Sweet Potato Raisin Yeast Leavened Bread

I just bought a few sweet potatoes and I have been trying to be more creative than just sticking them in the microwave. My goal with this was to create a slightly sweet breakfast bread that could also pass for a sandwich bread. So here goes...

Sweet Potato Raisin Epi Bread

1 T. active dry yeast

1.5 C. room temperature water

1 medium sweet potato pealed and cubed

4.5 C. whole wheat flour (optional)

1 T. vital wheat gluten flour

2 T. brown sugar

1 t. ground allspice

1 t. ground cinnamon 

2 T. canola oil

1/4 C. raisins

corn meal for dusting 

Boil the sweet potato about 10 minutes or until soft and mash-able, then mash and let it cool down for a bit.

Put the yeast on top of the water and let that sit while you are mixing your other ingredients. Then mix together whole wheat flour, vital wheat gluten flour, spices, oil, salt, and brown sugar until evenly blended. Make a well in the flour and stir in the yeast and water and mashed sweet potato. 

Knead for about 10 minutes on a floured counter. Then put in a greased bowl covered with a wet rag. Let the dough rise until doubled in size (about an hour). Then knead in the raisins and let it rise again.

Roll the dough into a cylinder as long as your cookie sheet will allow and put on a cookie sheet with corn meal on it. Then, using scissors, cut three quarters of the way through the dough at a 20 degree angle every 2.5 inches. Pull and push the resulting flaps back and forth so the dough looks like a wheat stalk. 

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until the center of the loaf is 190 degrees.

Serve with white wine and your favorite jam or jelly.