When the calendar moved to December this past weekend, my first thought was to leave sweet potatoes firmly planted in the past. In my mind, these root vegetables have a place at the Thanksgiving table, and that is about it.
But the problem was, I had a stack of sweet potato recipes that I fully intended to enjoy in November but simply did not get around to. Shelve them for next year, or get to baking? As you can see, I opted for the latter.
Nearly every time I bake a quick bread, I find myself disappointed. Either I can not get it out of the pan, or it completely crumbles when cut or it sinks in the middle. Inevitably, I wonder why on earth I did not think to bake muffins instead.
This bread sunk a bit along the middle, and it was so moist I was initially concerned I failed to bake it until fully done. Turns out all was well, and I have been enjoying a slice for breakfast ever since.
Though I opted to sweeten my bread up with mini chocolate chips, incorporating nuts will make for a more savory option. Consider enjoying a savory slice with a bowl of soup or salad.
As I was using up my remaining sweet potatoes, I came to realize that along with peanuts, these root vegetables are the one item my farmers’ market lists as available year round. Looks like I will be able to get to some more of those sweet potato recipes after all. Enjoy!
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sweet potato puree
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup applesauce
- ⅓ cup milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the sweet potato puree, brown sugar, applesauce, milk and vegetable oil until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the mini chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into a greased 9 x 5 loaf pan.
- Bake at 325 degrees F for 60 minutes until the bread is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 45 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack (or let’s be honest, a plate will suffice) to cool completely. If needed, run a knife along the edges of the pan to fully loosen the loaf.
