This potato bread recipe results in soft, squishy loaves that make wonderful sandwiches or French toast. You can add herbs like rosemary or chives, or knead in a little shredded cheddar and crumbled bacon, but the classic bread is pretty perfect on its own. The key is to add the flour gradually, being sure to add only enough to make the dough manageable. Too much flour results in tough, dense loaves that don’t give you the light texture like you find in store bought potato bread.
Potato Bread
Ingredients
1 medium baking potato, peeled and cubed
3/4 cup potato cooking water (cooled to 110 degrees F)
1 envelope (.25 ounces) active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3-3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
Oil for greasing
Instructions
Add the potato cubes to a pot and cover with water. Bring the water to boil and cook until the potato is very soft. Reserving the water in the pot, remove the potato with a slotted spoon and mash well or press through a ricer. Measure out 1/2 cup and set aside. Once the reserved water has cooled for 10-15 minutes, measure out 3/4 cup and add to a large bowl. Stir in the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining sugar, salt, 1/2 cup mashed potato, and the melted butter. Beat in 2 1/2 cups of flour until mostly incorporated. Using a dough scraper, scrape the dough onto a counter. Knead the mixture for 8-10 minutes, dusting only as necessary with additional flour. The dough should remain soft and sticky, but light dustings of flour will keep it workable. Once the dough has been thoroughly kneaded, grease a large bowl with oil. Add the dough and turn to coat. Let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with oil. Form the soft dough into a loaf shape and add to the pan. Dust the top lightly with flour. Cover and let rise until doubled, about one hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the loaf for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown on top and the internal temperature reaches 195-200 degrees F. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Yield: 12 servings.
