Potato Bread


I had resolved this year to bake goodies other than cakes – as I have been doing those for quite sometime now – and it was time to move on …………..I started the year with a failed banana bread which did not rise and sat like a camel’s hump in my tin. The lump did look like one, really!! I had a similar bad experience five years back …..and I had almost given up! This second disaster was even more heartbreaking……but I had made a promise to myself and I am not the one to go back on my word!

The focaccia was a real breakthrough and is probably going to be the ‘leader of the pack’ – one of my favourite Carpenter performances!! Oh no…I guess I am going to be humming this all through this write up and probably forget many words and get the sequences wrong in the process. What a mess…..but it can’t be helped……..the song is on my mind and my lips!!

On to the bread now – before I lose track! I have given up eggs of late and so finding a bread recipe without eggs was the first step. As usual turned to my Bible – Classic Essential BREAD and BUNS – A KONEMAN Publication . I found about four or five recipes fitting the bill. The next step was going through the pictures and finding the ones that made my mouth water most – I believe it is the best guide to decide the taste - and whether the ingredients were on hand.

VOILA!! – The POTATO BREAD - It was right there staring at me out of the book, all decked and waiting to be picked - and here is the recipe with a few minor alterations (I can never resist doing this!). The recipe uses refined flour or maida but I have substituted that with some maida, atta etc.

Preparation time: About 10 to 20 minutes of assembling and kneading, first proofing for about 2hrs., assembling the bread and second proofing for about 30 minutes. Baking for about 1/2hr. WOW! That totals up to nearly 3½ hrs.

Ingredients:

Dried yeast – 7g
Warm water – ¼ cup for the yeast
Flour mixture – 3½ cups in the following composition

Salt - 1tsp
Everyday dairy whitener - 1½tbsp (The book used 2tbsp full cream milk powder)
Potatoes (Cooked, mashed and warm) - 1 cup
Chopped coriander - 1 cup (The book used chives instead)
Warm water extra for kneading the dough - 1 cup
Soymilk/milk/vegan butter/butter - for glazing (The book used egg white)
Mix of sesame and flax seeds - 1½tsp (The book used sunflower seeds)

Method:



Verdict:

The bread is definitely healthy and has a good texture - soft and crumbly as seen here with a good crust - not hard just firm.

But it has to be served with something more than just butter - maybe cheese. It is a good substitute for pav as in 'pav bhaji'. My daughter prefers the focaccia - she is a little bored with my obsession for healthy flour, I guess ;). My son liked it but said he would have liked a doughnut better. My husband thought it was like an ordinary whole wheat bread and I thought - Well! wasn't that exactly what it was supposed to be?? I guess we all had 'great expectations' because of the potatoes - I could not figure out the role!!

I won't repeat it soon.....maybe I will make it when I have tried out the rest of the bread recipes. Next in my line is 'The thin crust Italian pizza' !

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