Sweet Potato Foccacia

Sneaking in some vegetables in to my homemade bread. I've been doing more baking recently and absolutely love this take on traditional Italian focaccia. It is soft and moist and perfect with soups, salads or dunked into some tangy extra virgin olive oil. The beautiful orange color is an added benefit!

Ingredients
1 large sweet potato, diced, steamed and mashed (1 cup of mash needed)
1 cup water (lukewarm) - you can use the potato water
1 tsp honey
2 tsp active dry yeast
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp dried or 1 tbsp fresh herbs (oregano, rosemary, sage)
2 tsp sea salt
4 cups flour (I used 1 cup wholewheat, 3 cups white)
3 tbs olive oil
1/2 red onion thinly sliced for topping
Rosemary or sage for topping

Peel and dice large sweet potato and steam or boil until tender. Drain (saving 1 cup of cooking water - allow to reach lukewarm temperature) and mash potato. In a large mixing bowl dissolve honey in 1 cup lukewarm potato water. Sprinkle with yeast and allow to "grow" for about 10 minutes. Add in olive oil and turn mixer with dough hook on to low. Slowly add in flour, one cup at a time. After adding two cups add in 1 cup of the mashed sweet potato, making sure it is not too hot. Add in remaining flour, salt and herbs and knead with dough hook for about 5 minutes until the mixture has come together and is pulling away from the side of the bowl. Oil a separate bowl and transfer the dough into the oiled bowl. Cover with tea towel and allow to stand in a warm room for 1-2 hours until doubled in size. Transfer to a oiled baking tray, sprinkle with onions and fresh herbs and 2-3 tbsp of olive oil. You can also sprinkle with grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese which is also delicious. Cover with tea towel and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Bake in 400 deg F oven for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool for about 10 minutes and serve. 

Delicious warm or room temperature. Freezes and reheats (in toaster or oven) very well.