Potato Bread | Potato Pain de Mie

This potato bread is so perfect for toast or gooey grilled cheese sandwiches. 

I baked this potato bread in a pain de mie pan, also know as a Pullman pan, which results in a long loaf with four corners, but you can also make it in a regular 10" by 5" two pound loaf pan, or two 8 1/2" by 4 1/2"one pound loaf pans.

Adding potatoes, potato flour, or potato flakes to bread dough definitely helps the bread retain moisture.

This bread also has about a 66 percent hydration level (water to flour ratio), which is pretty high for a sandwich bread. The crumb reminds me of English muffin bread, with all of the nooks and crannies.

When you toast and butter this bread, the butter just soaks in so perfectly. I'm pretty sure this is why bread and butter go so perfectly together.

When you make grilled cheese with this bread, the cheese will soak between the holes, mingle with the butter, and get all crusty, making it about the best grilled cheese sandwich ever.

You can use leftover mashed potatoes in this bread, or even instant mashed potatoes. I decided to microwave an Idaho potato for about 6 minutes, and then scoop out the interior, mash it with a fork, and let it cool.

It's kind difficult to shape this bread because it is so wet, so fortunately you can pretty much pour it into the bread pan and bake it.

Don't be tempted to add too much flour to the dough, or you will not end up with this wonderful open crumb.

The Pain de Mie pan is pretty cool because it has a lid on it, which helps create a square slice of bread. You don't need the pan to make this bread, but if you make sandwiches for kids, they love the square slices. If you don't have the pan, two one pound loaf pans (4 1/2 inch by 8 inch or one two pound loaf pan (10 inch by 5 inch) will work with this dough. If you get the pan, you can also use the pan for this sandwich bread, and this Danish rye bread, as well as any two pound sandwich loaf.

Potato Bread | Potato Pain de Mie

Ingredients

• 340 grams (1 1/2 cups) lukewarm water (a little bit less in the summer or in humid weather)
• 35 grams (1/4 cup) dry milk
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 25 g (2 tablespoons) vegetable oil
• 170 grams (3/4 cup) mashed potatoes
• 510 grams (4 1/4 cups) unbleached all purpose flour

Instructions

1. Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook for about 6 to 7 minutes, until you have a smooth dough that is pretty sticky. It should clear the sides of the bowl on the top, but stick to the bottom of the bowl. When you handle the dough, some of it will stick to your hands.
2. Place the dough into an oiled dough rising bucket or large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 60 to 90 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and spray a 4 inch by 13 inch pain de mie pan or a 5 inch by 10 inch loaf pan with spray oil.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over onto itself into a rough rectangle. Lift the dough into the oiled pan and cover it with plastic wrap.
5. Let the dough rise for about 45 minutes to an hour, until puffy, and it has reached about 1/2 inch below the pan's rim.
6. If you are using a Pullman/pain de mie pan, slide the lid over the top of the bread, and place the pan in the oven.
7. Bake the loaf for 45 minutes. If you are using the Pullman pan, remove the lid at 35 minutes. The bread is done when the interior reaches 190 degrees F and the bread is golden brown.
8. Remove the loaf from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Turn the loaf out onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

Yield: 1 pain de mie or 2 one pound loaves

This recipe has been slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour