Mandy Dixon, head pastry chef at Winterlake Lodge, located just north of Anchorage, Alaska, shares her recipe for a comforting a soul-warming cast-iron sweet potato bread. Her trick is to use bread flour, which helps the dough to rise, and milk, which softens the dough and makes it tender. The sweet potato provides a natural sweetness, but the bread itself isn’t too sweet or cloying. This is particularly good if there is some tartness or acid added, so consider adding in chopped fruit or citrus to the mix.
Cast-Iron Sweet Potato Cardamom Bread
Makes 1 (10-inch) loaf
Ingredients
- 2⅓ cups (268 grams) bread flour, divided
- ¼ cup (60 grams) warm milk (120°F/49°C to 130°F/54°C)
- 1 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon (10 grams) active dry yeast
- ⅓ cup (92 grams) sweet potato purée (see Notes)
- ⅓ cup (75 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs (100 grams)
- ⅛ cup (25 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoons (3 grams) orange zest
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
- Cardamom Filling (recipe follows)
- ½ cup (56 grams) toasted pecans, chopped
- Lemon-Vanilla Glaze (recipe follows)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together ⅓ cup (42 grams) flour, warm milk, and yeast. Let stand until mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Add sweet potato purée, butter, eggs, sugar, zest, salt, and remaining flour, and beat at low speed until combined. Turn out dough onto a heavily floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, 4 to 5 minutes. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Cover, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 3. Grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet.
- Turn out dough onto a heavily floured surface, and roll into an 18x10-inch rectangle. Spread Cardamom Filling onto dough and sprinkle pecans on top of filling, leaving a 1-inch border. Starting at one long side, roll up dough, jelly roll style, pinching seam to seal. Place seam side down. Using a serrated knife, cut roll in half lengthwise. Carefully twist dough pieces around each other, cut sides up, and form into a circle. Place in prepared pan. Wrap pan tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
- Uncover, and bring dough to room temperature. Cover, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Bake for 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F (170°C), and bake 15 minutes more, covering with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary. Drizzle bread with Lemon-Vanilla Glaze. Let glaze soak in a bit, and serve warm.
Notes
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Rub 1 medium sweet potato with canola or grapeseed oil. Prick potato with a fork, and season with sea salt. Wrap potato in foil. Bake until potato is completely soft, about 45 minutes. Let cool. Peel, and pureé in the container of a blender. We always bake potatoes rather than boil for more intense flavor.
Cardamom Filling
Makes about 13⁄4 cups
Ingredients
- ½ cup (110 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (75 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ teaspoons (3 grams) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground cardamom
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients. Use immediately.
Lemon-Vanilla Glaze
Makes about 1⁄2 cup
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) whole milk
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) fresh lemon juice
- 1⁄2 teaspoon (2 grams) vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together all ingredients. Use immediately.
I haven’t tried the recipe yet for Cast Iron Sweet Potato Cardamon Bread but that sounds like a lot of yeast. Is 2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon the correct amount?
This recipe came together very well…many steps, but easy to manage over two days. I had a problem with the baking time, however. The outer ring of the bread was cooked to perfection, but the center was raw and gooey. I put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes and covered with foil. The inside still remained gooey. Help! What am I doing wrong? I tried to bring it up to room temperature before letting it rise the 30 minutes prior to baking. Is this where I failed? (My kitchen was a little cold that morning.) Thank you. Flavors are wonderful!
The dough was very easy to work with. I used my stand mixer, and only needed to add about 1/4 cup more flour. The yeast amount seemed excessive, but it was really perfect. I decided to make two smaller loaves in 8” cast iron pans. I divided the 18x 10” rectangle in half, to 9×10 each. Then proceeded as directed. The baking time was about 20 minutes longer, even though the breads were smaller. I covered with foil and checked the internal temp until it was 190. The glaze was special, and the whole flavor was delightful. Would make again!