Monday, June 1, 2009

Sourdough Potato Bread

I was really craving potato bread a couple of weeks ago, but let me tell you--it's really hard to find a recipe for soft potato bread that also uses sourdough starter! I wanted that sort of soft sandwich-y bread, but also wanted to use some of my starter. I ended up adapting a recipe for Discovering Sourdough, and it really hit the spot! The bread was easy to make and it had exactly the tender texture I was looking for, along with really excellent flavor and a wonderful crunchy crust. I added some instant yeast so I could make the bread fairly quickly and some vital wheat gluten to make sure everything was perfectly soft and fluffy even with some white whole wheat flour. Yum! I will definitely be making this bread again. I'm also sending it off to the one-year anniversary edition of YeastSpotting!

Sourdough Potato Bread (adapted from Discovering Sourdough)

1 cup (9 ounces) sourdough starter
11 ounces bread flour, more as needed
5 ounces white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (4 ounces) mashed Yukon Gold potatoes
1/4 cup (2 ounces) potato water, more as needed
1/4 cup (2 ounces) milk
2 T vital wheat gluten
1 1/2 T brown sugar
1 1/2 T butter, melted and cooled
2 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp salt

1. Combine all of the ingredients except the salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Stir until just incorporated. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
2. Add the salt and knead the dough with the dough hook until smooth and supple. Add more water or flour as needed so the dough just clears the bottom and sides of the bowl. Place in an oiled bowl and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk.
3. Punch down the dough and shape into a round or oval shape. Place on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise until again doubled in bulk.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. When the dough is ready, slash the top and place in the oven. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, and then reduce heat to 400 degrees and bake for 10-15 minutes more until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

14 comments:

  1. Sara, I think you are very talented in making bread. This one is one of your best bread. Look very crusty and delicious.

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  2. It sounds yummy and looks wonderful. I need to just jump in and make a starter. You've inspired me.

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  3. This looks absolutely delightfully delicious! So stealing this recipe right now...thanks!

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  4. i love the way that looks... and it sounds great

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  5. That is seriously gorgeous bread!

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  6. Wow that bread is absolutely gorgeous! It will be a wonderful addition to Yeast Spotting!!!

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  7. Your bread looks fantastic. Bread is one of my favorite things to bake, it's so satisfying. Thanks for sharing!

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  8. Don't you love what potato does to tenderize a bread? And with what looks like an exceptionally crisp crust -- what a combination!

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  9. That is totally beautiful. Definitely on my to-do list!

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  10. This loaf is so pretty, i can only hope I will never bake something this good looking. It would break my heart to take a knife to it.

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  11. Can I omit the yeast and expect to have the same results??

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  12. @ Amanda - I'm not sure, there is a good amount of yeast so I'd sort of assume that it is necessary? Perhaps it would work without the yeast but have a longer rising time? If you try it, let me know what happens! :)

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  13. I'm always looking for a new sourdough recipe to try since I want to keep my sourdoughs starter alive! This looks like a real winner. :) It seems like the potato would make the crumb really soft and delicious, and it has such a rustic look to it too. I think I'll try this soon!

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