Rustic Potato Loaf

Tuesday with Dorie

Contributing Baker: Leslie Mackie

It's already April - can you believe it?! I was happy to see that we had another bread recipe to start the month off and even happier when I saw it was potato bread. I happen to really like potato bread, but when I buy it at the store I am the only one in the family who will eat it, so I decided to cut the recipe in half and only make one loaf.  What is interesting about this recipe is that you leave the potato skins on which I think is really great because that is where all the nutrients are anyway and it turned out that the flecks of potato skin also give the bread a little bit of color.

Another thing I think is interesting is that there are only two short rise times for the dough which makes it super easy to whip up a loaf or two even during the week. I stuck to the recipe as written except when I put it in the oven I didn't mist before or during - I just threw some ice cubes on the bottom of the oven before closing the door and hoped for the best. I checked my loaf at 35 minutes and its internal temperature was over 200 degrees.

My loaf unfurled a little during baking, but I think it just added to its rustic look. I do have to say that when I ate that slice you see in the photo above with the melting butter I was a little disappointed because even though it had a nice crisp crust and a soft center, it didn't have the potato flavor that I expected. Surprisingly my husband asked for a piece and really liked it, so after it cooled completely I ate another slice and I was really happy that the flavors had developed more and it had a nice subtle potato flavor with just a hint of a baked potato taste which I am guessing came from the potato skins. John said it was delicious bread and nothing at all like the potato bread I have bought at the store. Yay!

This bread is great just slathered with some butter, but it is also a wonderful sandwich bread. Dawn at Simply Sweet is hosting this week, so you can find the recipe over on her blog. See what the other bakers thought about their rustic potato loaves over at Tuesdays with Dorie.

Bagels

Tuesday with Dorie 

This is another first for me. Although I often get a bagel and cream cheese at work on those days that I don't have time for breakfast at home, I have never tried to make them myself. This recipe is by contributing baker, Lauren Groveman and is hosted by Heather from Heather's Bytes, where you can also find the recipe.

I had bread flour left over from the white loaves that we made for Tuesdays with Dorie earlier in the year and followed the recipe as written. I opted to use my stand mixer to mix the dough, but finished it off by hand. 

I sprinkled a few with poppy seed, a few with sesame seed (my favorite) and a few I left plain. The next time I make these, I probably won't leave them in the oven the extra 10 minutes because these were really crusty and some turned browner than others, but they were nice and soft on the inside.

I watched the Baking with Julia video of Lauren making these with Julia on PBS a few times and when Lauren pulls hers out of the oven she says that they are chubby because they are made with a lot of love. Well, I told my family that mine were made with lots of love because mine turned out really chubby. My daughter was so excited when she saw them and said that they were much prettier than store bought and tasted really good. John wasn't quite as excited, but then he is not a bagel eater. For the bagel spread, I whipped some cream cheese and added some toasted walnuts because that is my favorite bagel shmear. I am looking forward to having one toasted with my shmear for breakfast. Visit Tuesdays with Dorie to see what the rest of the bakers thought about this recipe.

Tuesday with Dorie: White Loaves

I have been looking forward to baking along with Tuesdays with Dorie ever since I heard rumors that they were starting another book of Dorie Greenspan's, called Baking with Julia. The added bonus of being able to bake along with Julia was icing on the cake. Dorie compiled recipes from Julia Child's PBS series in this book. The first selection for our bake along is White Loaves by contributing baker, Craig Kominiak.

I haven't made bread in the longest time, and never in a standing mixer, so I was a little nervous about making this as an introduction to the group. I decided to use bread flour because I had never used it before and really like the texture it gives the loaves.

Mixing the dough in the stand mixer really gave it a work out, but I was glad that I didn't have to do that part by hand even though I did stop it a little early so I could get my hands in it and knead it for a bit. Kneading dough is so relaxing and I love the feel of the smooth dough in my hands. The first rise for my dough was about 1 hour. I wrapped the bowl in plastic wrap and put it in the love seat in the family room and wrapped it in blankets. This is how my grandmother always made bread. You had to be careful when sitting on this one chair in the living room that she always used to let her bread rise in. We got into the habit of checking the chair first before plopping down into it. 

When it came time to shape the dough for the second rise, I used my Misto spray pump to put the olive oil in and it worked like a charm to spray the oil onto the saran wrap that I used to cover the loaf pans.

My second rise took longer than the 45 minutes the recipe said - it took 1 hour and 45 minutes - probably because my house is usually between 69 and 70 degrees in the winter and even with the extra blankets wrapped carefully around the loaves it took awhile for them to rise and they never did grow over the top of the pans like the recipe said - perhaps my first rise didn't rise enough.

When I took them out of the oven they were beautifully golden. I liked the tip of taking them out of the pan and inserting the thermometer into the bottom of the loaf. Mine were at 200 degrees in 35 minutes in my oven.

It was hard to let them cool before cutting into them because the kitchen was filled with the smell of freshly baked bread. There is just nothing like that smell! Once cooled, I took the loaves outside, along with some butter and jam, and cut a few pieces. We couldn't stop eating it! We used the bread for sandwiches and it was also good toasted. The bread was delicious no matter how we ate it. 

I want to thank Laurie and Julie for continuing Tuesdays with Dorie and choosing another great book to bake from. You can see the loaves they made on their blogs, slush and Someone's in the Kitchen. Julie's blog, Someone's in the Kitchen, also has the white loaves recipe. I am looking forward to seeing their loaves as well as the other bakers over at Tuesdays with Dorie.