Potato bread

Prepare the Dough

1. Prepare your potatoes by peeling, cutting into chunks, boiling, and mashing them. Reserve 1 cup of your potato water.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add your water, yeast, and honey. Let this mixture set until the yeast becomes bubbly and frothy, about 5 minutes.
3. Once yeast is ready, add to your mixer the salt, ¾ cup of mashed potatoes, and 2 ½ cups of flour. Mix on low speed until everything comes together completely.
4. At this point you may need to add some more of your flour, add it in ¼ cup at a time until your dough comes together well, it shouldn’t be a very wet dough, but it should be tacky.
5. Mix on medium speed for an additional 5-7 minutes to further develop the gluten.
6. Remove dough from mixer and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with saran wrap or a warm damp towel until dough doubles in size, about an hour.

Shape and Rise the Dough

1. Once the dough has doubled in size, beat the gas from it and give it a fold. To fold your dough, remove it from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface. Pound it flat with your hands and fold in half, patting flat, then in half the other way.
2. Bring the dough together into another loose ball and place back into oiled bowl.
3. Let the dough rest an additional 30 minutes.
4. Once the dough has rested and risen again remove it from oiled bowl and place it again on a floured surface.
5. This loaf will be formed into a round. Pound the dough out to degass it, you will bring all the dough around into one central point. Turn the loaf around, seam side down, and round it against the table in a circular motion.
6. Place the loaf in a round bowl lined with parchment paper. Cover to proof for about 30-40 minutes, until it is just about doubled in size.

Bake the Bread

1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit while loaf is proofing and heat your enamel coated cast iron pot in the oven. Your cast iron pot should be preheated with your oven so your loaf begins baking in it as soon as it’s placed in.
2. When loaf is ready, score the top with an X using a lame blade or knife, gently lift the parchment with the loaf out of the bowl and put it in your preheated cast iron pot. Bake for 35-45 minutes, check the color and temperature after 35 minutes, it should be a golden brown and temp out to 190° Fahrenheit.