Potato Bread Perfect for Toast
This recipe is based on a recipe of Elizabeth David's, an iconic English food writer. As Elizabeth says, "Usually associated with times of grain shortage, or with a need for strict economy in the kitchen, potato bread is also advocated by some nineteenth-century writers as being the best bread for toast." David also quotes a "Doctor A. Hunter," who wrote in 1805, "...lovers of toast and butter will be much pleased with this kind of bread. The potato is not here added with a view to economy, but to increase the lightness of the bread, in which state it will imbibe the butter with more freedom..."
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water*
- 1/4 cup Baker's Special Dry Milk or non-fat dry milk
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup mashed potato**
- 4 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- *Reduce the water to 1 1/3 cups water during the summer, or if you're in a humid climate.
- **See "tips," below.
Instructions
- To make the dough: Mix and knead all of the ingredients together — by hand, mixer, or using the dough cycle on a bread machine — to make a smooth, very soft dough. Don't be tempted to add more flour; slack dough is what will give the bread its open structure, which makes it able to "imbibe the butter with more freedom."
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until it's noticeably puffy. If you started this dough in your bread machine, transfer it to a bowl to rise; you don't want to risk "dough overflow," as this is a larger-than-usual amount of flour for the typical machine.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased or floured surface, and gently deflate it. The dough is very slack, so you won't be able to shape it into a log; simply pat it into a greased 13" x 4" pain de mie pan, or a 10" x 5" loaf pan. Cover the pan, and let the loaf rise for 45 minutes to an hour, or until it's puffy. If you're using a pain de mie pan, the dough should come to within about 1/2" of the pan's rim.
- While the bread is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- If you're using a pain de mie pan, add the lid and slide it shut. Bake the loaf for 35 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes. The 10" x 5" loaf will bake for about the same amount of time: 45 minutes or so. When done, the bread will be golden brown, and its interior temperature at the center will be at least 190°F.
- Remove the bread from the oven, and after 5 to 10 minutes turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool.
- Store the bread, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1 slice (36g)
- Servings Per Batch 30
Amount Per Serving:
- Calories 69
- Calories from Fat
- Total Fat 1g
- Saturated Fat
- Trans Fat
- Cholesterol
- Sodium 160mg
- Total Carbohydrate 13g
- Dietary Fiber 1g
- Sugars
- Protein 2g
* The nutrition information provided for this recipe is determined by the ESHA Genesis R&D software program. Substituting any ingredients may change the posted nutrition information.
Tips from our bakers
- You can use mashed potato flakes, following the directions on the box. But it's just as easy to put a large, thoroughly pricked baking potato (such as an Idaho) in your microwave oven, microwave for 3 minutes, then turn over and microwave for a further 3 minutes. Let the potato cool, peel it, and mash it. This is pretty simple, and the flavor is significantly better.
