How To Make Potato Bread
Bake this wonderful bread as an accompaniment to a big bowl of homemade soup. It’s an awesome dinner on rainy days or any time you want to eat well but don’t have lots of time to spend in the kitchen. And, you can make both ahead of time and put in the freezer.
This recipe makes a very flavorful white bread anyone would love. It’s moist and fine-textured, it's wonderful for sandwiches and toast, and it doesn't crumble. A bread lover's dream!
Long rising time is the key here. The longer a batch of dough rises, the better its flavor will be. And the taste of this bread is superb! The combination of potato, butter and eggs produces just a bit of rustic flavor in the final product.... so, let's get going.
**Makes 3 loaves in 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 size pans, or 8 mini 6 x 3 inch loaves.
Potato Bread Ingredients
1 tablespoon dry yeast
9 tablespoons (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon) granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups lukewarm (110°F) potato water (water in which potatoes have been cooked)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
2 eggs OR egg substitute
1 cup mashed potatoes (5 small potatoes, 2 medium or 1 large)
6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Additional melted butter
Potato Bread Preparation
Boil unpeeled potatoes until easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Remove potatoes from water (reserving water), and let sit till they're cool enough to handle. Peel potatoes and mash them. Set aside.
Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar in lukewarm potato water. Beat in butter, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, salt, eggs and potato. Stir in enough flour to make a dough suitable for kneading.
Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Or, knead in a mixer equipped with a dough hook for 5 minutes, or in a food processor for 90 seconds to 2 minutes.
Place kneaded dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Set bowl in the refrigerator overnight; for maximum flavor, we like to refrigerate it for about 16 hours.
Remove dough from refrigerator and shape to fit the pans you are using. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 4 hours (remember, dough is cold from refrigerator, and will take longer to rise).
Brush loaves with melted butter, and bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 45 minutes, or until bread tests done.
**If freezing, allow bread to cool completely, and double wrap first in wax paper or plastic wrap, and then in foil to preserve the flavor and texture.