Delicious Addictive Potato Bread

Dear Michelle,

I've never had much luck making yeast breads. They've not risen, been rock hard (we gave that one to my dog; she loved it), or have just been so blah, that I haven't bothered trying the past few years. Living in an Italian neighborhood, we get great bread at the gravestone store down the street (his daughter works at a bakery in southern Brooklyn, and he just sells a few loaves a day), and get pizza dough at the pizza place a couple of doors over. We're spoiled. I've always assumed that any bread I could make would be so inferior that it wasn't worth trying.



But we will soon be moving across the country, and though Portland is a foodie's paradise, there's no guarantee that we will be able to get such good bread, so close, and for so cheap (a giant round loaf is $3!). I've also never quite been content to give up entirely on baking my own bread. So when my friend Daniella gave me Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid's Home Baking, I couldn't wait to dive in. Despite the steamy heat we've been having, I decided to start off with Tender Potato Bread, page 152.



I wanted rolls for black-eyed pea patties, and was expecting something like supermarket potato rolls, albeit the best they could be. These are even better. They are crunchy on the outside, with a fluffy crumb, made more substantial and tan-flecked by a little whole wheat flour, that really soaks up whatever sauce you might throw on there without getting soggy, but is not so firm as to send whatever filling you have oozing out. The rolls were great, the loaf was even better, and they were both short-lived. I've made two batches in one week. The slices are great toasted with some butter and jam, the crispy outside giving way to a tender fluffy inside. I was lucky enough to have some vanilla-thyme pear jam, courtesy of my good friend Chloe, and we ate almost the whole jar with that first loaf of bread.


If I ever have some left over, I bet it'd make great french toast. We made grilled cheese sandwiches, and the cheese just melted right into the bread; they were terrific. My next challenge will be to convince myself to try something new, when this is such a sure thing.

Tender Potato Bread

This looks like a lot of work, and it does take quite a bit of time, total, though not much of that is active. However, it is a treat to work with, and kneading dough is so pleasant, the transformation from sticky to elastic so satisfying, that it would be a shame to miss out on the experience. Not to mention that having a really delicious loaf of bread come out of the oven (especially for the first time ever!) is incredibly rewarding.


4 medium to large baking (floury, I used russets) potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4 c water
1 T + 1 t salt
2 t active dry yeast
6 1/2-8 1/2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1 T butter, softened
1 c whole wheat flour

1 9x5 inch bread pan
and either:
1 8x4 inch bread pan OR a 9x13 pan for rolls OR wax or parchment paper for focaccia

Boil potatoes in water with 1 t salt until very tender. Drain, reserving water, and mash potatoes well.



Measure out three cups of potato water (add regular water if necessary). Place water and mashed potatoes in large bowl (or bowl of stand mixer if using). Let cool till just barely warm to your hand (mix before feeling). Mix or stir in yeast and let sit 5m. You will not notice any bubbling, like you might expect; this is ok.

If you are proceeding by hand:

Add 2 c all-purpose flour and stir for 1 minute. Sprinkle on remaining salt, add butter and whole wheat flour, and stir and turn till combined. Ad 2.5-3 more cups all-purpose flour and incorporate. Turn dough out onto a generously floured surface and knead for about 10m until you can feel an increase in elasticity. The first time I made this I kept adding and adding flour but the dough remained sticky; it turned out fine, but kneading it was like trying to knead the blob. There was dough EVERYWHERE, and I was more pulling up and turning with my hands in the dough than kneading. The second time, it behaved like I imagine it's supposed to, and felt to my hands like gum does to teeth, that is, addictive in its texture and substantial and pillow-y in its resistance. You'd do well to have a dough scraper handy in case it sticks, and to cut it later. The dough should be very soft.



Using a stand mixer:

Do the same as above, adding 2 c flour and mixing for 1 m, then adding salt, butter and whole wheat flour and mixing briefly. Then add 4 more cups flour and knead at low speed for 6m. Turn out onto floured surface and knead briefly. Dough will be soft.



And then:

Place dough in a large bowl (as you can see, I might have let it rise too long), oiled if you like. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise about 2 hours or until doubled in volume.

Butter whatever baking pans you are using.

Turn dough out onto well-floured surface and knead gently for a few minutes. It will be moist and sticky, very fluffy. Divide into two pieces, one 1/3 of the total, one 2/3.



To shape the large loaf:

Flatten the larger piece of dough into an approx. 8x12 inch oval, then roll up from a narrow end of the loaf. Pinch the seam closed and put seam side down in the 9x5 inch pan. It should come about 2/3 - 3/4 of the way up the sides of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise till about doubled, 35-45m.

With the remainder:

Small loaf:

Same as above in smaller loaf pan.

Rolls:

Cut dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball in your floured hand, and place in baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 35 m or so.

Focaccia (I've not tried this):

Flatten dough into a rectangle about 10x 15 inches with your palms and fingers. Place on large floured parchment or wax paper. Cover and let rise 20m.



And then:

Place baking stone or baking sheets on a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450F. Bake flatbread before loaf, bake rolls and small loaf at the same time.

Focaccia:

Just before baking, dimple the bread all over with your fingertips. Leaving it on the paper, transfer to the baking stone/sheet. Bake until golden, about 10m. Let cool at least 10m before serving.

Loaves and rolls:

Dust with flour or brush with melted butter (I was lazy and used olive oil). Slash loaves crosswise two or three times with a razor blade or sharp knife and immediately place (in the pan) on the baking stones or sheet. Place rolls in oven next to the loaf, also on a baking stone or sheet.

Bake rolls till golden, about 30m. Bake loaves until golden, 40m for the small loaf, 50m for the large. Transfer rolls to a rack when done. Remove loaf/ loaves from pan(s), and put back in oven for 5-10m. The corners should be firm when pinched, and the bottom when tapped should sound hollow. Let cool at least a half hour before slicing. I like it when the slices are about a half-inch thick, but if you will be making sandwiches you might want to go for a third of an inch. If not eaten immediately, rolls and sliced bread keep well in the fridge.