Potato Herb Bubble Bread
Everyone knows and agrees that (s)mashed potatoes are wonderful. At least, everyone should know and agree about that. I don’t know if I trust you if you don’t like (s)mashed potatoes. I threw in the ‘s’ because I prefer smashed potatoes with a bit of texture to the creamy mashed ones, but regardless of which one you like they’re all delicious.
There’s only one thing that’s not so great about (s)mashed potatoes….they don’t really make the best leftovers. Once they’ve sat in the fridge overnight, they seize up and become pasty and stiff. True, you can revive them with a little bit of milk and butter but eh…they’re probably not going to be as tasty as the day you first made them.
So, what DO you do with them?”
You could make fried/sauteed (s)mashed potato croquettes. You could make potato pancakes. You could make shepherd’s pie. You could waffle them. You can even be like me and make a ‘spread’ out of them for turkey sandwiches. (Try it sometime, it’s fantastic).
Or, if none of the above tickles your fancy, you can always bake bread.
That’s right, folks. You can take those leftover mashed potatoes and turn it into a yummy loaf of bread. It’s not magic, but the taste sure can give that impression. Curious about what adding the mashed potato does for the bread? The mashed potato acts as both a moisturizer and flavor enhancer. Interestingly enough, it will also make the dough lighter. I don’t completely understand how, but I’m no food scientist. I’m just a home cook and so long as it turns out a nice finished product, it’s fine by me.
Don’t feel restricted when it comes to shaping this bread. The recipe is flexible enough to where you could make one simple loaf with no frills, individual rolls, a braid, a round loaf in a cake pan–anything really. I took the idea of a previous post I did of Corn Bubble Bread and decided to go with it here too. The method is really simple: you divide the dough into tiny balls them layer them on top of each other in a tube pan. After the dough’s had it’s second rise and bakes off, the top forms a ‘bubble’ pattern.
If your mashed potatoes are a little stiff and/or pasty after sitting in the fridge, I would recommend thinning them out with a little bit of milk, just to make them easier to incorporate evenly throughout the dough. I also strongly suggest that they be seasoned ahead of time–this will help your bread come out tasting even better. Also, don’t be shy when it comes to adding your favorite herbs. Your efforts will be rewarded with a featherlight, chewy, savory loaf of bread that is pretty to look at, a treat to eat and simply PHENOMENAL when toasted.
Sharing at this week’s Fiesta Friday #238, co-hosted this week by Mollie @ The Frugal Hausfrau and Mikaela @ Iris and Honey.
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Potato Herb Bubble Bread
Recipe Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 3 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/3 cup, plus 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 6 tablespoons softened butter
- 1 cup cold mashed potatoes (if they’re on the stiffer side, I recommend thinning them out with some milk. They don’t need to be soupy, this is just so that they’re easier to incorporate into the dough)
- 2 heaping tablespoons of your favorite fresh herbs, finely minced (I used sage and thyme)
- 4-4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Directions
In a small bowl, pour the water. Sprinkle the yeast on top and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the sugar on top of that. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, until proofed and frothy.
Whisk together the eggs and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer (or a large bowl) pour in the yeast mixture, remaining 1/3 cup of sugar, beaten eggs, softened butter, mashed potatoes and herbs. Use the paddle attachment (or use a wire whisk) and mix together until just combined. Switch to the dough hook (or use a wooden spoon) and gradually add in the flour, one cup at a time. It’s okay if the dough is sticky. (You may not need to use all of the flour, this varies according to location and time of year.)
Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and knead it with your hands, about 8 minutes until dough is only slightly sticky and mostly smooth. (It should form one solid mass) Grease the mixing bowl, then place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap, then a damp kitchen towel. Allow to proof until doubled in size, about 1 1/2- 2 hours.
Grease one 10” tube pan. Sprinkle your work surface with flour and turn dough out onto it. Punch dough down a few times to deflate air bubbles. Use a bench scraper or a sharp knife to divide into 32 equal pieces; first 2, then 4, then 8, then 16, then 32. Roll each of the 32 pieces into balls, then arrange the balls into 2 layers in the bottom of the tube pan. Cover with plastic wrap, then a damp kitchen towel. Allow to proof until doubled in size, about 1 1/2- 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°. Remove the plastic wrap & towel, place the tub pan on a half sheet pan, then bake in the oven until golden brown and hollow on the bottom, about 40-45 minutes. (It browns/bakes fast, so check it early and cover if browning too quickly. Bread is done at 190° inner temp.) Allow to cool for about 15 minutes on a wire rack before turning out and allowing to cool completely.
This sounds tasty Jess! I remember being baffled by a recipe for cinnamon rolls that called for potatoes but I guess it’s a secret ingredient! I’m going to have give this a try!
It does truly MAGICAL things to bread, I’m telling you lol Thanks for stopping by 😉
Crazy good, Jess! I don’t know why, either, but I do know that mashed potatoes in bread do make it super soft and fluffy. You’d think it would be the opposite!
I know right! It’s like the positive cancels out the negative and ‘solves’ the problem lol Thanks Mollie 🙂