Kartoffelbrot – German Potato Bread

This delicious bread is made from mashed potatoes and flour. The combination may seem a little unusual but the end result is extraordinarily soft and springy bread.

Ingredients:

300 g potatoes, peeled, boiled
1 tsp dried fast-action yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing
1 tsp fine sea salt
300g all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading

Preparation:

Cut the potatoes into equal chunks and boil. Drain them in a colander over a bowl and reserve the cooking liquid. Return the potatoes to the pan and toss over a very low heat for 2-3 minutes until any excess liquid has evaporated.
Pour 5 tbsp of the warm cooking liquid into a large bowl and leave to cool for a few minutes. When it’s lukewarm, sprinkle in the yeast. Stir in the sugar and leave in a warm place for about 10 minutes until a light foam appears on the surface.
Mash the potatoes with the oil in the saucepan until the mass is as smooth as possible, then stir in the yeast mixture and salt.
Mix well with a spoon and gradually add the flour, a few tablespoons at a time, stirring well before adding more. When the dough becomes too stiff to stir in the flour, turn it out onto the work surface and knead the remaining flour into the dough. Do not add more water, or the dough will become too sticky to work with.
Knead the dough for 10 minutes until soft and pliable. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover loosely with a kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 45–60 minutes, or until well-risen and spongy to touch.
Knead back the dough and shape it into a rough ball. Flatten the ball on a floured surface until it is about 2 cm thick, then bring the sides up to the middle to give a rustic surface to the bread. Pinch lightly to seal and sprinkle on some wholemeal flour, for additional texture, on the outside of the loaf. Place it on a lightly oiled and floured baking sheet, rough-side up, and leave to prove in a warm place for a further 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 220°C. Score the dough with a knife along the pinched line. Bake the loaf for 35 minutes until well-risen and crusty on top. Cool on a wire rack.

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