THE Best Potato Bread

Have you ever enjoyed a warm piece of freshly sliced potato bread fresh out of the oven, slathered in melting honey-butter? Seriously, a little slice of heaven. Because who doesn't want a little slice of heaven now and again? Right? Or who wants the feeling like you're being wrapped in a fuzzy warm blanket on a cold winter's morning enjoying a fresh slice of homemade bread with your breakfast and hot chocolate?

I am super excited to share THE Best Potato Bread recipe out there with you guys. I've worked to make this the best there is. So light and fluffy~ and easy! There really is nothing that can beat the delicious taste and aroma of fresh, homemade bread. You'll love baking this recipe and sharing it with friends and family. And get some practice in the fine art of baking bread too.

I used to be scared to death to even attempt to make bread. I had no idea how yeast worked, and kneading for 10 minutes strait just sounded like so much fun! Not. Even being scared to death, that little 'self-reliant' part of me always had the desire to learn. I always thought to myself, "how cool would that be if I could actually make bread at home from scratch? Then I wouldn't have to buy it at the store anymore...' When I finally received a heavy duty kitchen aid stand mixer for Christmas a couple years ago, it gave me the courage to finally start my bread baking journey.

Potato bread is great because the potato itself adds moisture to the bread, giving it an extra softness too. In this recipe, you can use left over mashed potato, or even instant mashed potato. In this post, I'll go over a few important tips I've learned when making basic bread recipes.

The first thing I would recommend is purchasing an instant read food thermometer if you don't already have one. This tool is the number one tool I always recommend to anyone who has a desire to become a good cook. It will seriously save your life! (Plus countless recipes too.)

Yeasted breads can be tricky because of, well, yeast. When making bread, you want the temperature of your liquid ingredients to be about 110 degrees F. This makes the yeast very happy (the perfect temperature to activate it) and it will do what it's supposed to do; create bubbles that will 'leaven' or raise your dough. In the past I always burned my yeast to death by using milk/water that was too hot, and I'd have an epic fail on my hands.

If you've never baked home made bread in a loaf pan (in the oven) before, there's a technique to properly placing the dough in the pan for the second rise.

Divide the dough in half equally. Take one half of the dough and roughly shape it into a rectangle that's about as wide as your loaf pan. Roll the dough out so it's about 1/2 to 1/4 inch thick, doing your best to maintain the width of the rectangle.

Then gently roll it from one short end to the other. Turn the dough up and pinch shut the seams on the bottom and sides. Place the rolled dough seam side down in the loaf pan, pressing it gently so the dough touches all sides. Repeat with the remaining portion. I put the loaf pans back in the warm oven to rise again, loosely covering them with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. Don't use a towel. I know that's the way grandma used to do it, but that's because grandma didn't have plastic wrap :0)

When baking your bread, it's done when the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F. Once again our handy instant read thermometer is a life saver. Insert it just above the rim of the loaf pan down towards the center of the bread.

Baking really is an art form that has a million different techniques and variants that can have a significant impact on how your loaves turn out. The bread can be affected by the type of flour you use to the humidity in your home. Even the altitude can influence the way your bread bakes. Don't let these factors intimidate you! Just keep trying, and you'll learn something new each time you bake. I think that baking bread is an excellent skill that everyone should learn :0) Enjoy the journey!

THE Best Potato Bread

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: about 2 hrs 45 minutes

Cook Time: 25 to 35 minutes

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Ingredients (2 loaves)

• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 package of Rapid Rise active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup milk, heated to 110 degrees
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour (about), more for dusting work surface

Instructions

1. Begin by turning your oven to the warm setting and move an oven rack to the center position. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the mashed potatoes, eggs and butter. Next, Mix in the sugar, salt, yeast and warm milk until fully incorporated.

2. At this time, switch the warm setting off on your oven. Switch out the paddle of your stand mixer and replace with the dough hook. On low speed (2), slowly add the first three cups of flour, one cup at a time, until the dough comes together around the hook. Knead for 5 minutes. If the dough is still sticking to the bottom, then add a tablespoon more flour. Continue to let the machine kneed the dough for about 4 more minutes, adding more flour a tablespoon at a time if needed, until the dough no longer sticks. The dough should knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. With the machine off and unplugged, gently press your finger into the dough. If it 'bounces back' a bit and doesn't stick to your finger, it's done. If not, add another tablespoon to 1/4 cup flour and knead for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the dough firms up and isn't sticky.

3. Dump out the dough ball onto a lightly floured surface. Round the dough with your hands and place it in a lightly greased mixing bowl. Turn the dough over so the side with grease on it now faces up. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let it rise in the warm oven until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

4. Remove the dough from the oven and punch it down to deflate. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface large enough to roll it out. Divide the dough into two even halves. Roll the dough into a long rectangle. It should be about as wide as the loaf pan you plan to bake it in. Carefully roll the dough from short end to short end, and pinch and fold the ends underneath along the seam. Place the dough, seam side down, in a lightly greased bread/loaf pan. Cover lightly (aka don't pull tight the edges) with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat for the other loaf and place pans back in the warm oven to rise again for 45 minutes to 1 hour. You're ready to bake it when the dough has risen about 1 inch above the rim.

5. Gently remove the loaf pans from the oven, placing them somewhere draft free, and heat it to 375 degrees. Bake the loaves on the middle rack for 25 to 35 minutes, or until internal temp reaches 190 degrees. Remove and dump out onto a wire rack to cool on their sides for approximately 1 hour. Slice and serve, or wrap tightly with plastic wrap and then tin foil to store in the freezer.

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