German potato bread (Kartoffelbrot) is a deliciously moist, soft bread. It really is multipurpose and can be used for sandwiches or fried. It has fantastic texture, that makes it taste great both as a bread or a savory pie base.
I took this recipe from The Hairy Biker's Big Book of Baking.
Ingredients:
300-350 g peeled raw potatoes
1 sachet easy bake yeast (7 g)
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
1 tsp fine sea salt
300 g strong white flour (or 100 strong wholemeal flour and 200 g strong white flour)
Method:
Cut the potatoes into even chunks and place in a large saucepan.
Cover the potatoes with cold water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat slightly and cook for 15-20 minutes until they are tender, but not falling apart. Drain the potatoes 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 75-80 ml of the warm cooking liquid into a large bowl and leave to cool for a few minutes. When it's lukewarm, sprinkle over the yeast.
Stir in the sugar and leave in a warm place for about 10 minutes until a light foam appears on a surface.
If you are using the mixture of wholemeal and white flour, add one extra tablespoon of the cooking liquid.
Mash the potatoes with the oil in a saucepan until they are as smooth as possible.
Then stir the yeast mixture and salt.
Mix well with a wooden 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 on to the work surface and knead the remaining flour into the dough. Don't be tempted to 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 lightly oiled clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for at least 45-60 minutes, or until well risen and spongy to touch. This is how it should look when ready.
Knock back the dough with your knuckles.
