Oat and Potato Bread

This Oat and Potato Bread is so moist. It's kind of like a baked potato in a loaf of bread. 

This Oat and Potato Bread uses freshly boiled potatoes or leftover mashed potatoes to add so much moistness and flavor.

This month, the Bread Bakers are baking Irish Bread, a theme chosen by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. There are many more Irish bread recipes at the end of this post, after the recipe.

This bread uses a lot of potatoes in relation to the flour. The dough felt fine after the kneading, but after the first rise, the dough had become more sticky and difficult to shape into a loaf. I was pretty worried about the final loaf!

I finished this loaf in the evening, and let it cool overnight. The next morning, I held my breath as I cut the loaf in half, hoping not to find mashed potatoes in the middle! As you can see, while a bit squatty, it ended well. Phew!

I will probably add up to another ounce or two of flour next time, knowing that the potatoes soften the dough. I've also added more kneading time to the instructions to strengthen the gluten.

When boiling the potatoes for this bread, I left the skins on the potato pieces and mashed them into the mixture to add a little more potato flavor. You really can't see them in the bread, but if you're not a fan, feel free to peel the potatoes before boiling.

This bread is wonderful with soup, toasted with butter, or grilled with cheddar and bacon. Oh, and it smells incredible when it's baking.

Oat and Potato Bread Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 2/3 to 4 cups (16.5 to 18 ounces) bread flour
• 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten (optional)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 5 tablespoons rolled oats, divided
• 2 tablespoons powdered milk
• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• 3 tablespoons room temperature butter
• 1 cup lukewarm water

Instructions

1. Whisk together the smaller amount of flour, vital wheat gluten, yeast, salt, 3 tablespoons of the rolled oats, and the milk powder.
2. Add the potatoes to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix in the butter. Add the dry ingredients and the water, and mix on low until combined, about 3 minutes.
3. Knead the dough on the second speed for about 10 minutes, until smooth, adding more flour by the tablespoon, if necessary. The dough should be smooth and elastic.
4. Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about an hour. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and shape into log. Place the shaped loaf into an oiled 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
5. When ready to bake, brush the top of the loaf with water, and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oats. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches about 200 degrees, or the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Yield: 1 loaf

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

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