Sister Jennie's Potato Bread (Bernard Clayton)

This is such a lovely bread. I like it's soft and moist texture, thanks to the star of the ingredient, mashed potatoes. I used 2 medium-sized Russet Potatoes, which makes slightly more than a cup of mashed potatoes. If you have some potatoes in your pantry and have some spare time on a weekend, make this bread, it is really nice!

The full recipe makes two really nice loaves.

The star of the ingredient : Mashed Potatoes.

And do not throw away the water from boiling the potatoes, use it to replace the water in the recipe. I used in total 4-1/2 cups of flour and used the stand mixer to do the kneading, which took about 15-20 minutes. The dough is a little sticky, so a light sprinkling of flour is needed to prevent sticking. After the first rise, the dough is bearable to work with, as it is no longer sticky but soft. 

During baking, keep a close watch, as it will turn brown quite quickly before the bread is done baking. I tent the bread with foil at about 25 minutes after it went into the oven, and continue baking for another 20 minutes until the bread is done. I like the nice golden colour of the crust.

Lovely bread with wonderful moist texture.

And soft!

Makes the perfect sandwich bread. And great with just a spread of salted butter, don't forget that cup of coffee or tea!

Our breakfast sandwich, with ham, slices of cheese and lettuce green! Yummilicious! We even had it with Sunny Side-up Eggs made into sandwich with lettuce green and our favourite mayonnaise-mustard-tomato sauce. 

Sister Jennie's Potato Bread
(adapted from "Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads")
1 cup plain mashed potatoes (instant flakes and water are fine)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt (I use 1/3 teaspoon, as butter is salted)
1 package dry yeast (2-1/4 tsp)
1/2  cup hot water (120F -130F) (I use water from boiling the potatoes)
4 to 5 cups bread or all-purpose flour, approximately (I use in total 4-1/2 cups)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

Baking pans : 2 medium (8" x 4") baking pans, greased or Teflon

In a large mixer or mixing bowl combine the potatoes, eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, yeast, warm water, and 2 cups flour. Stir into a rough batter. Kneading will come later.

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set aside until the batter doubles in volume, 1-1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, cream the butter with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Set aside

Remove the plastic wrap and beat down the batter. Stir in the creamed butter and sugar. Add the balance of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, using a wooden spoon or a mixer flat beater. When the batter gets heavy, replace the beater with a dough hook. The dough will be a rough, shaggy mass that will clean the sides of the bowl. If the dough continues to be moist and sticky, sprinkle with small amounts of flour.

Place the dough in a mixing bowl and pat with buttered or greased fingers. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave until the dough has risen to above twice its original volume, about 1-1/2 hours. You can test if it has risen by poking a finger into it; the dent will remain if it is ready.

Punch down the dough, turn it out onto the work surface again, and knead for 30 seconds to press out the bubbles. With a sharp knife, divide the dough in half. Shape into balls. Let rest under a towel for 3 to 4 minutes.

Form the loaves by pressing each ball into a flat oval, roughly the length of the buttered pan. Fold the oval in half, pinch the seam tightly to seal, tuck under the ends, and place in the pan, seam down.

Place the loaves in a warm place, cover with wax or parchment paper, and let rise to double in volume, above the edge of the pans, 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375F, 20 minutes before baking.

Bake the loaves until they are golden brown, about 40 minutes. Turn the loaf out of its pan and tap the bottom crust with a forefinger. A hard, hollow sound means the bread is baked. If not, return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. If the tops of the loaves appear to be browning too quickly, cover with a piece of foil or brown sack paper. Midway during baking and again near the end of it, shift the pans so the loaves are exposed equally to temperature variations in the oven.

(If using a convection oven, reduce heat 50 degrees).

Remove the bread from the oven. Turn out from the pans and place on a metal rack to cool before slicing.

This loaf will keep well for several days at room temperature. It will keep for 4 to 5 months at 0 degrees in the freezer.

It makes fine toast.

*************************

I'm linking this post to  Little Thumbs Up - July 2014 Event: Potato - organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by Jasline of Foodie Baker .

and
Cook-Your-Books #14 @ kitchen flavours