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How to make sweet potato flour, starch, sugar, bread and mock cocoanut cover

How to make sweet potato flour, starch, sugar, bread and mock cocoanut

Chapter 9: SWEET POTATO BREAD
By George Washington Carver
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About This Book

The text offers step-by-step instructions for producing several types of sweet potato–based products—three flours made from raw, cooked, or pulped potatoes, plus starch and a syrupy sugar—accompanied by practical notes on drying, grinding, washing, and storage. It outlines culinary and commercial uses for each product and provides numerous household recipes and baking formulas for breads, biscuits, and other preparations, including a baker's method for larger batches. Emphasizing economical and inventive use of a common crop, the guide focuses on conserving wheat and expanding local food and industrial options.

HOUSEHOLD RECIPES

SWEET POTATO BREAD

Take:

  • 1 cup finely mashed sweet potatoes;
  • 2 tablespoons warm water;
  • ½ yeast cake;
  • 1 teaspoon salt.
  • Two and ¾ cups flour, or sufficient to make a soft dough.

Add the salt to the potatoes, and the yeast; pour in the water; add flour enough to make a smooth sponge (about a cupful); cover, and set in a warm place to rise.

When light add the remainder of the flour or whatever is needed to make a smooth, elastic dough. Cover, and let rise until light; mould; shape into loaves or rolls; let rise and bake.

Many variations of the above bread can be made by adding sugar, butter, lard, nuts, spices, etc.

SWEET POTATO BISCUITS

Take:

  • ½ cupful mashed sweet potatoes.
  • 1 cupful flour.
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder.
  • ½ teaspoon salt.
  • 2 tablespoons butter or lard.

Milk sufficient to make a soft dough. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together several times; add these to the potatoes, mixing in with a knife.

Now work the fat into the mixture lightly; add the milk; work quickly and lightly until a soft dough is formed; turn out on a floured board; pat and roll out lightly until about one-half inch thick; cut into biscuits; place on buttered or greased pans, and bake twelve or fifteen minutes in a quick oven.

SWEET POTATO BISCUITS NO. 2 (EXTRA FINE)

Take:

  • 1 cup boiled and finely mashed sweet potatoes.
  • 2 eggs, well beaten.
  • 2 cups flour.
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder.
  • 1 teaspoon salt.
  • 2 scant tablespoons melted butter or lard.
  • 1 tablespoon sugar (if desired).
  • 2 cups milk.

Mix together all the dry ingredients, and stir into the milk, beaten eggs and potato.

If too soft add more flour, sufficient to make a soft dough. Roll out lightly; cut with a biscuit cutter; bake in quick oven.

SWEET POTATO BREAD (BAKER’S METHOD)

This recipe was given me by Mr. J. M. Colter, who has charge of the Institute’s Bakery:

Take:

  • 70 pounds of wheat flour.
  • 30 pounds of finely mashed sweet potatoes.
  • 40 pounds of water.
  • 1 ½ pounds of salt.
  • 1 pound of sugar.
  • 1 pound of lard.
  • 1 pound of compressed yeast.

Every other operation is exactly the same as for bread or rolls made from all wheat flour.

Mr. W. T. Shehee, Steward of Boarding Department, says it not only gives universal satisfaction, but is preferred by many to bread or rolls made from all wheat flour.