Pink Sourdough Recipe with Purple Sweet Potato

Okay, real talk about sourdough color — no wait, this isn't about starters this time. This one's about how a couple tablespoons of purple sweet potato powder turned into a loaf with a genuinely pretty pink crumb... that came out a little more "blush" than "bubblegum."

Not going to lie, I was hoping for a deeper color on this one. I might have been a little too shy with the powder this time. But that's the thing about baking with natural colorants — you're always half-guessing until you slice it open. So let's talk about how it happened, and how you can push the color further if you want more drama than I got.

The Dough

The durum wheat isn't just there for looks — Senatore Cappelli brings a slightly firmer bite to the crumb, more chew, less of that wide-open airy hole structure you'd get from an all-bread-flour dough. If you're after that classic wide-open "crumb shot" look, this isn't quite that loaf — but if you like bread that feels like it's actually got something to it, you'll like this one.

Timing (the honest, non-formula version)

I'm not going to give you a "bulk ferment for X hours" number, because it genuinely depends on your kitchen and your flour. What I actually watch for:

After bulk fermentation, this one went into the fridge for an overnight cold proof — my go-to for both flavor and for fitting bread baking into an actual life schedule.

Adding the Color (and the Salt)

Here's the part that matters most if you're chasing color: I did an hour of fermentolyse first — mixing just flour and water and letting it rest before adding anything else — and then added the salt along with the sweet potato powder. Adding it at this stage keeps the color distribution even without messing with early gluten development.

Step-by-Step

1. Mix & autolyse. Combine flour and water. Let rest 1 hour.
2. Add salt & color. Mix in the salt and purple sweet potato powder until fully incorporated.
3. Bulk ferment. Let rise until it's grown 20–30% and bubbles appear on the surface (4–10 hours depending on season).
4. Pre-shape. Gently pre-shape and rest 20–30 minutes.
5. Final shape. Shape into a round or oval and place in a banneton.
6. Cold proof. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
7. Preheat. Heat oven to 235°C (455°F) with the Dutch oven inside, 30–45 minutes.
8. Score & bake covered. Turn dough out, score, transfer to the hot Dutch oven. Bake covered 25 minutes.
9. Bake uncovered. Remove the lid, drop to 220°C (430°F), bake 25 more minutes until deep golden brown.
10. Cool. Rest on a wire rack at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Baking

Dutch oven, as usual:

Nothing fancy — just a solid, consistent bake that let the crumb color actually show once I cut into it.

So, Too Shy or Just Right?

Honestly, I go back and forth. There's something charming about a loaf that whispers its color instead of shouting it. But if you're the "go big or go home" type, now you know exactly which knob to turn.

Try it, and tell me how it goes — good or ugly, I want to see it. Did you go subtle like me, or full bubblegum? Save this one for your next colorful bake.

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