Potato Bread

Light and fluffy potato bread is a delicious homemade bread. Slice up this bread and use for sandwiches at lunchtime or toast in the morning with butter and honey.

Why make this bread

This recipe uses a cooked russet potato that is mashed and then added to the dough. The potato makes the bread pillowy soft. 

This bread isn't that unusual, but it does have an added cooked potato to the mixture.

You could say the potato is the secret ingredient - even though there's nothing secret about it because it is called potato bread, after all! But the potato is really a game changer in this bread.

The extra starch from the potato make this bread so delicious and soft. 

What type of potato?

I used a russet potato. You want a medium sized potato. This one fit into my hand, almost the length from my fingers to wrist. In the end you want about a cup of mashed potato. If you end up with a little more or a little less, that is okay. 

While I used a russet potato, you could also use whatever kind you have on hand. A red potato or yukon gold would be fine. Avoid a potato with a deep colored flesh as it would color your bread. This potato bread recipe is not best with instant potatoes. 

To make the bread dough

• Peel and cut potato into large chunks. 
• Boil until soft. Strain potatoes, reserving the potato water
• Mash potatoes and allow to cool 

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• In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add warm milk, yeast and honey.
• Stir briefly and let sit for 5 minutes allowing yeast to proof.

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• Add potato water, mashed potatoes, oil and salt and 2 cups of flour. Stir until mixed together.
• Continue adding flour 1 cup at a time, allowing all flour to be fully incorporated, until dough forms a ball and pulls away from the side of bowl. You might not need all the flour.
• Knead in mixer for 10 minutes.
• Remove from mixing bowl and form a ball.
• Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

• Allow dough to double - approximately 1 ½ - 2 hours.

• Gently push down dough to deflate dough.
• Divide dough in half and working with each half at a time, gently flatten dough on a clean surface into a rectangle approximately 8 x 10 inches.
• Roll dough into an oval log. Pinch the seam and poke the ends into log.
• Place each loaf of dough into a greased bread pan.

• Cover until they double in size - 30 - 45 minutes

• Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40 - 45 minutes.

Tips for making yeast bread

• Use a dough hook for mixing and kneading dough.
• Amount of flour needed varies. Add flour gradually stopping once dough forms a ball. Continue mixing and add a bit more flour if the ball spreads apart and is no longer round. 
• Rise time varies depending on temperature of environment.
• If you forget to save potato water, just use additional milk.
• Warm your milk to a temperature between 105 and 115 degrees. Anything cooler won't activate the yeast and anything hotter can kill your yeast. If you don't have a thermometer, you can drizzle the milk on your wrist. It should feel warm, but not hot.

Recipe FAQs

This bread is delicious toasted and topped with honey butter! If you find you have leftover bread, turn it into croutons . 

Other great bread recipes

If you enjoy baking bread, you'll want to check out these recipes:

• Pumpkin Seed Bread
• Honey Oat Bread
• Multigrain Bread
• White Sandwich Bread
• Homemade Pita Bread

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop

Please check out all my delicious bread recipes!