Potato Bread from Heaven!

“I simply cannot decide what to make!”

There are so many wonderful bread recipes out there, sometimes I get confused and cannot decide which to make. This time I needed something to go with a split pea soup made with ham hawks. The soup was full of flavor, but was in need of something to dip. I decided on a potato bread from my new baking recipe book. Not only was it remarkably fast and easy, it was also pretty, had a nice crust, soft crumb, and full flavor that stood up to the soup. Everyone loved this bread, and so did I!

I failed to take a picture of the sliced bread, but just make it! It’s the best!

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs peeled and quartered russet potatoes boiled until soft and fully cooled and dry (drained)

4 teaspoons salt (it seems like a lot, but it is right)

1/2 warm potato cooking water (we want that starch)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast, I like SAF Yeast
2 tablespoon olive oil
4 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (5oz equals about a cup)

1. Let the yeast bloom in the potato water.

2. Mash the potatoes until smooth, add the olive oil and the yeast mixture.

3. Mix in the flour and salt. The recipe assured me that the dough would be dry at first. Was it ever! It will soften up and get wonderfully smooth the more you knead it. Don’t believe me? Try it! Knead for about ten minutes after the dough begins to look uniform.

4. Let the bread rise at room temp for 20 to 30 minutes until it doubles in size.

5. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. I used a baking stone in the bottom rack as the recipe outlined.

6. Divide the dough and roll it into the above shape. (see the recipe book Baking with Julia for more detail). After shaping, let the bread rise for 20 minutes.

7. Spray the oven down with water, and bake the bread for 40 to 50 minutes.

This bread is GOOD! I’ve made it a number of times since.