Potato Bread Recipe

Ingredients

Cooking the Potato:

• • 1 medium russet potato
  • ½ cup potato water (from cooking the potato)

Dough:

• • 1 ½ cups whole milk (warmed)
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

• • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt

• 5 ½ – 6 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

Cooking the Potato:

1. 1. Peel and Cube Potato:
      • • Peel and cube the potato. Add to a saucepot and cover with water. Boil until potatoes are soft and tender.

   2. Drain and Mash Potato:
      • Drain potatoes, saving the potato water for the dough. Mash potatoes with a fork or a potato masher. Allow to cool to warm. You need approximately 1 cup of mashed potatoes for the dough.

Dough:

1. 1. Prepare Yeast Mixture:
      • 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.

1. 1. Combine Ingredients:
      • Add potato water, mashed potatoes, oil, salt, and 2 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Stir until mixed together.
   2. Add Flour Gradually:
      • • 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 the bowl. You might not need all the flour.

   3. Knead Dough:
      • Knead in the mixer for 5-8 minutes. Remove from the mixing bowl and form a ball.

1. First Rise:
   • Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to double in size, approximately 1 ½ – 2 hours.

Shaping and Baking Bread:

1. 1. Shape Dough:
      • Gently push down dough to deflate. Divide dough in half. Working with each half, 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 the log.
   2. Second Rise:
      • • Place each loaf of dough into a greased bread pan. Cover until they double in size, 30 – 45 minutes.

   3. Bake:
      • Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped.

1. Cool:
   • Allow bread to cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan. Remove from pan and continue cooling on a baking rack. Allow bread to fully cool before slicing.

Serving Suggestions

• • Enjoy with butter and jam for breakfast.

• Use for making sandwiches.
• Serve as a side with soups and stews.

Cooking Tips

• • Use a Dough Hook: For mixing and kneading dough.

• • Flour Amount: The amount of flour needed varies. Add flour gradually stopping once the dough forms a ball. Continue mixing and add a bit more flour if the ball spreads apart and is no longer round.
  • Rise Time: Varies depending on the temperature of the environment.
  • Potato Water Substitute: If you forget to save potato water, just use additional milk.

• Warm Milk: Warm your milk to a temperature between 105 and 115 degrees. Anything cooler won’t activate the yeast and anything hotter can kill your yeast. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can drizzle the milk on your wrist. It should feel warm, but not hot.

Nutritional Benefits

• • Potatoes: Provide potassium and vitamin B6.
  • Milk: Offers calcium and vitamin D.

• Yeast: Adds B vitamins.