Nancy's Sweet Potato Bread

My wife Nancy makes a very tasty sweet potato bread for most of our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.  She got the recipe off the back of a yeast package, and has modified it slightly.  Her notes are in italics, and the original recipe is in regular type.  When making it so that I can eat it, too, she uses soy-free Earth Balance buttery spread instead of magarine or butter.  And she doesn't use the milk glaze - just rubs some of the buttery spread over the warm loaves.

Sweet Potato Coil  - original recipe in regular type, comments in italics

Things to know before you start: this recipe includes a 2-24 hour period of chilling the dough in the refrigerator.  This makes it good for holidays, and the mixing and kneading can be done earlier, and the forming the dough, rising and baking done later, at a convenient time – you just have to figure out your schedule.

Ingredients for bread to make 2 loaves: (amounts for 3 loaves in parentheses)

½ cup warm water (105-115°)     (3/4 cup)

2 pkg yeast                                         (3pkg)

¼ cup packed brown sugar          (3/8 cup)

1 Tbsp. salt                                          (1 ½ Tbsp)

3 Tbsp. margarine, melted (butter works)             (4 ½ Tbsp)

2 eggs, room temperature           (3)

3 ½ cups flour (white or pastry wheat)   (5 ¼ cups)

An  8 or 9 ounce can of sweet potatoes, drained and mashed (can also microwave a large sweet potato, and use the mash)                                   (a 14 oz can)                  

½ cup chopped walnuts (can substitute pecans)                                (3/4 cup)

Ingredients for glaze to brush on bread before baking: (I sometimes skip this, and just butter the loaf when it comes out of the oven. If you do use it, the amounts don’t change for 3 loaves.)

1 egg, room temperature

2 Tbsp cold milk 

Instructions for bread:

Get eggs out of the fridge so they can get to room temperature.

Mash the sweet potatoes.

Melt the margarine.

Get the rest of the ingredients out.

Put the warm water into a bowl.  I always use a thermometer to check the temp, as I have had yeast problems in the past.

Sprinkle in the yeast, and stir until dissolved.

Add sugar, salt, margarine, eggs, and one cup of flour.  Beat until smooth.

Stir in sweet potatoes, nuts, and enough remaining flour to make soft dough.

Turn out onto floured surface, knead 6-8 minutes.

Set in greased bowl, turn.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill 2 to 24 hours.

~~~2 to 24 hour Interlude~~~

Oil round 8-inch baking pans.

Oil hands and punch down dough. Divide into two parts. Roll (I just pull and stretch it) each part into 25-inch rope. Beginning in the center of greased 8-inch round baking pan, coil rope.

Cover. Let rise in warm, draft free place until doubled in size – about an hour.

Preheat oven to 375°

Instructions for glaze (I consider this optional, and prefer the butter method mentioned earlier, though it is less shiny, and the crust less crunchy that way)

Beat egg with milk, brush on loaves.

Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes, or until done.

Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.