Potato Wheat Bread

By kelsa94

Classic potato bread recipe. Adding potato to a bread recipe makes it lighter in texture and more moist, with a touch of natural sweetness.

Ingredients

• 1 1 1 cup water
• 1 1 5 medium-small potato, about 5 ounces
• 1/2 1/2 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
• 4 4 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 2 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 1/2 3 1/2 1/2 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 1/4 2 1/4 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

Preparation

Step 1

Peel the potato, and cut it into chunks. Combine it in a small saucepan with the water, which should just cover the potato (if you've cut it in small enough chunks).

Simmer the potato until it's soft. Remove the pan from the heat, and use a small food processor, blender, or hand beater to blend the potato/water into a smooth, chunk-free slurry.

Once the potato mixture has cooled to lukewarm, combine it with the remaining ingredients. Mix and knead them — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to form a smooth, supple dough.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise until puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, 60 to 90 minutes.

Lightly grease a 9X5-inch loaf pan.

Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface, shape it into a log, and fit it into the pan.

Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap (or, even better, a clear shower cap), and allow the dough to rise until its domed center is about 1-inch over the lip of the pan, about 60 to 90 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Remove the plastic, and put the bread into the oven. Bake the bread for 37 to 40 minutes, until it's golden-brown on top and tests done; a digital thermometer inserted into the center will register at least 190°F.

Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool completely. For a soft, flavorful crust, brush the loaf with melted butter while warm.

Tips from our bakers:

If you don't want to prepare the potato as directed, simply add 3/4 to 1 cup water and 5 ounces (about 2/3 cup) unseasoned mashed potato to the dough. Use the lesser amount of water to start, then add more, if necessary, to make a smooth, supple dough