This thick polish potato bread has a nice moist crumb and tastes fresher and more delicious than grocery store potato rolls. The bread is a great use for leftover mashed potatoes , but you can also use instant if that’s what you have on hand. Take note that it’s important to use filtered water; the chemicals in tap water can kill the yeast and disrupt the proofing (rising) process.
Can This Recipe Be Kneaded by Hand?
Yes! If you don’t have a stand mixer or bread machine, you can certainly knead the dough by hand. But remember, the dough should still be a bit tacky but not too sticky. So, be careful not to add too much flour.
Storing and Freezing
To store baked bread, double wrap the cooled loaves in plastic film or aluminum foil. Then, place in freezer-safe, zip-top bags. Frozen bread will keep for about 6 months. Remove from the freezer and let thaw to room temperature while still wrapped.
It’s best to not store bread in the refrigerator, since the fridge tends to dry out bread loaves.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/3 pound Russet potatoes (give or take an ounce or two)
- 1 packet dry yeast
- 2 2/3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Oil
- Butter
INSTRUCTIONS
- Wash the potato(es) and bring to a boil in salted water with the skin on, or as they would say in Poland “in its uniform.” Simmer until tender and a fork can be inserted easily to the center. Cool in the water. Reservinge the cooking water, and allow the potato to cool. Peel the potato and rice or mash until smooth.
- To a mixing bowl, add the yeast, mashed or riced potato, flour, salt, and 1 cup of the potato cocoking water. Using a stand mixer with a dough hook or a wooden spoon to combine until all of the flour is incorporated and the mixture forms a slightly sticky dough.
- Put into a large, oiled bowl, turn to grease the top of the dough. Cover and let rise for about an hour, until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease a loaf pan. Add the dough to the prepared pan. The dough is a little soft for rolling into a loaf, but make sure it’s distributed evenly across the pan and the top is relatively smooth. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, until the crust is brown, and the internal temperature has reached 190° F. Remove from over and brush the top of the loaf with butter. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then move to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing.
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