Florentina's Potato Bread

Savory potato bread recipe, no knead, fool proof, topped with sesame seeds and sea salt flakes then baked inside a steaming hot Dutch oven until perfectly crusty and golden brown brown.

Course Baked Goods

Cuisine American Italian

Keyword no knead bread, potato bread

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 55

Rising + Rest time 2 30

Total Time 3 35

Servings people

Calories 210kcal

Author Florentina

Ingredients

3/4 lb potatoes peeled or 1 cup mashed potatoes
4.5 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp sea salt
3 tsp instant yeast
2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
1 pinch sea salt flakes (optional)

Instructions

Peel and dice the potatoes. Place in a medium pot, cover with cold water by a couple of inches and bring to a rolling boil. Salt generously with salt (1-2 Tbsp) and boil until softened. Drain in colander and allow the potatoes to dry in their own steam for a few minutes. Transfer to a bowl and mash or run through a potato ricer. Allow to completely cool.
3/4 lb potatoes peeled
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour and salt until incorporated. Add the yeast and whisk again until combined.
4.5 cups unbleached all purpose flour, 1 tsp sea salt, 3 tsp instant yeast
Add the mashed potatoes and using your hand work the potatoes into the flour until incorporated and distributed nicely throughout the flour, like making gnocchi.
Now make a well in the center and pour in the water. Use a spatula and combine the ingredients until a shaggy dough forms.
2 cups warm water
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or aluminum foil) then cover again with a tea towel. Allow the dough to rise in a draft free spot for a couple of hours for until doubled in size. You will notice bubbles forming over the surface and dough look like it wants to spill out of the bowl. You will just know!
Have a round large mixing bowl ready alongside a piece of oven safe parchment paper. Lightly sprinkle some flour over the paper.
Prepare a well floured surface like your counter, large wooden cutting board or pastry marble board.
Tilt the bowl on its side and using a well floured hand help the dough out of the bowl onto the floured surface. (Feel free to sprinkle some flour around the edges of the bowl if the dough seems too sticky for your liking).
Once onto the board the dough might look messy and spread and that’s OK. Proceed with CONFIDENCE! YOU GOT THIS!
Sprinkle some flour around the sides of the dough and over the top and with a floured hand start pulling the sides of the dough onto itself as to create a pouch. Just do your best not the tear the gluten strands, gentle stretches just to gather the loaf together.
With the help of a pastry cutter or just your hands gather the dough and flip it so that the seam ends up on the Botton. Place it on top of the prepared parchment paper. Sprinkle a little more flour around if needed and reshape the dough by gently tucking underneath as to form a tight loaf.
Pick up the parchment paper by its edges and transfer the loaf inside of the empty bowl. This will prevent spreading of the dough as the gluten bounces back and helps with an easy-breezy transfer.
Meanwhile preheat your oven to 450”F with a dutch oven inside with the lid on. Give it a good 30 to 45 minutes and even longer if you feel your loaf needs more time to spring back up. (If you over-handled the dough during shaping it’s important to give it plenty of the time for the gluten strands to spring back and prevent having a dense loaf).
Have a place ready to safely rest the hot cast iron lid. (Use oven gloves and get the dogs and kids out of the kitchen). Remove the hot lid.
Use a bread lame or serrated knife and carve an X in the top of the loaf. Optional to sprinkle with the sesame seeds and a pinch of sea salt flakes, I think you should. ( Note: for better adherence of the seeds you can lightly brush the top of the dough with water).
2 Tbsp sesame seeds, 1 pinch sea salt flakes
Carefully pick up the edges of the parchment paper and transfer the dough to the preheated cast iron dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes carefully remove the lid using oven mitts and continue baking the bread uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown to your liking on top.
Remove the bread from the oven and either dump out the dough (should slide right out) or pick up the parchment paper by its edges and lift it out.
Place the bread on top of a cooling rack on its side and allow to cool for a good 15 to 20 minutes before slicing. By placing the loaf on its side you allow plenty of space for the steam to escape and yielding a crusty crust of the bread.

Notes

Instant Yeast vs Active Dry - In the last few years of baking I have found instant yeast to always be reliable to work with while active dry is a hit or miss. Please use the instant kind whenever possible.
Toppings - Black and white sesame seeds make such a nice topping for this bread. Their nuttiness really comes through as they toast in the oven balanced by a salty sprinkling of sea salt flakes. Pumpkin seeds / pepitas, caraway seeds and even rosemary would be a nice variation on this.
Cooling the Loaf - Once your bread is out of the dutch oven is super important to allow it to cool and the trapped steam to escape, this will result in a crispy crust and airy center. For best results remove the parchment paper and place the bread loaf on a cooling rack on its side.
Leftovers - Store any leftover bread at room temperature in a bread box or plastic bag. Due to the high moisture content this is best enjoyed within a couple of days or refrigerate for up to a week.

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