The Fresh Loaf

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Sourdough Potato Bread

Prairie19's picture
Prairie19

Sourdough Potato Bread

Sourdough Potato Bread


The following recipe is based on Jeffrey Hamelman's “Roasted Potato Bread” converted to a liquid levain sourdough. The recipe is scaled down to make one loaf of about 780 grams. I think the adding potato improves crust color and makes for a milder sourdough flavor. The little flecks of potato add a surprising sweetness.


Bread Flour 318 grams

Whole Wheat Flour 68 grams

Water 193 grams

Liquid Levain (125% hydration) 153 grams

Salt 11.5 grams

Cooked Potato 114 grams


  1. Mix the levain: I have a very active starter, so I make the liquid levain about 6 to 8 hours before mixing the dough. Mix 80 grams of bread flour, 100 grams of water, and about 50 grams of mature liquid starter (125%). If you use a stiff starter add enough additional water to bring the total hydration to 125%. Cover and let stand at 70 to 75 degrees F.

  2. Cook the potatoes: If you haven't already done so, bake or boil some potatoes. Yellow fleshed potatoes such as Yukon Gold are especially nice. You can remove the outer skin or leave it on, whichever you prefer. (I take the skins off) Mash the cooked potatoes without adding any additional liquid and set aside.

  3. Mix the dough: Measure and mix all ingredients. (Save the leftover levain for the next baking.) I mix by hand in a bowl until the all the flour is totally moistened, let it set for 30 to 40 minutes, and then knead briefly with a plastic dough scraper or wet hand. Don't add any additional flour at this stage.

  4. Fermentation: Cover the bowl with plastic cling wrap and set aside at room temperature for an hour or two. At this point I usually retard the dough overnight in the fridge.

  5. Folding and Shaping: Next morning take the covered bowl of dough out of the fridge and let it set at room temperature for an hour or so. Then turn the dough out on to a floured work surface and stretch and fold about 2 or 3 times. Shape roughly. Cover the dough and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes and then do the final shaping.

  6. Final Proof: Place the shaped loaf, seam side down on parchment paper that has been dusted with corn meal. Cover the loaf with a large bowl and proof at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours or until doubled in size. When proofed, score/slash the loaf as desired. In this example I used a scissors to cut a star shape in the center of the loaf.

  7. Bake: I bake the scored loaf in a preheated cast iron pot at 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake covered for 30 minutes, remove the cover, and bake for an additional 10 to fifteen minutes. Remove the loaf and cool.

Sourdough Potato Bread - Baked in a potSourdough Potato Bread - CrumbSourdough Potato Bread - Baked in a pot



Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

for the recipe.  Love those scissor cuts.   --Mini O

susanfnp's picture
susanfnp

That is just a beautiful loaf. I have never made bread with potato but I think you've just given me the inspiration I need. Thanks for sharing.

Susanfnp

http://www.wildyeastblog.com

browndog's picture
browndog

Makes me consider lugging out the dutch oven. Very very good-looking bread.

Susan, I can't believe you've never made bread with potato! I suppose next you'll say you've never made macaroni with, uh, cheese? Potato turns bread dough into velvet.

zolablue's picture
zolablue

Your bread looks so good!

 

I have made Hamelman's roasted potato bread but just baked on a stone.  It is a wonderful, delicious recipe.

 

My grandmother's bread (Memo's brown bread) is made with both potato and potato water and that not only makes it delicious bread but potatoes have keeping qualities so bread stays fresh much longer.  I recently made Memo's white bread recipe, also using the potato and its water, and it was to die for sinful white bread with the most beautiful creamy-colored crumb.  Plus my aunt's sweet bread recipe that I make my cinnamon rolls with has potato water.  I guess they used this often in the past because it did help to keep breads longer. 

I'm dying to make potato pizza.  Don't potatoes make everything better?  (hehe)

PaddyL's picture
PaddyL

I once used purple, or blue, potatoes in some cheese twists, bread, and they came out the most awful pinky-mauve colour.  They were delicious, but the colour put us off completely.

Prairie19's picture
Prairie19

I proofed the boule (right side up) on parchment paper with an inverted bowl over the loaf to prevent it from drying out.  Then I used the parchment paper as a sling to lower it into the hot dutch oven.  If you look closely at the photo you can see the paper around the edge of the finished loaf.  Prairie19