Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links. I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase as a result of clicking one of these links. There is no additional cost to you.
Potato Bread is a pillowy soft white bread loaf. You're going to want to eat this with everything. Plus, it's totally stress free to bake.
I finally got to have my Thanksgiving dinner this past weekend with some of the most supportive and lovely friends a person could ever hope for. They were the perfect audience for a dinner party. They gushed about absolutely every recipe, helped with the dishes, and even took home some leftover cheesecake.
I knew they'd like the food. I've honed my Thanksgiving meal for a few years, and I know it's solid. What I didn't expect was how much they absolutely adored the Rosemary Potato Rolls. One friend even said they were the best thing she'd ever eaten. I mean, they're really awesome, but I didn't expect a humble dinner roll to make such a big impression.
Well, today I've got a whole loaf of Potato Bread, and it's going to make you very happy. At least if you're a lover of soft pillowy bread, you'll be in love. This loaf is a bit more dense than a standard white loaf, but it's more moist as well. I just love it.
There's nothing too terribly tricky about this bread. It is a bit stickier than the bloomer we made last month, but the good news is, you can do your initial kneading in your stand mixer if you have one. I also bake this in a loaf pan, so you don't have to stress out about shaping your dough. Oh, and if you want to use instant mashed potatoes, that's totally fine. There's nothing better than low-stress delicious food.
Making your own bread might seem silly when you can easily buy it at any shop, but you can't buy totally awesome Potato Bread made with your own hands. Is bread baking self-care? It is now. And it' awesome.
Potato Bread
6 servings
25 minutes
30 minutes
2-½ hours
Ingredients
11 ounces mashed potatoes
4-½ to 5-½ cups white bread flour or strong flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 package (¼ ounce) rapid-rise or instant yeast
1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
1-⅓ cups warm water, the water leftover from boiling your potatoes is ideal
Directions
- Add your mashed potatoes, 4 cups of your flour, salt and yeast to a large mixing bowl. Mix this together gently by hand or with the dough hook on your stand mixer on the stir setting. Add the yogurt and then slowly add the water with the mixer still running.
- Once everything is combined, you can turn up the speed to medium on your stand mixer to begin kneading, or turn the dough out onto a floured surface to knead by hand. Add more flour as you go along, up to an additional cup and a half if needed until the dough becomes smooth and stretchy. I knead it in the mixer for about five minutes and then work it for another five minutes or so by hand so I can feel when it's ready.
- Once your dough is holding together, remember it will be a bit more damp than a typical bread dough, transfer it to an oiled bowl, turning it over once to coat the dough in oil. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel and leave it to rise in a warm kitchen for about an hour until it's doubled in size.
- When your dough is risen, turn it out onto a floured surface, punch it down, and give it a few kneads to bring it all back together. Transfer your dough to a loaf pan, cover it with your clean towel again, and leave it to rise again for about 30 minutes or until roughly doubled in size again.
- While your dough is rising for a second time, preheat your oven to 425 F (220 C). Bake your bread at this temperature for about 20 minutes, then turn the heat down to 375 F (190 F) and bake for another 10-15 minutes. If your bread looks sufficiently golden on top but doesn't give you that hollow sound when you tap the bottom, cover it loosely in foil and put it back in the oven for a few minutes. That being said, I don't mind this bread a touch underbaked.
- Remove your loaf from the baking pan and allow to cool on a wire rack. Make sure to have at least one piece with salted butter while it's still warm.
Recipe adapted from How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.
Leave a Reply