We all know by now that a potato is one of the best dough improvers out there. I’ve made a full video on the use of potatoes in breadmaking. You can find it in the Principles of Baking playlist. A few potato recipe videos can also be found on the channel.
Usually, the amount of potato is relatively low. It does not take a lot to get a great effect. However, recently I posted a recipe in which I replaced all of the liquid with mashed sweet potatoes. It worked extremely well. But the thing with sweet potatoes is that they are less starchy, and they are a lot wetter when fully cooked.
In order to replace all the liquid in a recipe with mashed white potatoes we need to use quite a bit more. In fact, this recipe has more potatoes than flour. 133% if we’re talking about baker’s percentage. By the feel of it I can tell that it could easily take even more. I’ll leave those experiments up to you. I’m just wondering at which point we can still call it bread?!
When used moderately potatoes make bread extra light and puffy. When used excessively like in this recipe, the potatoes make the bread extra moist and squishy. These buns would be great for some sturdy burgers.
The recipe makes 6 buns. You can divide the dough into 5 pieces to make larger ones or not divide it at all to make a loaf.
Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.
Ingredients
For the scald –
400g (14.1oz) piping hot freshly boiled white potatoes
6g (0.21oz) salt
15g (0.53oz) butter
50g (1.75oz) white bread flour
For the main dough –
4g (0.14oz) instant dry yeast or 4.8g (0.17oz) active dry yeast or 12g (0.42oz) fresh yeast
1 egg yolk
250g (8.8oz) white bread flour
To glaze and top –
1 egg white
Sesame seeds
To learn more about no-knead bread dough temperature control click here.
The flour I use has a protein content of 13%. If your flour is weaker, then you may need to lower the hydration.
If you are using active dry yeast, then you may need to let it sit in the water for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients or else it could take a lot longer to raise the dough.
Method
- Make the scald. Boil the potatoes for 25 minutes or until completely soft. Mash the potatoes together with the salt, butter, and flour. Cover and leave to cool down.
- Make the dough. Add the yeast and the egg yolk to the scald. Mix well. Add the flour and mix to a dough. *Desired dough temperature 27C (80F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. My kitchen was warm, so my dough tuned out warmer than usual.
- Cover and ferment for 30 minutes.
- Fold.
- Ferment for 30 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Pre-shape and rest for 15 minutes.
- Shape and place in a non-stick lined baking tray.
- Cover and final proof for 45 minutes. If your kitchen is cooler, it will take longer.
- Brush the dough balls with whisked egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake at 170C (340F) fan on for 30 minutes.
Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.
Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.
