Potato Bread

Potato Bread is fluffy, tender, and lightly sweet; like classic sandwich bread but so much better! It’s a dream for toast, sandwiches, and snacking. This recipe makes two loaves of bread; if needed, freeze the second loaf for later.

Course bread

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Rise Time 1 5

Total Time 2 10

Servings loaves

Calories 1783kcal

Author John Kanell

Ingredients

½ pound russet potatoes (225g)
1 cup warm milk (110-115°F) (240mL)
¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
1 (0.25-ounce/7g) packet instant yeast
5½ cups all-purpose flour (660g)
2 teaspoons salt
⅓ cup unsalted butter softened (75g)

Instructions

Peel and cut potatoes into ½-inch thick slices. Transfer to a medium pot, and fill with water until potatoes are covered by about an inch. Bring water to a boil over medium-high until potatoes are fork tender, about 10 minutes.
Drain potatoes, reserving ½ cup of the water. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until smooth, and measure out 1 cup of mashed potatoes. (Save any remaining mashed potatoes for another use.) Allow the mashed potatoes to cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the warm mashed potatoes, milk, sugar, yeast, and potato water until combined. Add the flour, salt, and butter, and using the paddle attachment on low speed, mix until just combined.
Using the dough hook attachment on low speed, knead the dough until smooth, tacky, and passes the windowpane test, 5 to 8 minutes. (To test the dough, pinch off a 1-inch ball, then stretch it between your fingers into a square. If the dough doesn’t break but is thin enough to let light pass through, it’s ready. If it breaks when stretched, continue kneading for another minute and repeat the test.)
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled large bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9x5-inch loaf pans.
Punch down the risen dough. On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 2 equal pieces (about 706g each). Gently press the first portion of dough into a 9x6-inch rectangle. Starting on one long side, fold the dough in on itself in thirds, pinching the seam together to seal it together. Reshape into a 9-inch log, if needed. Place into the prepared loaf pan, seam side down, and repeat with the second portion of dough. Loosely cover both loaves and let rise again until well puffed, about 20 minutes.
Uncover and bake until the tops are golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack. Store covered at room temperature for 3 to 5 days.

Video

Notes

Reserve the potato water. Scoop out ½ cup of the potato boiling water before draining the potatoes. It will add an additional sweet and starchy flavor to the bread, as well as moisture. If you accidentally drain the water out before reserving the water, you can whisk a teaspoon of extra mashed potato into a ½ cup of warm water as a substitute.
Mash the potatoes until smooth. The best mashed potatoes for this recipe are smooth and creamy; you don’t want large chunks. Make smooth potatoes with a potato masher or a potato ricer.
Make this recipe with leftover mashed potatoes. If you have plain mashed potatoes leftover or baked potatoes that you can mash, skip cooking the russets and swap in 1 cup of mashed potatoes. Just warm them up before using them.
Test the dough with the windowpane test. You will know that the dough is sufficiently kneaded when it passes the windowpane test. Here is how to do it: pinch off a 1-inch ball, then stretch it between your fingers into a square. If the dough doesn’t break but is thin enough to let light pass through, it’s ready. If it breaks when stretched, continue kneading for another minute and repeat the test.
Use a food scale for even-sized loaves. If desired, weigh the dough as you divide it into two loaves to ensure that they are even. Each loaf of bread dough should weigh approximately 700 grams.
Optional: knead the dough by hand. You can knead the dough without a stand mixer if you don’t have one or prefer to do it by hand. To do so, whisk the wet ingredients together by hand. Add the flour and butter and blend together on low speed using a hand mixer. Once combined, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead manually for 5-8 minutes or until the dough passes the windowpane test (see notes above).

Nutrition