Root vegetables are nature's hidden treasures. They hide beneath the surface and sustain life to the plants above. Their job is that of most all roots; to pull, process, and store water and nutrients from the ground. While we get to watch other vegetables grow, we have to wait until harvest to see these roots. Onions, turnips, carrots, celeriac, radishes, and potatoes are abundant in fall and winter. There is one I go to first when the weather turns cool. That time has begun and I kicked it off with a sweet potato quick bread.
Sweet potatoes meant Thanksgiving or Christmas when I was a kid. Our holiday table would not be complete without sweet potato casserole. We didn't have it throughout the year though. That changed as I got older and started serving sweet potatoes simply baked as a side dish. It makes our everyday meals a bit special from time to time. The next step was to use them in baking. I started by taking the easy route with a quick bread. Easy, and yet oh so good.
How is the Sweet Potato Quick Bread? First it is moist. I think it gets more moist by the day. I stored it in a big plastic zip top bag and by day two it was sticking to the inside of the bag. This is a nice change from bread drying out. All you have to do is toast it a little longer. It is loaded with pecans which was inspired by the topping of the casserole I enjoy so much. It's lightly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Dark brown sugar adds a hint of molasses flavor too.
What is your favorite root vegetable? Have you ever baked a bread with it? Well, now is the time. If you need recipes or inspiration then today is your lucky day. The Twelve Loaves challenge for October is bread baked with root veggies. Take a look at what the talented bakers made:
- Caramelized Vidalia Onion Focaccia by Lora at Cake Duchess
- Carrot, Apple & Walnut Bread by Anne at From My Sweet Heart
- Carrot Bread by Rossella at Ma che ti sei mangiato
- Carrot Cake Breakfast Bread by Dionne at Try Anything Once Culinary
- Garlic Herb Mini Rolls by Kathya at Basic N Delicious
- Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Biscuits by Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
- Onion-Bacon Fantans by Holly at A Baker's House
- Parmesan Garlic Rolls by Alice at Hip Foodie Mom
- Potato Bread by Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Potato Onion Dill Bread by Karen at Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Rustic Potato Buns by Heather at girlichef
- Sweet Potato Quick Bread by Renee at Magnolia Days
Sweet Potato Quick Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoons half-and-half or milk
- 1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potato
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lighly grease a 9- X 5-inch loaf pan.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar in a large bowl. Stir in chopped pecans.
- Whisk together eggs, oil, applesauce, half-and-half, and sweet potato in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool bread in the pan for 15 minutes.
- Use a knife to loosen the bread from the edges of the pan. Remove bread from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
Recipe adapted from one on the Hobby Farms website.
#TwelveLoaves October-Root Vegetables. September was about baking with our finds from the Farmers Markets. We are continuing exploring what is in season and our October baking mission is about Root Vegetables. Share your October Root Vegetable Bread (yeast or quick bread). Let's get baking!
Want to add your bread to the collection with the Linky tool this month? Here's what you need to do!
- When you post your Twelve Loaves bread on your blog, make sure that you mention the Twelve Loaves challenge in your blog post; this helps us to get more members as well as share everyone's posts. Please make sure that your bread is inspired by the theme!
- Please link your post to the linky tool at the bottom of my blog. It must be bread baked to the Twelve Loaves theme.
- Have your Twelve Loaves bread that you baked this October, 2013, and posted on your blog by October 31, 2013.
#TwelveLoaves is a monthly bread baking party. It was created by Lora from Cake Duchess and runs so smoothly thanks to the help of the lovely Paula from Vintage Kitchen Notes and Renee from Magnolia Days.
Now it's season even in Rome of sweet potatoes. Usually they're not so easy to find. This year is different. I'll take care of your recipe for one of my next breads.
Thanks Rossella
I want two slices, warm, slathered with cinnamon butter! Wow, this looks so amazing, Renee. I am so ready for a Fall/Winter jam-packed with sweet potatoes!
Cinnamon butter would be great on a toasted slice. Thanks for that suggestion!
I made a sweet potato loaf last year, but it was nowhere this gorgeous! I love the addition of pecans...truly irresistible!
Thanks Liz and I'm sure your loaf looked good. Everything you share looks so good.
This is quite a perfect loaf of sweet potato bread, Renee. I have got to bake one this fall and your recipe is what I'll use. Now I'll be dreaming of this bread all day long.
Thanks Lora. It would be a great to bake it over the holidays too.
Hmm. I've never had sweet potato bread. But I love quick breads so I'll have to put this one on my list.
Thanks Anita
I'm such a fan of quick breads. I adore pecans, but for some reason I thought of sunflower seeds with this. Will try your recipe. Nice TwelvesLoaves choice!
I never think about sunflower seeds for some odd reason. That may change since you brought it up. Thanks for the inspiration.
Oh my gosh, Renee! I wish I had a slice right now! Plain "yaki-imo" sweet potatoes have been a favorite from childhood. Your bread looks beyond! Thank you for the recipe which I look forward to making - soon!
Thanks Kim and I hope you enjoy the bread since sweet potatoes have been a favorite of yours since you were a kid.
Interesting info about root vegetables. I do like them a lot! And I have a sweet potato cake written in my to-do list since last year.... it might just turn into this gorgeous loaf Renee! I can imagine the smell you get when you toast it!
The smell when it was baking was incredible and the same each time I toasted a slice. It really brought up anticipation for eating it.
I really enjoy these quick breads...I enjoy sweet potato and although not a root vegetable love pumpkin breads.
This sweet potato bread looks amazing.
Pumpkin bread are really popular this time of year. I have to admit that I don't care for the flavor of pumpkin. I'd rather have sweet potatoes or butternut squash.
I have made potato bread but never sweet potato bread and yours looks so pretty that I am ready to try it out. I also have good memories of sweet potato casserole. My husband didn't grow up with the same tradition and has never warmed up to it but I LOVE an excuse to make and eat sweet potato casserole. Glad its season is nearly upon us!
I'm glad the sweet potato casserole season is almost here too. Perhaps one day your husband will enjoy it but until then you can have his share.
Potatoes are my favorite root vegetable and I especially LOVE sweet potatoes, though I've yet to incorporate them into any form of bread. This quick bread is so gorgeous, Renee...in both the color and the texture! And so great that you were inspired by your favorite casserole! : )
Thanks Anne. Now I need to tackle a potato bread. I think that one will be a yeast one instead of a quick bread.
Renee,
I love a good sweet potato casserole so I know I would love this bread. love that it's loaded with pecans. lightly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg?? omg, sounds amazing! yum! love this!
Thanks so much Alice! Nice to see someone else who enjoys sweet potato casserole as much as I do. You should enjoy this bread very much.
Renee, that sounds ridiculously good. I love sweet potatoes, especially yams , and combined with pecans? Yum!
Thanks Karen
Oh YUMMY! I'll bet this would be a nice compliment to a Thanksgiving feast! Love the color, love the pecans!
Great idea! I could see it as a Thanksgiving breakfast or snack too.