About Plain Bread
Potato bread is like a traditional white bread but with mashed potatoes added in to replace some of the flour. No one will know the difference in taste, but they will rave over the soft texture. Potato bread is essentially wheat bread with a mashed potato worked into the dough.It has the most wonderful crust. And the light, but firm, structure with generous craggly holes make for the most fantastic toast. (All those nooks and crannies? Perfect butter and jam receptacles.) With all of the artisan breads available at the markets these days it’s a wonder anyone makes their own bread anymore. But I have yet to find freshly baked potato bread at the market, and making it at home is easy, especially if you have a mixer or bread machine.
Anna Wong –
“How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex”
Bakery Quote
I recently came across a basic recipe for potato bread (called Hot Loaf) in MK Fisher’s classic How to cook Wolf written during WWII with essays on keeping the wolves of hunger at bay when food and money are scarce.
“There is not a thing that is more positive than bread”
Lady Gaga
What
That said, bread making really is an art that improves with practice. This recipe is flexible and forgiving, so it’s a good one to try if you are just starting your home breadmaking adventures. Making potato bread can be intimidating, but I walk you through the process step by step. My instructions and pictures below are so helpful because I wanted you to have detailed help along the way. Follow the recipe card and tips below for everything you need to know before making this recipe.
Inspire
On the island of Ireland, potato bread or cakes known as boxty (Irish: bacstaí) were popular, and may have been a result of the floury types of potatoes that were common in the country.
Potato farls are one large round divided into four quadrants or square slices (usually around 0.5–1 cm in thickness) of soft potato bread, lightly powdered with flour and are common in Ulster, especially Northern Ireland. They are traditionally used as one of the distinguishing items of food in an Ulster fry, where they are shallow-fried on both sides for a short time and served with soda farls cooked in the same way. They can also be grilled and buttered, or eaten with a variety of toppings.
Apple potato cake or “fadge” was cooked in Ireland in autumn, when cooking apples were available, and very popular in the north-east of the country. Freshly cooked potatoes are mixed with melted butter, salt, and flour. It is a potato bread wrapped, pastry-like, around a sweet filling of apples
Conclusion
Potato bread is a soft white bread with the addition of mashed potatoes in the ingredients. The potatoes add a fluffy texture to the bread that makes it perfect for sandwiches, toast, or warmed with jam.