Sweet Potato Focaccia

I just had to get this Sweet Potato Focaccia out of my system. I’ve created a lot of bread recipes in my life, but this one just hits different. It’s so fluffy, chewy, simple and so good. Plus, you can whip it up in one morning, which is really all a girl can ask for.

Sweet potato lends such a fun color and flavor to focaccia, and what it does to the texture is unmatched. This is a kind of hybrid of my other two favorite focaccias, but it adds a fluffiness and texture that is completely unique.

What does sweet potato do in focaccia?

Sweet potato does two main things to a bread dough – it adds moisture and flavor, but also simultaneously acts as a gluten inhibitor, which essentially neutralizes gluten. In this bread, that’s not a bad thing! In fact, focaccia is a gluten-building machine, so adding an extra element that helps slacken the dough brings a bit of softness and tenderness to another wise crispy and chewy dough.

Sweet potato also gives the bread a gorgeous orange color, as well as pockets of sweet potato flavor. The goal is to mash the sweet potato finely so that it blends with the dough, but every now and then you’ll hit a patch of moist, perfect sweet potato and it just adds a little something extra to the whole focaccia experience.

It might not be traditional focaccia, but sweet potato focaccia is one of a kind.

Ingredients for the sweet potato focaccia

• 3.5 grams active dry yeast (a heaping 1 teaspoon)
• 60 mL water at 85°F-95°F (1/4 cup)
• 115 grams cooked and mashed sweet potato (1/2 cup)
• 390 grams bread flour (3 cups)
• 300 mL water at 85°F-95°F (1 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 tablespoon Morton’s Kosher Salt, or 1 teaspoon if using Diamond Crystal
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

How to make the sweet potato focaccia dough

The dough is simple, but I highly recommend using a stand mixer for it. Focaccia dough functions at a high hydration, so kneading is possible, but not very fun at all. Here’s my preferred method for making this dough:

• Prick holes in a medium sweet potato and cook in the microwave or oven. Mash until smooth and set aside 1/2 cup of the sweet potato mash.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together the active dry yeast and the 1/4 cup of warm water. Let sit for 3-5 minutes or until it starts to bubble slightly.
• When the yeast is active, add the bread flour, water and salt. Mix by hand until you have a shaggy dough. Then use the dough hook attachment to mix the dough on low for 2 minutes. It should look very wet, almost like batter.
• Add in the sweet potato mash and mix on low for another two minutes until the sweet potato is fully incorporated.
• Cover the bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes. Then mix the dough on medium-high for 10 minutes. The dough is ready when you see it start to pull away from the edges of the bowl and cling to the dough hook.
• *To do this without a stand mixer, knead by hand in your bowl for 15 minutes. Get ready to do some WORK. 😉
• While the dough is mixing, pour 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil into a large bowl. Swirl the bowl around to coat the edges.
• Place the dough into the bowl and lift it slightly with your hands to make sure that it is surrounded by oil. This will prevent sticking.
• Cover with cling wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place for at least 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

How to shape and bake this dough

After the dough is made, everything else is very standard focaccia making. This is meant for a baby pan, so just be prepared to double up if you need to!

• Generously oil your 13″x 9.5″ baking sheet. Plop the dough in the center and gently stretch it towards the edges. It won’t reach all the way (yet) but do your best.
• Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes to let the gluten relax, then stretch it all the way towards the edges of the pan.
• Cover with oiled cling wrap and put the dough in a warm place for the second proof. You can also proof it in your fridge for 12 hours if you want to bake the next day. If baking on the same day, let it proof for 1 hour or until it has bubbled up to the top of the sheet pan.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F and set a rack in the center of the oven.
• When the dough has risen, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the top. Using your fingers, gently dimple the dough. You can indent your fingers all the way to the sheet pan and watch the dough bounce back. It’s fun!
• Top with your favorite toppings or just flakey salt, and bake at 425°F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crusty.
• Serve warm!

Looking for other baking recipes?

If you are looking to take on a project, here are a few of my favorite comfort baking recipes:

Why is everything in grams for this focaccia?

Baking, and bread especially, is a very finicky and exact science. The only way to ensure complete accuracy is through measuring by weight, and not volume. As much as I wish I could give you multiple ways to measure ingredients, in this recipe measuring by cups might cause some volatility and miss-matched results. I want to ensure you get the best results with this recipe (and I want to keep this recipe fool-proof!) so I highly recommend getting a small affordable kitchen scale if you want to move forward with this bread recipe!

And that’s it for this Sweet Potato Focaccia!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3