Easy Sourdough Purple Sweet Potato Dessert Bread

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This delicious purple sweet potato bread is a delightful twist on a classic treat, infused with warm spices that elevate its natural sweetness. The smooth, earthy flavor of purple sweet potatoes pairs beautifully with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and rich maple syrup, creating a comforting loaf that’s perfect for autumn or any time you’re craving something both flavorful and unique!

Why Purple Sweet Potatoes?

Purple sweet potatoes are not only beautiful, but also rich in anthocyanins, which are antioxidants that protect the cells of the body! (Source)

Purple sweet potatoes also have a unique texture and flavor profile. They have a more mild, floral, and nutty flavor and a more dense, starchy texture than other sweet potatoes. This means they work well in both sweet as well as savory dishes, and pair with a wide variety of herbs and spices!

I’ll be honest though, one of the biggest reasons I love purple sweet potato is for its gorgeous color. I love when I get to remove the skin of the baked sweet potato, and see what shade of purple I’ll find!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Easy

This dessert bread is technically a sourdough version of a “quick bread”. This means there is no kneading, stretching and folding, or shaping required! Simply combine your ingredients to form a dough, let it ferment for little while, then transfer to a bread pan and pop it in the oven! 

Healthy

Along with the antioxidant-packed purple sweet potato, this recipe is made with whole grain flour and maple syrup to create a healthy treat! Since it’s not loaded with processed sugar, this sweet bread can be enjoyed for breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert. I use freshly milled einkorn flour in this recipe, which is an ancient form of wheat. You can substitute this with regular whole wheat flour if you prefer. 

Delicious 

The nutty, floral flavors of purple sweet potato along with the warm spices create a deliciously unique dessert. Adding purple sweet potato to the dough improves the moisture content of dessert bread, creating a wonderfully moist texture for a dessert bread that is perfect to enjoy with fresh butter and a hot cup of tea or coffee!

Beautiful…?

Ok, so I’ll be honest….this purple sweet potato loaf might not turn out to be the vibrant purple bread you might be hoping for. This is for a variety of reasons: some purple sweet potatoes are not as deep in color as others, and it’s kind of a gamble to try and pick the ones with the most vibrant flesh because you can’t tell until they are peeled. Many purple sweet potato recipes for bread actually use powdered sweet potato, but this recipe uses freshly cooked purple sweet potato! This recipe also uses maple syrup, whole wheat flour, and spices that are all quite brown. The combination of these factors means the color the bread will turn out is a little unpredictable. If you are making this bread for the sole purpose of color, this recipe may be a disappointment. If your goal is flavor, texture, and nutrition…this recipe is for you!

Here are a couple of ways to make this dessert bread a little more purple: 

1. Cook a few purple sweet potatoes in a batch, and once cooked, choose the most vibrantly purple for this recipe. Use the less-bright purple for another recipe, like this sweet potato latte recipe, or just enjoy it mashed with some butter!3
2. Use a lighter colored maple syrup, if you can. I used a very dark maple syrup and it made my bread dough much more brown!

Purple Sweet Potatoes vs Purple Yams: Don’t Confuse the Two!

A purple sweet potato is not the same as a purple yam. 

Purple sweet potatoes: a small, purple tuber in the Convolvulaceae family with purple skin and flesh. They are a mildly sweet variety of sweet potato, in the same family as orange sweet potatoes. 

Purple yams: a large, starchy tuber in the Dioscorea family with a thick, scaly purple skin and white or purplish flesh. They are commonly used in savory dishes, with their mild flavor and starchy or mealy texture. 

…To confuse you even more, an Ube is a type of purple yam that is more sweet and creamy, with a purplish flesh.

When are Purple Sweet Potatoes in Season?

Purple sweet potatoes can often be found at many grocery stores from late summer through winter. If you are having a hard time finding them at the grocery store, make sure to check out Azure Standard for high quality organic produce!

How to Cook Purple Sweet Potatoes

Steam Purple Sweet Potatoes

This is my preferred method for cooking purple sweet potatoes. They become soft and easy to mash!

1. Wash purple sweet potatoes, then peel and cut them into about 2 x 2 inch chunks.
2. Add about 3 inches of water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Place a steaming basket or a colander over the pot – make sure the water doesn’t reach above the steaming basket. Place the sweet potato chunks into the steaming basket and cover with a lid.
3. Steam for 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
4. Remove from the steamer and use as a side dish, or mash with butter and seasoning.

Bake Purple Sweet Potatoes

Alternatively, you can bake purple sweet potatoes in the oven. It is not the most ideal way, but it works.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Wash whole sweet potatoes and puncture with a fork or a sharp knife evenly around each sweet potato, about every inch or so.
3. Place evenly on a lined baking sheet.
4. Bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the sweet potato.
5. Purple sweet potatoes are done when a fork is easily inserted into the center.

When to Serve Purple Sweet Potato Bread

This recipe makes a perfect dessert bread to serve during the Holiday season, with its warming spices and rich maple syrup flavor! It’s also a great bread to have on hand any time for a delicious addition to a hearty breakfast, afternoon tea or coffee snack, or healthy dessert!

How to Store Purple Sweet Potato Dessert Bread 

This bread is best enjoyed within 24-48 hours, stored at room temperature in an airtight container. 

If you plan to store it longer than this, I recommend freezing it instead of refrigerating. Refrigerating bread leads to a dry texture. 

To freeze: once fully cooled, pre-slice and store in a well sealed zip-lock bag in the freezer. 

How to Make Sourdough Purple Sweet Potato Dessert Bread

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. The amount of flour will depend on if you are using regular wheat or einkorn flour, see the ingredients list for details. 

Add purple mashed sweet potatoes, softened butter, maple syrup, milk, large egg, and spices to a high speed blender. Blend until it is a creamy consistency. 

Add wet mixture in blender to dry ingredients in mixing bowl, and combine well with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until you have a thick batter or dough. ‘

Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a plate and let dough rest at room temperature or if your home is colder, in a warm place (70-80 degrees Fahrenheit) to let ferment for 4-6 hours. 

After 4-6 hours, the top of the dough will be somewhat oxidized and turn a darker color. Don’t worry, simply mix this in to the rest of the dough, it doesn’t taste bad. 

Line a bread tin or glass loaf pan with parchment paper. 

Spread thick dough evenly in prepared pan. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Place bread loaf pan in the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Let bread cool for at least 30 minutes prior to slicing. 

Enjoy with butter!

Looking for More Dessert Bread Recipes?

Check out this decadent chocolate chip winter squash bread recipe!