Sweet Potato Quick Bread

After taking a brief hiatus from posting sweet potato recipes, I’m back with yet another.

I still haven’t tired of the sweet orange vegetable, and I hope that you haven’t either!

This loaf is incredibly moist for a bread comprised of two types of whole wheat flour and neither butter nor oil. The combination of sweet potato puree and applesauce does wonders for the texture of this bread.

Speaking (writing?) of texture, the addition of chopped pecans lends not only a nutty flavor but also a welcomed crunch to the spiced bread.

Although it is simply delicious with a modest smear of butter, I’ve been enjoying this quick bread sliced thin and sandwiched around all sorts of fillings:

• neufchatel (1/3-less-fat cream cheese) & all-fruit preserves
• soft cheese & pumpkin butter
• whole-berry cranberry sauce & sweet potato puree
• peanut butter & raisins
• almond butter & chopped dates

If for no other reason, make this bread because it is a light change of pace from the heavy holiday baked goods that we’ve all indulged in over the past few months. It is tasty enough to satisfy my winter year-round craving for sweet carbs, but healthy enough to feel good about eating!

Sweet Potato Quick Bread

loosely adapted from Vegetarian Classics by Jeanne Lemlin, as posted on Food From Books

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice or granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar (golden, light, or dark)
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 2 large eggs, preferably organic
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• generous 1 cup sweet potato puree (bake a large sweet potato at 400°F for about 1 hour or until soft, peel & mash flesh)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk (I used Silk Pumpkin Spice soymilk)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with canola oil baking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (both flours through chopped pecans).
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients (eggs through milk).
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir just until moistened.
5. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes.
6. Let bread rest in pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.