“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.”

James Beard (1903-1985)


Monday, April 26, 2010

BBB - Potato Bread with Chives

As soon as the Bread Baking Day Challenge hits, I know it's only days until the Bread Baking Babes publish their monthly recipe. They were the first challenge I participated in and I find it most rewarding.

So, too, this month's Bread Baking Buddies. Sara from I Like To Cook came up with a potato bread with chives for us to bake. Oh, how I love potato bread! It is moister, more pleasant to work with and always comforting. It is reason enough to boil an extra tater or two for dinner, so that the leftovers can be processed the next day in a lovely loaf of bread. But what I didn't have were chives, so I set out to meet my friend Lynn at the local nursery. She was going to look at trees and I would look at eh...chives. Kind of the same thing, only different.

Back home, I had the chives, the flour but no boiled potatoes or soy milk. Oops. I don't care for soy milk so "cheated" by using real moo juice and potato flakes. It worked like a charm! The dough rose beautifully and was bubbly, soft and light. For some extra texture (I like chewy crusts) I proofed the bread in a banneton and baked it in a pre-heated enamel Dutch oven, lid on, in a 450F degree oven. The smell of the bread, the look and the taste definitely say Spring!

Half of the bread was gone by evening, and tonight I made leftover steak sandwich with two slices of the chives bread.....yummm!!!!!

Potato Bread with Chives

from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson

"The addition of mashed potatos gives this bread a moist, dense texture and delicate flavor that is accented by that of the chives. This bread is best eaten slightly warm from the oven on the day it is made. It is also good toasted."

2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar or pure maple syrup
2 Tb corn oil
2 tsp salt
1 cup cold mashed potatos
1 cup soy milk or other dairy free milk
5 cups unbleached all purpose flour, plus more for kneading
2 Tb minced fresh chives

In a large bowl, combine the yeast and 1/4 cup of the water. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes, then stir in the remaining 3/4 cup of water, the corn oil and the salt. Mix in the potatos, then stir in the soy milk. Add about half the flour, stirring to combine, then work in the remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Transfer to a lightly floured board.

Lightly flour your hands and work surface. Knead the dough well until it is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes, using more flour as necessary so the dough does not stick. Place in a large lightly oiled bowl and turn over once to coat with oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or lightly oiled piece of plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, lightly oil a large baking sheet and set aside. Punch the dough down and knead lightly. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, sprinkle with the chives, and knead until the dough is elastic and the chives are well distributed, 3 to 5 minutes. Shape the dough into one large or two small round loaves and place on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly and cover with a clean damp towel or lightly oiled plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place and let rise again until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400'F. Use a sharp knife to cut an X into the top of the loaf or loaves. Bake on the center oven rack until golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes, depending on size. Tap on the bottom of the loaf or loaves - if they sound hollow, the bread is done. Remove from the sheet and let cool slightly on a wire rack before slicing.
 
 

12 comments:

  1. Great loaves!!! Good thinking to work with what you have and still be able to make it... Yay for stuffed cupboards ;)) Thanks for baking with us.

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  2. Nope that's not cheating ... I sure hope not because that's what I did!
    Very beautiful loaf. A steak sandwich ... now that's a different take on steak and potatoes ;-)

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  3. Ooh so nice!! Moo juice, that's what I did! That sandwich sounds like it has my name on it too.

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  4. Lien, I love having stuff cupboards! I'm a big believer in self-suffiency and being prepared. Thank you for letting me bake with you girls!

    MKIHC: didn't think of it that way, but yes, it is a different take on the steak/potato thing, isn't it? And a nice one too, I must admit! I wonder if I can bake a stuffed potato bread, with little bits of bacon, chives and some sour cream? Might be really good!

    Baking Soda: I'm so glad you used the milk too, I felt a bit guilty. And you should definitely try it out, a steak sandwich with this type of bread is very, very tasty!

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  5. Stuffed potato bread ... bacon you say ... how could it not be wonderful.

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  6. I know...I've been thinking about how to bake a bread like that all evening...a baked potato bread.....yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....I'm going to give it some thought! But only with REAL bacon, none of that bacon bits stuff :-)

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  7. Your bread looks delicious! Thanks very much for joining us as a Buddy this month.

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  8. To be honest...I cheated as well. So is a Babe does , why can't you ???
    Thanks for baking with us , Buddie Babe

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  9. Now that's some good looking potato bread!

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  10. Had to giggle about the "moo juice". We always have soy milk in the house because I make my oatmeal with it (no dietary restrictions, I just like it), so I didn't even have to cheat for the challenge ;o). Nice looking loaf!

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  11. What a beautiful bread. This also was my first BBB challenge. Can't wait for the next one. See you back here soon.

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  12. Beautiful Bread! Thanks so much for baking with us this month!

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