This potato bread is part of my State Fair Gamble this year. I’m entering the categories with the least number of entries, to see if I have a better shot at placing. Maybe that’s a bit silly. A bit greedy. But I want to see how it goes, and at least get guaranteed feedback on my bakes. I also have enough hubris to think that I can bake a loaf of potato bread.
Potato bread only got 16 entries last year! Many of the cookie categories I entered had somewhere between 50-70 entries. I will simply… do what I can to stand out. AND, frankly, to give some love to the lesser known bakes! Potato bread is good! Maybe we don’t need 206 different chocolate chip cookies!
I’m all for potato bread now, actually. It’s the kind of homemade bread that I always wanted to make, actually. Every time I’ve made bread before, it has come out no how I envisioned. Too crusty, too difficult to cut into sandwich slices, gets dry too quickly. But this potato bread is soft and easy to cuts, and it has stayed fresh for days. It’s the perfect sandwich bread!! Why have I not made it before!!
Maybe I’ll start making it regularly or something and then really nail the recipe. That may be mildly aspirational, but also… maybe not! Why not just make your own bread? It’s quite easy.
I don’t know whether my loaf will stand out in any way – there’s no added flavorings or anything. But, I almost don’t want there to be. It’s just sandwich bread! A perfect vehicle for other flavors. It doesn’t need to be on is own ever. A perfect supporting character!
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PinIngredients
- 1 medium russet potato
- ½ cup potato water (from cooking the potato)
- 1 ½ cups whole milk (warmed)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 ½ – 6 cups all purpose flour
Instructions
- Peel and cube the potato. Add to a sauce pot and cover with water. Boil until the chunks are soft and tender.
- Drain, and save the potato water for the dough.
- Mash potatoes with a fork or a potato masher. Allow to cool to warm. You’ll need approximately 1 cup of mashed potatoes for the dough.
- In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add warm milk, yeast and honey. Stir briefly and let sit for 5 minutes allowing yeast to proof.
- Add potato water, 1 cup mashed potatoes, oil and salt and 2 cups of flour. Stir until mixed together.
- Continue adding flour 1 cup at a time, allowing all flour to be fully incorporated, until dough forms a ball and pulls away from the side of bowl. You might not need all the flour. Knead in mixer for 5-8 minutes.
- Remove from mixing bowl and form a ball.
- Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rest until it has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Gently push down dough to deflate dough. Divide the dough in half and work with one half at a time. Gently flatten dough on a clean surface into a rectangle approximately 8 x 10 inches. Roll dough into an oval log. Pinch the seam and poke the ends into a log.
- Place each loaf of dough into a greased bread pan. Cover until they double in size – 30 – 45 minutes
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.
- Allow bread to cool for 5 – 10 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and continue cooling on a baking rack. Allow bread to fully cool before slicing.