The Lost Recipes

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by Hannah (BitterSweet)
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Ironic, isn’t it, that falling behind on my homework may allow me to finally catch up on my blog backlog? It sounds like nonsense, but let me explain: Every blogger’s recipe archive is their fail safe, plan B in case of emergencies, lack of time, or failure of inspiration. The content may not be the most compelling, which is why it was withheld in the first place, but there are always some gems buried in the back of this Pandora’s box. The danger of forgetting those treasures is very real, however, as time moves on and exciting new recipes are thrust into the spotlight, ahead of all other prepared posts.

My own archive is a pretty sorry sight. Laughably bad photos from my point-and-shoot days mingle freely with those that are print-ready. Half-written recipes are the norm, rather than the exception, and are still head and shoulders better than the files filled only with rough measurements and little useful instruction. It takes some digging, but there are still a good number of salvageable creations that should never have gotten lost in the shuffle to begin with. Focusing more on the school work that continues to pile up leaves me with no spare time to create fresh content. In this case, it may just be a blessing in disguise, should it finally allow lost but not forgotten recipes see the light of day.

Take this sandwich bread, for example. A soft, subtly sweet golden crumb thanks to the addition of mashed sweet potato, I would gladly eat such a creation right this minute. The photo may not win any beauty contests, but I couldn’t recreate it for a new shoot, because this recipe was born of my experiments with sourdough, many moons ago. Fun while it lasted, that was a venture abandoned after many sourdough casualties.

It seems a shame that anyone with more sourdough skills should be deprived of this delicious recipe because of my forgetfulness, though. The bread itself may be long gone, but thank goodness recipes never go stale.

Yield: Makes 1 Loaf; 10 - 12 Servings

Sweet Potato Sourdough Bread

Sweet Potato Sourdough Bread

This sourdough sandwich bread has a soft, subtly sweet golden crumb thanks to the addition of mashed sweet potato.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Additional Time 6 hours
Total Time 7 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Cup Active, Unfed Sourdough Starter
  • 1/2 Cup Warm Water
  • 3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Instant Dry Yeast
  • 1 Cup Plain Mashed Sweet Potatoes (Peeled, Boiled, Mashed Smooth; Nothing Added)
  • 1/4 Cup Plain Non-Dairy Milk
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
  • 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
  • 3 – 4 Cups White Whole Wheat flour

Instructions

  1. Combine the first four ingredients in a large, non-metallic bowl and blend well. Cover and let rise until light and bubbly; overnight in a cool kitchen or 4 – 6 hours in a warm kitchen.
  2. Stir down this sponge and add mashed sweet potatoes, non-dairy milk, salt, ginger, oil, sugar and half of the white whole wheat flour; mix well. Once fully incorporated, gradually stir in enough remaining flour to you create a soft, pliable, dough.
  3. Continue kneading for about 15 minutes, only adding more flour as needed to prevent stickiness. Dough should be soft and smooth yet pliable and still slightly tacky. Place dough in an oiled bowl, roll it about to coat, cover and let rise double in a warm place. Allow about 2 hours for it to double in volume.
  4. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan.
  5. Punch down dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Let rest 10 minutes on the counter before flattening it out . Shape into loaf and place into your prepared loaf pan with the seam side down. Cover and let rise to top of bread pan.
  6. Right before popping the loaf in the oven, use a very sharp knife or blade to slash the dough lengthwise, straight down the center. Bake for 35 – 45 minutes or until golden brown all over. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before moving the loaf to a cooling rack until it comes to room temperature. Let cool completely before slicing.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 525Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 198mgCarbohydrates: 103gFiber: 14gSugar: 5gProtein: 18g

All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimations.

© Hannah Kaminsky
Cuisine: American / Category: Yeast Breads and Rolls

 

24 thoughts on “The Lost Recipes”

  1. I love the idea of a hint of sweetness coming from the mashed sweet potatoes and only a bit of brown sugar. I imagine that it fills the kitchen with wonderful warm aromas of caramelized sweets, too!

  2. I actually feel that the photo has a vintage-y feel to it and I kind of adore it (although I know nothing of photography)!

  4. Considering that the photos I post on my blog are usually taken from my iPhone, this is my favorite line of your post: “Laughably bad photos from my point-and-shoot days mingle freely with those that are print-ready.” ;)

  6. Haha, what I think are some of my best posts don’t even come close to your blogging backlogs! This looks spectacular. The bread looks perfect. I use a bread machine when I want to make bread and have always been disappointed but am too scared to not use it. :-p

  7. Ha! We are both talking about “Plan B” in our posts ;). I agree with you…I had a fair few posts up my sleeve but on revisiting them they are now too dated to use :(. Might have to make some generic templates for when I need a quick post in the future ;). This bread looks amazing Hannah and is going to be something that “Audrey” and I bake tomorrow in Brunhilda. It started raining this morning and accompanied by the new, and most delicious, colder weather that we have been experiencing here in Northern Tasmania, its the perfect time to get experimenting with sourdough and perfecting my loaves. I am going to share this recipe with some fermenting Omni mates so lets see how far this wonderful recipe can hop around the globe :). Have a great weekend and cheers for the wonderful (and most unselfish) share :)

  9. I actually like the photo, like another commenter stated, it has a “vintage” feel. I love homemade bread and the addition of sweet potato gets a thumbs up from me. That looks like a yummy sandwich.

  10. i like the picture.. the bread looks perfect as well.. the beautiful crumb.
    I have some 1 year old pictures that i dont feel like editing and putting up anymore:)

  11. It’s always interesting to see what other bloggers have in their archives and how they decide what makes the cut and what doesn’t. Can’t believe you didnt post this bread in the first place! It sounds delicious!

  12. No matter what, this sounds like a hearty and delicious sandwich bread to me. I do have a few post from my archive that never surface. :) But I still doubt if they’re worthy to make the appearance. :P

    Have a great weekend and best of luck in your homework!

  13. I know how you feel sometimes I feel like we have grown or changed and now our photos or maybe even the dish was created no longer meets our current expectations of ourselves. I have many recipes and photo shoots as I call them, backlogged, not really because I did not like them but just never had time to post. However, most times I do not post them as this was earlier inexperienced camera days. However this photo is a beauty as so is the recipe ,so bring on the backlogs.

  17. You are far too modest, the picture looks delicious! I’ve pinned, and can guarantee that some sweet potato bread is in my future!

  18. Aw YUM! I’ve only just started making sourdough (I have a lovely little jar of sourdough starter bubbling away in my study, I’ve even named it… sad, huh?!) and it’s pretty difficiult! Your bread looks perfect though… I love the thought of sweet potato in it! Love your blog also, in general… you have a talent for writing :) Following you!

  19. That looks like such a fun twist on sourdough! I’ve been meaning to mix up my own starter for the past two weeks; I think reading your recipe was fate’s not-so-subtle hint that I need to do that today!

  20. I love your blog!!!
    Have you ever used any starters from a company called Sourdough’s International?
    I keep hearing about them but I want some reviews from some fellow bakers.. If anyone knows, let me know! Thanks : )

  21. I do not have access to white whole wheat flour in my area. Do you think using King Arthur’s Whole Wheat would change the recipe too much?

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