Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Rise Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

• ▢ 12 ounces Russet potatoes or baking potatoes, about 2 medium + 1 cup of potato water
• ▢ 2 cups whole milk
• ▢ 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 packets active dry yeast or 4 ½ teaspoons
• ▢ ¼ cup melted butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon salt
• ▢ 7 to 8 cups all-purpose flour

Mash Potatoes

• Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a saucepan and add water to cover 1-inch above the potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until potatoes are tender. Reserve 1 cup of the potato water and let cool slightly.

• Drain potatoes well and mash until very smooth, cool slightly. You'll need 1 cup of mashed potatoes.

Scald the Milk

• Meanwhile, place the milk in a saucepan and heat just until the milk forms bubbles along the side of the pot or until it reaches 181°F on a thermometer. Allow the milk to cool to 105-110°F (it should be warm but not really hot).

Prepare the Dough

• Combine the reserved warm potato water (1 cup) with sugar. Sprinkle yeast over top and let sit for 10 minutes or until foamy.

• In a large bowl or a mixer with a dough hook, combine mashed potatoes, warm milk, melted butter, salt, 4 ½ cups of flour, and the yeast mixture. Mix on medium-low until combined.

• Continue adding flour, a bit at a time until the dough pulls away from the bowl. Allow to knead in the mixer on low until smooth and glossy, about 5-7 minutes.

• Place in a greased bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Rest in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

• Divide dough in half, place each half into a greased (or parchment-lined) 9×5 loaf pan. Allow to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

• While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.

• Bake the bread until golden on top, about 45-55 minutes.

This recipe makes 2 loaves, 12 slices in each loaf. 

Notes
Scalding milk means it is heated just below boiling. I use an instant-read thermometer but if you don’t have one, heat the milk just until small bubbles form along the sides of the pot. As soon as you see small bubbles on the side, remove it from the heat. Scalding the milk helps the bread rise better as it denatures some of the proteins.

If the bread begins to brown too much, loosely cover with foil.

Leftover potato bread will keep in wrapped in the refrigerator for 5 days. It can be frozen and will keep in the freezer for 6 weeks. 

Course Bread

Cuisine American