Easy Sweet Potato Bread with Oats and Warm Spices

Soft, tender, and full of homemade goodness, this braided sweet potato bread gets its rich texture from mashed sweet potatoes. A yeast dough comes together easily, with a quick rise before you shape it into a beautiful braid. It’s not overly sweet, making it perfect for slathering with honey butter, or sneaking a warm piece straight from the oven.

 

Soft, Tender, and Braided Sweet Potato Bread

Warm, and just slightly sweet, this sweet potato bread is one of those recipes that feels like it belongs at both Sunday brunch and Tuesday breakfast. The mashed sweet potatoes give it a rich texture that’s soft but never heavy, and braiding the dough makes it look way fancier than the effort it takes.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve snuck a slice straight off the cooling rack, no butter, no jam, just warm bread. But of course, it’s better with butter!

Why Sweet Potatoes Work in Bread

Sweet potatoes don’t just belong in casseroles. Around here, they show up in biscuits, Southern creamy pies, even pancakes, so putting them into yeast bread just made sense. Instead of weighing the dough down, they keep it fluffy and moist.

It’s not as sweet as a moist strawberry quick bread, but it has a subtle flavor that makes the best toast you’ll ever eat. And when you smear on a little honey butter? Game over.

I first started adding sweet potatoes to dough after falling in love with fluffy sweet potato biscuits. If they could be that light and tender, why not bread? I use a basic yeast dough, but throw in some oats for texture and a little cinnamon and nutmeg. Nothing overwhelming, just a little to make it interesting.

And the best part? This recipe makes two loaves. One for you and one for the freezer. Or maybe one for a friend, but no judgment if both end up in your kitchen.

A Little Fancy or Totally Simple

You can braid the dough for that “did I just buy this at a bakery?” moment, or you can put it into loaf pans and call it a day. Either way, you’re getting soft, chewy bread with a hint of sweet potato that’s just different enough to feel special.

Pair it with a savory brunch dish like these baked prosciutto breakfast cups, or toast it with honey and butter, and you’ll see what I mean, it works with everything.

Sweet Potato Bread Recipe Ingredients

These are the main ingredients you’ll need to make sweet potato bread. Make sure to check the Recipe Card for the full list of ingredients.

• Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes provides both sweetness and moisture to the bread. You can cook them in advance and store them in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to make the bread. I find the simplest way to prepare sweet potatoes for this recipe is to microwave them whole before mashing them. It only takes a couple of minutes. Check out some tips for cooking sweet potatoes in the microwave.

• Yeast: You can use active or instant rise yeast.

• Milk: Whole milk will add the most richness but you can get by with 2%.

• Old Fashioned Oatmeal: Adds a nice textural contrast and a subtle nutty flavor, don’t use quick cooking or instant for this recipe.

Mashing Sweet Potatoes the Easy Way

You don’t want lumps of sweet potato in the bread but simple mashing the cooked sweet potato with a fork in a bowl should remove any lumps and make them easy to incorporate into the dough.

How To Make The Softest Yeast Bread

Step 1: Proof the yeast. 

Step 2: Prepare the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients

Step 3: Make the dough. 

Step 4: Let the dough rise.

Step 5: Form the loaves and bake the bread. 

Punch down the dough and divide it into six equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 10-inch rope. With three pieces at a time, braid the dough together. Place the bread on a baking sheet and cover them for a second rise. 

Once the loaves are doubled in size, brush them with an egg wash and bake until golden brown. 

Tips for Making the Best Sweet Potato Bread

• Make sure the yeast is activated and frothy before adding it to the other ingredients.

• Allow the bread to rise in a warm place, this will give you the fluffiest bread. I like to heat water in the microwave and then place the bowl of dough in the warm microwave.

• Use the microwave to cook the sweet potatoes, it only takes a couple of minutes.

If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #butterandbaggage and tagging me @butterandbaggage.