I love bread! And I even love more making bread! There is something magic and very satisfying about making bread: Simple ingredients such as water, flour, salt and yeast make it possible to create beautiful loaves. A few months ago I posted on another blog, how I usually bake my whole wheat bread. Having too many potatoes lately, I decided to search for a potato bread recipe. I pretty much followed the recipe, leaving the bread to rest a little bit longer.

Makes: 2 loaves of roughly 450 g
Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 800 g Potatoes
• 4 tsp. Oil
• 120 ml Cooking water from the potatoes
• 2 tsp. Dried yeast (can be instant or not)
• 600 g Flour
• 1,5 tsp. Salt

Method:

Peel potatoes and cut into 6 pieces (or so) each. Cook in unsalted water until tender. Drain, reserving the water. Place the potatoes back over low heat for several minutes, shaking the pan to steam dry. Cool and mash or rice.

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm potato water and proof for 10 minutes in a warm spot, or until bubbles form.

Mix potatoes, oil and proofed yeast together until smooth. Add the flour and mix with first gently with your hands for a few minutes. Keep on kneading for another 8-10 minutes.  It is a very different texture from a normal bread dough but it slowly turns to one.  You  can also add a bit more of the potato bread water if you fill that the bread tends to be to dry. Also you can use your kitchen machine to knead the dough but I am a huge fan on doing it with your own two hands. I find that the results turn out to be in general better.

Knead for a minute on a floured work surface, until dough is smooth and just slightly tacky. Divide the dough and place each ball in oiled bowls, turning once to coat. Cover the bowls and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour thirty minutes.

Preheat oven to 450°F with a baking stone (middle rack) for 1/2 to 1 hour before baking. Place an old baking pan on the bottom rack, ready for water.

Shape dough into a boule, or round loaf, by flattening slightly, then pulling the edges together and pinching closed. Place the loaf, seam side down, on a floured, cloth-lined bowl. Fold the edges of the cloth over the loaf and let rise for 20 to 30 more minutes.

Unmold the bread onto a peel or the back of a cookie sheet dusted with cornmeal, seam side up (seam side down produces a smooth-topped loaf). Shove the loaf into the oven and close the door, quickly.

Bake for a total of 45-50 minutes, or until internal temperature is 190°F. Use steam in the first 5 minutes (see note).

Cool bread for 20 minutes or more before slicing.

Note: Those hard crusts you love are created with steam. You may create steam in the oven for the first 5 minutes. Heat an old roasting pan on the rack below the stone and pour 2 cups of boiling water in it right after you put the bread in the oven.