Just the thought of a freshly baked loaf of bread invokes warm, cozy feelings. Making bread at home is a worthy endeavor, and with the right recipe (such as this one!) it can be simple and rewarding.
Potato bread is special because potatoes are great at holding onto moisture, which makes this loaf of bread extra-soft. The starches in the potato also help the loaf stay fresh for longer. Most recipes for potato bread call for mashed potatoes, either leftover from dinner or a small batch specially made for the bread. When I tried it that way during my tests, there was so much scope for variation that it was hard to pin a great, consistent recipe—everyone makes mashed potatoes differently! In this easy recipe, boxed instant mashed potatoes are used for most consistent (and best!) results.
This potato bread is almost cartoon-like in its perfection: soft and tender with a springy, bouncy crumb. It makes golden, buttery-smelling toast and is perfect for almost any sandwich you can think of.
Why You’ll Love It
- This pantry ingredient is the secret to extra-soft bread. Mashing one solitary potato just for this recipe seemed ridiculous. Enter boxed mashed potato flakes!
- It’s so easy. If you’ve never made bread at home before, this is a great starting place. The stand mixer does all the hard work, and shaping the loaf is easy. And thanks to the butter in the dough, the bread smells absolutely amazing as it bakes in the oven.
Key Ingredients in Potato Bread
- Instant mashed potato flakes: Pre-cooked and then dried, instant mashed potatoes from a box works perfectly here. Since it’s dry, the amount of liquid in the recipe could be calibrated perfectly every single time for one successful loaf after another.
- Bread flour: Bread flour has more protein than all-purpose flour, which helps with gluten development.
- Butter: Cut 4 tablespoons of room temperature unsalted butter into four pieces.
- Egg: Enrich the dough with one large egg.
Storage Tips
- It keeps well in a brown paper bag, linen sack, or bread bin. Don’t wrap bread tightly in plastic wrap—it’s prone to spoiling because of the trapped moisture.
- Store at room temperature. Homemade potato bread will last slightly longer than other homemade breads because of the moisture-retaining properties of potato. Store potato bread at room temperature for up to three days.
- Never store bread in the fridge. The cold and dry environment makes bread go stale more quickly.
- Store in the freezer. The freezer, on the other hand, is an excellent option. Store bread in a zip-top bag in the freezer, where it will keep for up to a month. For ease, slice the bread before freezing so you can simply take out one or two slices at a time instead of trying to hack at a big hunk of frozen bread.
