This slice of sweet potato bread looks almost exactly like the slice from the same bread I made almost ten years ago. It's nice to know that some things never change. I also thought--10 years ago--that this loaf would make great hamburger buns. I still think so, but haven't tried it yet. Maybe in another 10 years.
I think this was labelled as a yam, not a sweet potato, but, according to multiple internet sources, it's a sweet potato. Real yams aren't sold in most American grocery stores, even though a sweet potato labelled as a yam is sold. I started to read about the Great Yam Conspiracy, but then decided it wasn't that interesting. But I got a huge one, so I could feed the rest of it to granddaughter Lily, who is just starting to enjoy mashed and pureed foods. Anyway, I used buttermilk in place of some of the water, and I think buttermilk just added to the flavor.
The deep orange flesh of the yam/sweet potato colors the dough, but the rich color of the vegetable is muted by the time it mixes with flour. To my surprise, I didn't have any dry milk. I must have finally used up a package and unceremoniously put the empty package in the trash. You'd think a person would remember that--kind of like finishing up a bottle of Tabasco sauce, but I don't think I've actually done that.
The dough was very soft and sticky, so I worked in more flour than I usually would. It didn't take too much flour to become manageable, although it was still soft.
It was a below-zero day outside, so I brought out my Brod & Taylor folding bread proofer, and the lucky bread dough cozied up in 80-degree surroundings. I'm sure it was very happy.
After baking and the butter glaze. We went out for dinner just 10 minutes after I took the bread out of the oven, and didn't get back until after the requisite cooling time. That was lucky because the bread smelled so good that I probably wouldn't have been able to wait. As it was, three hours later, it sliced perfectly. It tasted like an old-fashioned, State Fair medal-winning white bread, except that it had a more complex flavor (and it wasn't white).
I hope it doesn't take me 10 years to bake this again.
