Sweet Potato Sourdough Focaccia

3 slices of sourdough sweet potato focaccia on their sides on a wooden cutting board with pecans scattered around.

5 from 1 vote

This fluffy Sweet Potato Sourdough Focaccia is sweet, buttery, and incredibly delicious. Reminiscent of my favorite Thanksgiving side dish, sweet potato casserole, this focaccia is made with a sweet potato base and a brown sugar pecan topping.

Prep Time25

Cook Time25

Rise Time7

Total Time7 50

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Author: Emily Christensen

Equipment

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Focaccia

270 grams mashed sweet potato 1 cup (about 1 large sweet potato)
100 grams whole milk scant ½ cup
250 grams warm water 1 cup
150 grams sourdough starter heaping ½ cup
10 grams salt 1 ½ teaspoon
500 grams bread flour 3 ⅔ cups
50 grams brown sugar ¼ cup
5 grams vanilla extract 1 teaspoon

Topping

28 grams butter 2 Tablespoons
113 grams butter 8 Tablespoons
165 grams brown sugar ¾ cup
110 grams pecans 1 cup

Instructions

Cook your sweet potato either in the microwave or oven until soft. Pierce the sweet potato with a fork and cook it whole in the microwave until it is softened. Or, you can roast it in the oven as well. Let cool a little and then discard the peel.
To puree the sweet potatoes, add to a blender along with the warmed milk and water and blend until smooth.
270 grams mashed sweet potato, 100 grams whole milk, 250 grams warm water
Add the sweet potato mixture to a bowl along with the active sourdough starter and mix to combine.
150 grams sourdough starter
Add the brown sugar, salt, vanilla extract and flour to the mixture and combine. The dough will be pretty sticky. Let the dough sit in a warm place covered for about 30 minutes.
50 grams brown sugar, 10 grams salt, 5 grams vanilla extract, 500 grams bread flour
Perform 3 sets of stretch and folds to develop the dough with at least a 30-minute rest in between each set. To stretch and fold the dough, grab one side with a damp hand and gently shimmy the dough up, and then fold it on itself. Repeat this 3 more times rotating the bowl 90 degrees each time.
Continue to let the covered dough rise for bulk fermentation until it has risen 50% and is jiggly with bubbles forming around the sides of the bowl. With dough in the mid 70’s F, the first rise will take about 4-5 hours total, including the stretch and folds.
Spray a 9x13” pan with non-stick spray and then add 2 Tablespoons of melted butter to the pan. Dump the dough into the pan and flip it once to coat both sides in butter. Cover and let it rise another 2-3 hours covered in a warm spot until it has risen well and is puffy.
28 grams butter
Make the topping by melting the butter and mixing with the brown sugar and pecans. Once the dough is ready, pour the mixture over the dough. Dimple the dough with your fingers, creating indentations in the dough, and bake in the oven at 425℉ degrees for about 25 minutes.
113 grams butter ,165 grams brown sugar, 110 grams pecans
After the focaccia has finished baking, add it to a cooling rack and let it cool some before serving.

Notes

Let the dough get puffy and rise fully. Baking it too early will result in a denser focaccia.

To speed up the process, find a warmer spot for the dough to rise, and be sure to use warm water when mixing the dough.

If you want to bake the next day, after the first rise place the dough in
the fridge. Then, let it come to room temperature in a greased 9x13" pan
and let it get puffy before baking as directed.

Nutrition