• In a large bowl, whisk together 4 ½ cups flour, ¼ cup sugar, 2 ¼ teaspoon yeast, and 1 ¼ teaspoon salt.  Set bowl aside.

  In a second bowl (preferably a stand mixer bowl if you have one), add ½ cup mashed sweet potato, ¼ cup melted vegan butter and 1 ½ cups water. Whisk together until combined.
• With the paddle attachment of a stand mixer or a wooden spatula, add about a quarter of the dry mixture into the wet mixture until no dry mixture remains. Then, add another quarter of the mixture and stir again. Next, switch to a dough hook and add half the remaining dry mix in until you see no dry mixture remaining and then add the remaining dry mix.

  Let knead for 8-10 minutes or until it doesn't stick to the bowl. The dough will pull away from the bowl. Still slightly sticky but not sticking to your hands.
• Spray bowl, form into a ball and place ball inside. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 60-90 minutes in a warm, draft free place until doubled. Punch it down. Let rise again for 40-60 minutes until doubled in size again.
• Uncover, punch down again and take dough out of the bowl. Cut dough into 6 equal pieces - using a scale if possible.

  *See notes if you would rather do a 3 strand braid instead of 6.

For the braiding:

• Roll each section into a 16 inch log, tappering the ends (making them smaller). Lay all 6 logs in front of you vertically.
• At the top, pinch 3 logs together and then pinch together the remaining 3 together. Then pinch the two sections together (see video for visual)
• Think of each strand as a number. Far left will be 1 and far right will be 6. Cross the two outer strands (1 and 6). Move strand 1 to the middle, crossing over strands 2 and 3. Cross strand 5 over 4, 3, 2, 1 to be on the far left. Then cross strand 6 over 5 and 4 to be in the middle. Finally cross strand 2, over 3, 4, 5, and 6 to be on the far right. Repeat the above pattern until you reach the bottom of your bread.
• Pinch the ends, and tuck them underneath the bread on both ends. Lay braided bread on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover for 35-40 to allow to rise.
• 15 minutes before done, preheat oven to 375˚F. Make the simple syrup by adding 2 tablespoon each: maple syrup and dairy free milk to a bowl and whisk. Once ready, brush the dough with half the simple syrup mixture.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven, brush with remaining simple syrup mixture and let cool completely before slicing.