Sweet Potato Bread

By Ben · cooked up in Sprig

Sweet potatoes pull double duty here — they add natural sweetness and keep every slice so moist it almost reads as cake. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves layer into something that smells like a fall kitchen at its absolute peak, warm and spiced and slightly caramelized. The crumb is springy and bouncy, with a tenderness that holds up for days without going dry.

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (or 1 very large), roasted and mashed
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy removal.
2. Pierce the sweet potatoes several times with a fork. Roast directly on the oven rack (or on a foil-lined baking sheet to catch drips) at 400°F for 45–55 minutes until completely tender and caramelized. Once cool enough to handle, peel and mash thoroughly with a fork until smooth. Measure out 1 cup of mashed sweet potato for the recipe.
3. In a large bowl, combine the mashed sweet potato, eggs, canola oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until the mixture is smooth and well emulsified — it should look like a thick, uniform puree.

1. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and salt until evenly combined with no clumps of sugar remaining.
2. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, fold everything together with slow, deliberate strokes — mix just until no dry streaks of flour remain. Stop as soon as it comes together; overmixing develops gluten and toughens the crumb.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Optionally, sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon sugar over the surface for a lightly crunchy top.
4. Bake at 350°F for 55–65 minutes. Begin checking at the 50-minute mark by inserting a toothpick into the center — it should come out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. If the top is browning too quickly, tent loosely with aluminum foil for the last 15 minutes.
5. Let the loaf cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before lifting it out using the parchment overhang. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing for the cleanest cuts and best crumb texture.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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