Tuesday 26 February 2013

Potato bread

Last time I made this was 2 yrs ago when my Dad & Mum had visited us. So I was a bit rusty. But got the hang of it pretty soon. So am pleased with my brain indeed. Potato breads have soft crusts, moist soft centre and are perfect for sandwiches. Naz described it as "as soft as cloud" today. This bread needs mashed potatoes, ermm, it is called "potato bread" after all. So wash, peel and cook 2 medium or 3 small potatoes in water (no salt). Drain and reserve the potato water and mash the potatoes. The mashed potatoes should make around 1 and 1/2 cup in measure. Now for the recipe


You will need: 
3/4 cup + 1 tbsp potato water (cooled down to room temperature)
2 tbsp sunflower oil
3 and 1/4 cup white bread flour
1 and 1/2 cup cooled cooked mashed potato
1 tbsp nonfat milk powder
1 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp rapid raise yeast





If using full fat milk powder reduce the oil by 1/2 tbsp and if using active dried yeast make sure it is suitable for bread machine (if using the machine). For bread machine just place all the ingredients in the order given or follow the machine instructions (some start with yeast first) and set for basic medium bread. 10 mins before the baking starts, glaze the top of the loaf with milk (this gives the soft crust). If hand kneading the dough, then mix flour, salt, milk powder in the bowl and rub in the oil. Activate yeast in a little bit of the potato water and sugar and add this and potatoes to the flour and knead. Add more or less potato water to make a slightly sticky dough and knead until smooth. Cover with damp cloth and let it raise for 1 hr. Punch it down again and gently knead for another 5-10 mins, re-cover with the damp cloth and let it raise again for another 45 mins. This time shape the dough, i.e, roll out the dough on floured surface into a rectangle the length of your loaf pan but three times the width. Along the width, fold the top 1/3 down and the bottom 1/3 up to form the loaf. Place the dough into the loaf pan, cover with damp cloth and let it raise for another 1/2 hr. Before placing in the oven glaze the top of the loaf with milk. Bake at 200 degree Celsius for 40-45 mins until golden brown on top. Here you see the soft loaf with "fluffy as cloud" inside and soft crust. This bread is usually a huge hit. By the time I grabbed the camera to click the LO had taken a piece from the middle (you can still a hole like a rat took a bite there). Not the one in the crust which was due to the bread machine's paddle, I mean the one in the "soft" middle. I found her sneaking into the living room with her gains :))
Here is Anjalie with the missing
piece from the middle!











I usually make this bread the day after or on the same day I make vegetable cutlets. The benefit to combine the two is veggie cutlets need mash potatoes, so,I get to make extra 1 and 1/2 cup of mash potatoes and save the potato water for bread saving me time the next day. Secondly, veggie cutlets make great sandwich filling for the perfect sandwich bread. 

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