Sister Jennie's Potato Bread

Potato breads are yummy, and potatoes add some heartiness to a bread in my opinion.  You should feel free to not use instant flakes if you don’t want to.  I haven’t tried that, but he recommends it.  I think I’ll get there one day.  This is apparently a Shaker recipe. Apparently you can let it rise for longer than the 4 hours listed here, depending on the temperature of you room and the quality of your yeast.  Things are a lot more standard today than when this recipe was first created.  That’s interesting to note.  I personally thought the dough was quite beautiful.  Made me wonder if I’m a bread nerd.

Sister Jennie's Potato Bread [two medium loaves]

Bernard Clayton

INGREDIENTS     

1 cup plain mashed potatoes (instant flakes and water are fine)

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 package dry yeast

1/2 cup hot water (120°-130°)

4 to 5 cups bread flour, approximately

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

BAKING PANS: 2 medium (8"-x-4") baking pans, greased or Teflon

In a large mixing bowl combine the potatoes, eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, yeast, warm water, and 2 cups flour. Stir into a rough batter. Kneading will come later.

FIRST RISING: 1 1/2 hours

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set aside until the batter doubles in volume, 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, cream the butter with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Set aside.

Remove the plastic wrap and beat down the batter. Stir in the creamed butter and sugar. Add the balance of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, using a wooden spoon. When the batter gets heavy, replace the beater with a dough hook. The dough will be a rough, shaggy mass that will clean the sides of the bowl. If the dough continues to be moist and sticky, sprinkle with small amounts of flour.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead with a rhythmic motion of push-turn-fold. Knead for 10 minutes. The dough will be smooth and elastic when stretched between the hands.

SECOND RISING: 1 1/2 hours

Place the dough in a mixing bowl and pat with buttered or greased fingers. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave until the dough has risen to about twice its original volume, about 1 1/2 hours. You can test if it has risen by poking a finger into it; the dent will remain if it is ready.

Punch down the dough, turn it out onto the work surface again, and knead for 30 seconds to press out the bubbles. With a sharp knife, divide the dough in half. Shape into balls. Let rest under a towel for 3 to 4 minutes.

Form the loaves by pressing each ball into a flat oval, roughly the length of the bread pan. Fold the oval in half, pinch the seam tightly to seal, tuck under the ends, and place in the pan, seam down. Place the loaves in a warm place, cover with wax or parchment paper, and let rise to double in volume, above the edge of the pans, 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375° 20 minutes before baking.

Bake the loaves until they are a golden brown, about 40 minutes. Turn one loaf out of its pan and tap the bottom crust with a forefinger. A hard, hollow sound means the bread is baked. If not, return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. If the tops of the loaves appear to be browning too quickly, cover with a piece of foil or brown sack paper.

Remove the bread from the oven. Turn from the pans and place on a metal rack to cool before slicing.

This loaf will keep well for several days at room temperature.