Purple Sweet Potato Swirl Bread with Toasted Pepitas #BreadBakers

Naturally colored breads are fun and so I made two recipes for this month's Bread Bakers theme.  They can even be a science experiment, like purple cabbage ending up being a blue dye or similar dyes that change color based on pH, like butterfly pea flower powder or tea.  This is a great way to entice your kids to bake with you.  I have made purple sweet potato bread before but this time used a convenient powder instead of puree.  Both work well and both recipes turned out lovely dough.  This was an interesting recipe I had not tried and as I happened to have some condensed milk in the freezer to use up, it was perfect.  (I have frozen purple potato mash in there as well but it is getting a bit of freezer burn.  One more benefit of the dry powder.)

This was a lovely little loaf and dough to work with, very easy to handle and a lovely, soft crumb.  It is just lightly adapted from a recipe featured on the site of the company that makes the brand of food powder that I purchased.  This same loaf could be made with the blue butterfly pea flower powder for a blue swirl bread!

Purple Sweet Potato Swirl Bread with Toasted Pepitas
makes one loaf

240g all purpose flour
20g sugar of choice (I used golden syrup and honey)
120g milk
60g condensed milk
1½ tsp active dry yeast
½ tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
40g dairy free butter
12g purple sweet potato powder dissolved in 1 tbsp water  (or ¼-1/3 cup steamed and mashed purple sweet potato)  You may try more powder for a more intense coloring.
¼ cup toasted pepitas*

In a stand mixer, combine all ingredients except butter, sweet potato powder, and pistachios. Mix with a dough hook on low-medium speed until the dough comes together, about 10 mins. Add the butter, a few pieces at a time. Scrape down the bowl. Continue to kneading on medium speed for 10 mins until the dough is smooth.

Divide the dough in half and set aside and cover one half. Add dissolved sweet potato powder into the half dough and continue kneading until it is evenly combined. Form the plain dough and sweet potato dough into balls. Cover and let proof for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Transfer the purple dough to a clean work surface. Roll out dough to form a large, thin rectangle.  Sprinkle half the pepitas over the dough and press in with palms. Pick up one edge and fold into the center, then pick up the other edge and fold into the center over first section. Sprinkle on the remaining pepitas. Fold the top half down over the bottom. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough.

Roll out plain dough. Place sweet potato pistachio dough on top of the plain dough and begin rolling up the dough along the wide/long side of the rectangle, Place it in a bread pan and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Bake at 190c for 30 -35 minutes.

This bread made delightful french toast, though you lose the beautiful color and pattern.  It also it lovely plain or toasted with butter or butter and jam.

* To toast pepitas, spread the raw pumpkin seeds evenly in one layer into a dry cast-iron frying pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the seeds begin to pop, this takes about 5-10 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool before incorporating into dough.

Happy New Year! We are starting this year’s events with a colorful beginning. Our theme for this month is “Naturally Colored Breads” and Radha of Magical Ingredients is our host. #BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

• Beet Bread by A Day in the Life on the Farm 
• Beetroot Pinwheel Paratha by Sneha's Recipe
• Callaloo Bread by Passion Kneaded
• Cranberry Cherry Raisin Bread by Palatable Pastime
• Matcha and Strawberry Cream Melonpan by Magical Ingredients
• Natural Rainbow Challah by Food Lust People Love
• Panini al Pomodoro by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Purple Sweet Potato Pepita Swirl Bread by A Messy Kitchen
• Spinach Monetary Jack sourdough bread by Zesty South Indian Kitchen 
  
• Turmeric Milk Bread by Ambrosia
• Turmeric Sourdough by A Messy Kitchen