chew we all love. To knead, take the heel of your hand and push the dough forward and stretch it. Knead until your bread dough is stretchy and doesn’t tear when you spread it between your fingers.
• Proof the Dough – Next, let your bread proof. That means setting the dough aside so the yeast can do its work: creating air bubbles. To proof, coat your bread dough with a touch of oil or cooking spray. Place it in a large container, cover with a damp towel and let it rest until the dough doubles in size. To get the best proof possible, make sure your kitchen is warm (above 75ºF) and humid.
• Punch Down and Proof Again- When the bread is doubled in size, punch it down. This just means using your knuckles to press out some of the air inside the dough. After punching the bread down, divide it into 3 portions and mix the 1/2 cup of sweet potato for each dough. Shape and place into baking pans and let proof a second time, until doubled. This should take about 60 minutes.
• Bake and Enjoy – When the bread has grown a second time, pop it into a 375ºF oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the pans, let cool on wire racks. After that slice and enjoy!