Homemade Potato Bread



Gluten intolerance has become a huge problem for many people.  Don't eat bread made with poor quality wheat and filled with other additives that are not good for you (just about any store bought bread or pastry).  Today's mass-produced poor quality wheat is causing many problems, from obesity to digestive issues for so many people, don't become the next victim.  Purchase heirloom wheat berries, get a grinder, and grind your own.  The bread that you can make at home is incredibly better than anything you can buy.  This modification of the potato roll recipe is amazing. 

Eat less bread but when you do, make sure it is excellent quality and appreciate it as a delectable treat!  This homemade bread with homemade butter and raw honey was certainly a delicious treat for us.



 



Ingredients (2 loaves):

3 small or 2 medium potatoes (~ 1 1/2 cups mashed)

~ 1 1/2 cups potato water

3 tsp baking yeast

1/2 stick butter, room temperature

1/3 cup honey

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp fine sea salt

many cups (~ 4 or 5) of wheat berries, ground*

 

Wash and peel potatoes, then cube and place into filtered water.  Be sure the potatoes are covered and that you have more than 1 1/2 cups of water, since some will evaporate.  Bring to a gentle boil and allow to cook until soft (about 20 minutes).  Turn off heat and allow to cool until just warm (baby bottle temperature or about 80 °F).

 

Remove potatoes from water and mash with a fork.  Then add the yeast to 1 1/2 cups of the cooled, slightly warm, potato water and allow to sit for about 5 minutes (do not stir).  After 5 minutes, pour yeast mixture into a large bowl and add potatoes, eggs, butter and honey.  Lastly stir in the sea salt.

 

Now it is time to start adding flour.  I start by stirring in a cup of freshly ground flour* at a time, using a wooden spoon to stir.  Once a batter starts to form, be careful to not cut through the dough as you stir.  Continue to fold in flour with a sturdy wooden spoon until you can start kneading the bread with your hands (it will still be sticky at this point).  Continue to knead in flour (I use pastry fine flour at this point as I stated below*), until the dough in smooth and just slightly sticky.  Oil a large bowl, cover with a wet cloth and place in a warm location (ideally about 85 °F).  Allow to rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until about doubled in size.  Punch down dough and allow to rise another 45 minutes to an hour. 

 

Butter and flour a bread pan (I like to use my ceramic stone bread pan).  Shape dough into a loaf and place in pan.  Allow to rise for another 30 to 45 minutes.  

Preheat oven to 400 °F.  With a knife, gently slice across the top of the dough.  Place in oven and immediately turn down heat to 325 °F.  Bake for 45 minutes or until done.

 

 

 

*  I like to use a mix of different organic berries.  Hard white organic wheat berries are nice for bread, along with heirloom berries such as Einkorn, Emmer or Kamut wheat berries.  For bread, I grind my wheat berries coarser to bread flour consistency.  Not until almost all the flour is incorporated, as I am kneading the bread with my hands, do I start adding flour that is ground to a fine pastry consistency.  For the last cup or two of wheat that is added, I use soft white whole wheat berries, ground to pastry flour consistency.