Extra-Soft Potato Bread
This potato bread is soft and tender with a springy, bouncy crumb.
Serves10
Makes1 loaf
Prep20 minutes
Cook25 minutes to 45 minutes
Just the thought of a freshly baked loaf of bread invokes warm, cozy feelings. Making bread at home is a worthy endeavor, and with the right recipe (such as this one!) it can be simple and rewarding. This potato bread is almost cartoon-like in its perfection: soft and tender with a springy, bouncy crumb. It makes golden, buttery-smelling toast and is perfect for almost any sandwich you can think of.
Potato bread is special because potatoes are great at holding onto moisture, which makes this loaf of bread extra-soft. The starches in the potato also help the loaf stay fresh for longer.
Most recipes for potato bread call for mashed potatoes, either leftover from dinner or a small batch specially made for the bread. When I tried it that way during my tests, there was so much scope for variation that it was hard to pin a great, consistent recipe — everyone makes mashed potatoes differently! And mashing one solitary potato just for this recipe seemed ridiculous. Enter: boxed mashed potato flakes! Pre-cooked and then dried, instant mashed potatoes from a box were the ideal solution. Since it’s dry, the amount of liquid in the recipe could be calibrated perfectly every single time for one successful loaf after another.
If you’ve never made bread at home before, this is a great starting place. The stand mixer does all the hard work, and shaping the loaf is easy. And thanks to the butter in the dough, the bread smells absolutely amazing as it bakes in the oven.
Is Potato Bread Made from Potatoes?
Potato bread, as the name implies, has some amount of potato added to the dough. The amount and type of potato varies from recipe to recipe. In this recipe, boxed instant mashed potatoes or potato flakes are used, while a lot of other recipes frequently call for regular mashed potatoes (like the sort that graces your dinner table). Some other recipes call for the water in which potatoes are boiled as the potato component of the bread.
How to Store Potato Bread
Here are some tips for optimal bread storage.
- Most yeast breads, like this potato bread, keep well in a brown paper bag, linen sack, or bread bin. Don’t wrap bread tightly in plastic wrap — it’s prone to spoiling because of the trapped moisture.
- Never store bread in the fridge. The cold and dry environment makes bread go stale quicker.
- The freezer, on the other hand, is an excellent option for bread. Store bread in a zip-top bag in the freezer where it will keep for at least a month. For ease, slice the bread before freezing so you can simply take out one or two slices at a time instead of trying to hack at a big hunk of frozen bread.
How Long Does Potato Bread Last?
Homemade potato bread will last slightly longer than other homemade breads because of the moisture-retaining properties of potato. Store potato bread at room temperature for up to three days.
Potato Bread Recipe
This potato bread is soft and tender with a springy, bouncy crumb.
Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 25 minutes to 45 minutes
Makes 1 loaf
Serves 10
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1/2 stick
(2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups
bread flour, plus more for counter
- 1/2 cup
instant mashed potato flakes
- 1/4 cup
granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon
dried instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon
kosher salt
- 1 cup
water
- 1
large egg
Cooking spray, for pan
Instructions
Let 1/2 stick unsalted butter sit at room temperature until softened, about 45 minutes.
Place 3 cups bread flour, 1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon instant yeast, and 1 tablespoon kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Whisk with a fork to combine.
Add 1 cup water and 1 large egg. Mix the dough on low speed until it is soft, smooth, and starts to come away from the sides of the bowl, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the butter and continue to mix on low speed until butter is fully incorporated, 4 to 5 minutes. The dough will likely stick to the sides of the bowl. Use a rubber spatula or a plastic bowl scraper to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Cover with a plate or lid. Let the dough rest until puffy and risen, 45 to 90 minutes. It may come close to doubling in size but will be OK if doesn’t. (If your room is warm, the dough will rise faster; in a cool room, the dough will take longer.)
Lightly grease a 8 1/2x4 1/2-inch metal loaf pan with cooking spray. Alternatively, lightly brush with oil or softened butter. Line the pan with parchment paper, letting the excess hang over the long sides to form a sling.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Turn the dough out onto the floured counter and, using your hands, pat it into a roughly rectangular shape. The size and thickness don’t really matter. The dough may be soft and even slightly tacky but should not be so sticky that it is hard to work with. Roll the dough into a log about the size of the pan and transfer to the prepared pan. Cover the pan loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let it rest until it has risen about 1 inch above the surface of the pan, 60 to 90 minutes.
Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Uncover the bread and bake until it is deep golden-brown on top, 25 to 45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should register 200°F.
Remove the bread from the oven and let it rest in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Potato bread can be stored at room temperature in a paper or cloth bag or in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezing: Like most breads, potato bread freezes very well. Slice bread then and freeze slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. When slices are frozen, transfer to a large zip-top bag and store in the freezer for up to 1 month. Toast directly from frozen.