Sweet Potato Tangzhong Milk Bread

Although I’ve recently gotten into making sourdough, I still love making enriched bread! I put a spin on my usual tangzhong milk bread with some purple sweet potato. I’ve found that these are much drier than orange sweet potatoes, and they were perfect for making into bread! They add a lovely purple-pink hue to the loaf and some dimension to the flavor. I found that an egg wash with just the yolk was better than milk or a whole egg—the shine is unbeatable, and the dark shell goes perfectly with the purple center.

Keep in mind that the amount of flour used might change based on the water content of the sweet potato. The recipe might be adjusted every time you make it depending on the vegetable. For a recipe with wateier(?) orange sweet potatoes, check out this loaf cake!

Tangzhong Milk Bread
Active Prep Time: 25 mins
Inactive Prep Time: 90-120 minutes
Cook Time: 30 mins
Yield: 1 9x4.5 inch loaf

Ingredients
For Tangzhong:

• 15 g bread flour
• 75 g milk

For Dough:

• 160 g steamed purple sweet potato, skin removed and mashed
• 230 g bread flour (more if the sweet potato has more water)
• 40 g white sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp active dry or instant yeast
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 30 g warm milk, more for brushing
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (not melted)

For Egg Wash:

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp water
  
  

Directions
For Tangzhong:

1. Add bread flour and milk to a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Whisk continuously until the mixture reaches 149°F, or until the mixture is thick enough to leave a trail on the bottom of the pan with a spoon.
3. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, placing the wrap directly on the surface of the tangzhong to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool at room temperature.

For Dough:

4. Add sweet potato, flour, sugar, salt, and yeast to a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine.
5. Add the egg, room temperature tangzhong, and milk, and knead with a hand mixer with a dough hook on low speed for 5 minutes. The dough will be relatively sticky.
6. Cut the butter into small pieces and slowly add them to the dough as you knead. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic, for 5-7 more minutes. If you do this by hand, it may take a bit longer.
7. Transfer the dough to a separate, greased bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise for 45 minutes.

Shaping, Baking, Storing:

8. After the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into four even pieces.
9. For each section, use a rolling pin to make a rectangle approximately 1/8th inch thick. Take one end of the dough and fold it to the middle of the oval. Fold the other end so it slightly overlaps the top fold. Flip over and roll using a rolling pin, so the unfolded edges stretch to form a rectangle. Flip over again.
10. Repeat with each section of the dough. Place the formed rolls into a non-stick loaf pan and cover with a towel. Set aside to rise for 45 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 325°F. Prepare an egg wash with one egg yolk and 1 tsp water.
12. After the bread rises, brush the tops lightly with an egg yolk wash. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
13. Remove from pan immediately after baking and let cool on a cooling rack. Either cut slices with a serrated knife or peel back thin layers of the bread!
14. Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.