Sweet Potato Bread circa 1908

by Ellen
(United States)

For years I tried to make whole wheat bread and listened to “Bread Czars” at how much it was a complex skill and how it took all day. (Or even 24 hours!) I listened and tried only to get bricks. But now thanks to “Household Discoveries and Mrs. Curtis’s Cook Book” (circa 1908), I have found that making whole wheat bread is a lot easier to make than some “cooks” would have you believe.

Here is one recipe from the book that always gets RAVE reviews and even from folks who don’t like whole wheat bread.

Sweet Potato Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Flour*
1 cake of yeast (3 heaping tsp)
1 cup scalded milk (cooled to the touch)
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup creamed sweet potatoes

*If it is cold and/or dry I use only 3 cups of flour. Warm, humid weather takes as much as 4 cups.

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in milk.

Add salt, sugar & potatoes. Work into a smooth state. Then add whole wheat flour (I like grinding my own and using Golden 86 wheat).

Knead on a floured board for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the dough is no longer sticky. (Great for those of us who loved playing with Play-dough as kids). Put back in mixing bowl (that is now cleaned & has vegetable oil liberally within–I like using Olive Oil). Turn dough over to make sure that whole ball is coated with oil.

I like to pop the bowl into a warmed oven that has a jar of water in it for added humidity. It takes about an hour to rise.

Punch it down and roll into 2 loaves and place in 4×8 inch greased loaf pans and place back in still warmed (not hot) oven.

To know when they are ready to bake, I use Mrs Curtis’s “Hefting” method. As the loaves start looking like they are risen enough, lift the pan slightly up, when it feels like it suddenly has gotten lighter, they are ready to bake.

This is a GREAT, light loaf of whole wheat bread that takes hardly any effort or time!!

Now get out there and make your bread and don’t be intimidated by it!!

ENJOY! :o)

 

Comments for Sweet Potato Bread

Mar 30, 2011

REPLACEMENT FOR SUGAR by: Anonymous can you use honey instead of sugar?

Feb 23, 2011

think it read okay by: Anonymous I think the directions are actually all there. It says to mix and then add the salt, sugar and potato mixture to the milk/yeast mixture and then add the flour. Those are the only ingredients there are..

Jan 13, 2011

mixing instructions by: Cathy (breadexperience) Although the author doesn’t specifically state this, it looks like from the order of the directions, she adds the rest of the ingredients to the yeast/milk mixture.So, you would dissolve the yeast in the milk. Add salt, sugar & potatoes to that mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour.If you’re using active dry yeast instead of cake yeast, you wouldn’t need to dissolve it first so you could just add all of the dry ingredients together and add the potatoes to the milk, then mix all the ingredients together.I would probably bake it at 350- 375 degrees but the baker below seemed to have good results baking it at 400 degrees for a short time, then reducing the heat to 350. It would probably depend on your oven. Mine is pretty hot.

Jan 12, 2011

Incomplete instructions re mixing by: Anonymous Your instructions don’t say anything about when to add the yeast/milk mixture. I assumed before the flour, but instructions are incomplete.

Feb 27, 2009

baking instructions? by: Tena Wondered how you baked the bread? I used another recipe to get suggestions…baked 15 min. at 400 and then 30 min at 350. turned out great. Also used brown sugar instead of white.Yummy! Thanks

More comments below: