This moist bread has a terrific orange color. In common usage, yams are orange-fleshed and sweet potatoes are yellow-fleshed, but the two are essentially interchangeable, and to my ear, "sweet potato bread" sounds more euphonious than "yam bread." The yams provide all the moisture in this bread--there is no added water. It's perfect for Thanksgiving (make extra turkey sandwiches the next day) or in a menu with pork or chicken and cool-weather vegetables.
I often bake half the dough as a loaf and make cinnamon rolls for the next morning out of the other half. Once the cinnamon rolls are assembled, they may be refrigerated overnight, to be baked the next morning. If cinnamon rolls seem too ambitious, this bread also makes excellent French toast.
Ingredients
Sponge
lbs yams,orange-fleshed
tbsp yeast,(1 1/2 packets)
cup all-purpose flour
Dough
tbsp salt
tbsp butter,room temperature
cups all-purpose flour,(preferably unbleached)
1Sponge
1.Bake the yams on a foil covered sheet at 400°F until they are completely soft, about 1 hour and 20 minutes (longer for fat yams). The foil helps the yams expel syrup as they cook, which burns and permanently laquers whatever surface they are baked on.
2.Allow the yams to cook until you can handle them, about 35 minutes.
3.Peel off the skins, but retain any syrup.
4.Mash the yams (and syrup), making sure they are soft throughout (pass through a food mill of sieve if there are hard lumps).
5.Measure out 2 2/3 cups of yam purée and place in a large mixing bowl.
6.At this point the yams should be around 110°F, about the temperature of a warm bath. Heat a bit if necessary. Stir in the yeast and 1 cup of flour to make a rather stiff sponge.
7.Cover with plastic wrap and let the sponge develop at room temperature for about 5 hours.
2Dough
1.Mix in the salt, butter, and enough flour to make a soft dough--it should be a little on the sticky side, and consequently will be easier to knead in a sturdy mixer than by hand.
2.Knead for 10 minutes--the dough should be soft and elastic and the color of an orange Creamsicle.
3.Put the dough in an oiled bowl, turn once, cover with plastic wrap (or place in an inflated garbage bag), and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1.5 hours.
3Baking Prep
1.Dust 2 making sheets well with flour.
2.Divide the dough evenly into 3 pieces, and shape into round loaves.
3.Dredge the loaves in flour, coating them lightly but thoroughly, and place on the baking sheets (you may also bake this bread in 3 greased loaf pans).
4.Re-cover the dough and let rise again at room temperature until it has expanded by about a third, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
4Bake
1.Heat the oven to 400°F
2.Using a razor-sharp blade, slash the tops of the loaves--this helps the bread expand while baking.
3.Bake the bread, rotating it in the oven a couple of times during baking, for 40 to 45 minutes, depending on the thickness of the loaves. The bread is done when it is well browned on top and golden brown on the bottom. When cooked through, the loaf sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom. On an instant-read thermometer, the load should reach an internal temperature of 190°F.
4.Remove the bread from the pans to a cooling rack. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.