Polish Sweet Potato Raisin Bread

Flavor: Sweet; Technique: Baking; Time: Several hours; Difficulty: Moderate.

Detailed Steps for Making Polish Sweet Potato Raisin Bread

Prepare Polish starter, main dough ingredients, homemade sweet potato puree, and raisins; Main dough ingredients include: Bread Flour 200g, Instant Dry Yeast 2g, Sugar 20g, Salt 2g, Light Cream 30g, Cold Water 95g, Butter 20g; Adding light cream can enhance the softness and aroma of the bread; Rinse 30g of white raisins with cold water twice to remove dust, then soak in a little cold water until soft, drain before use.

Let’s start with the Polish starter: Mix bread flour 50g, dry yeast 0.5-1g, and cold water 50g in a large bowl, stir with chopsticks until no dry flour remains; Cover with plastic wrap and let it ferment in a warm, humid place; When the dough is 2-2.5 times its original size, with large and small bubbles on the surface, and when lifted with a spoon, it forms thin, elongated strands with large and small air pockets; The Polish starter can be made on the same day or prepared the night before by mixing the ingredients and letting it ferment at room temperature for 30 minutes before refrigerating, saving time for fermentation the next day.

Now back to the main dough: Combine the main dough ingredients (excluding butter) and Polish starter in a mixing bowl; If the water absorption of the flour is uncertain, reserve 20g of water and decide whether to add it based on the dough’s consistency.

Using a stand mixer, knead on low speed for 2 minutes, then switch to medium speed for 5 minutes until the dough forms a rough film before adding the butter.

Once the butter is fully incorporated into the dough on low speed, switch to medium speed and knead for 8-10 minutes until the dough is soft, moist, glossy, not sticking to the bowl, and can be pulled into a transparent, elastic film that springs back when poked without jagged edges.

Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a deep bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it ferment in a warm, humid place for the first rise.

I use a proofer set at 29°C and 65% humidity for about 3 hours, adjusting based on the dough’s progress; If you don’t have a proofer, place the bowl in the oven with a bowl of hot water, set to 30°C with the fermentation function to increase humidity.

When the dough has doubled in size, poke the top with a floured finger; if it doesn’t collapse or shrink back, the fermentation is successful.

Transfer the dough onto a work surface, lightly dust with flour, gently pat the dough to remove large air bubbles, then roll it out to about 30*20cm; spread the homemade sweet potato puree evenly on the dough, leaving the edges clear, and sprinkle the drained raisins on top.

Roll up the dough from the near end to the far end, not too loose or tight, and seal the edge by pressing it under the dough.

Place the bread roll in a flower-shaped mold.

Place the mold with the bread dough in a warm, humid place for the second rise; if using a proofer, set the temperature to 32°C, humidity to 65%, for about 1 hour, covering the top of the mold tightly after 30 minutes to complete the rise.

Place the mold with the bread in a preheated oven on the middle rack, bake at 180°C for 30 minutes; adjust the temperature and time based on your oven to achieve a uniform color on the bread.

Remove the bread from the mold immediately after baking, transfer to a cooling rack, let it cool to room temperature before storing in a bag; slice and enjoy the bread when ready.

Polish Sweet Potato Raisin Bread, incredibly soft and stays moist even after 3 days!