Potato Bread with a Steady Rise

Set out all-purpose flour, kosher salt, and granulated sugar before you start Potato Bread with a Steady Rise. The batch is written for 12 people.

Count on 30 minutes of prep, 30 minutes of cooking, 1 hour of resting, about 3 hours from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

• 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup whole milk
• 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast 1 package
• 1 ¾ cups mashed potatoes cooled
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed

How the cooking goes

Make the potatoes

1. Set your washed potatoes in a pot. They can be whole or chopped.
2. Just cover the potatoes in water. This will help prevent the potatoes from absorbing too much moisture.
3. Warm it until it boils and cook until fork tender. Drain the liquid and mash the potatoes while still warm.
4. Cool the potatoes at ambient temperature and place them well-wrapped in the fridge.

Make the dough

1. In a small bowl, add active dry yeast. Keep it to one side.
2. Warm milk in a small saucepan or microwave. Add a little cold milk to the warm milk until it reaches 100-110°F.
3. Measure a ¼ cup of the milk into the bowl with the yeast. Stir the yeast mixture gently and allow it to bloom for 10 minutes before adding it to the dough.
4. While you wait for the yeast to bloom, combine the all-purpose flour, salt, and sugar in a medium mixing bowl and keep it to one side.
5. In the bowl of a electric mixer, add the eggs and the cooled mashed potatoes. Once the yeast is bubbly, add the yeast as well.
6. Stir on low with the paddle attachment to create a smooth paste.
7. Add all the dry ingredients, switch to the dough hook attachment, then then mix on low for 15 minutes until a smooth but thick dough forms.
8. Put the butter all at once and mix on medium for 10 minutes—or as long as your electric mixer can handle!

Proof and shape

1. Turn out the dough into a lightly oiled large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Unlike the potato rolls, you bulk-proof this bread, especially with dry active yeast. the dough was absurdly cold, so you preheated the oven to 100°F, turned it off and then popped the dough bowl in. It warmed and doubled in about an hour.
2. Turn dough out onto an unfloured surface and pre-shape into a round. Bench rest for 10 minutes.
3. Final shape into a loaf by pulling it into a rectangular shape. Fold the top half of the dough down toward the center, rotate 180°, then fold the other side down, pressing. Perform 2 thumb folds by rolling the dough around the thumb of your left then then sealing the dough with the heel of the right hand. Start on the right side of the log and move across to the left.
4. Repeat once more. This dough stretches fairly easily, so you can scrunch the log shorter while performing the second thumb fold to keep it from getting too long for your pan.
5. Place seam side down in a 9×5 inch loaf pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray or buttered.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot. Let it proof until the dough has risen above the pan and feels light and airy.

Time to bake

1. Warm the oven to 350°F convection or 375°F conventional (no fan).
2. Remove plastic from the surface then bake for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 185°F.
3. Turn out onto a wire cooling rack immediately and allow it to cool until it is no longer warm before serving. Try not to let your toddler sneak a piece!
4. Slice and serve. You used it to make pesto chicken salad sandwiches. They were pretty bomb!

After it comes off the heat

Wait until the loaf is cool before slicing. Wrap it at room temperature, and freeze slices you will not eat in a couple of days.

If you want another plate from Yeasted breads, open Brioche Bread with a Steady Rise and Raisin Bread with a Steady Rise.