Potato Bread
This Potato Bread Recipe is a homemade bread made with mashed potatoes that can either be made from scratch or instant. The mashed potatoes give the bread a soft, moist crumb as well as the best flavor.
I love making fresh bread at home. There really is nothing better than biting into a warm, homemade slice of bread. Potato bread has become one of my favorite breads to make and to eat, but I do have my Homemade Cinnamon Swirl Bread and Homemade Sandwich Bread that are pretty high up there too.
You can use potato bread for just about anything from sandwiches to french toast! My potato bread recipe is pretty simple to put together and even the most novice baker will be able to make delicious bread.
What is Potato Bread?
Potato bread is a soft bread that has mashed potatoes added into the dough. Potatoes give the bread a wonderful, rich flavor and they also help to lighten the texture of the dough. Potato bread is soft and tender and will stay soft for days after baking.
You can use potato bread to make sandwiches, for peanut butter and jelly, for french toast or even to whip up bread pudding. It is a delicious, multi-purpose bread!
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Ingredients
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all ingredients and quantities.
- Water
- Milk
- Butter
- Instant Yeast
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Mashed potatoes
- Salt
- Bread flour
- Vegetable Oil
TIP: I like to make mashed potatoes fresh when I make potato bread. I keep them simple by peeling, boiling russet potatoes and then smashing them with a little butter and cream. You can also make potato bread using leftover mashed potatoes. It is a great way to use any extras you have left over from dinner! Try using mashed sweet potatoes for a whole new bread...amazing!
How to Make Potato Bread
Making potato bread is very similar to making other kinds of homemade bread. You start by warming the milk, water and butter so that the butter melts and the mix is about 110 degrees F. You don’t want it to be too hot or it will kill the yeast. Too cold and the yeast won’t activate right away. 110 degrees is the sweet spot!
Add the yeast and let it sit. Once foamy, add the yeast mix to your stand mixer and blend in the sugar, eggs, mashed potatoes and salt. Once the mix is smooth, add in the bread flour. Mix the dough using a dough hook attachment, letting it slowly mix the dough until it's smooth.
Oil a large bowl and roll your potato bread dough inside until coated with oil. Cover the bowl and let it rest for an hour or until it has doubled in size. Then, punch the dough to deflate it. You can shape the dough however you choose, making a boule, braided dough or by following my instructions to roll the dough with a rolling pin and tightly roll it into a nice loaf. This is the best way to make the dough the perfect size and consistency for slicing. Perfect sandwich bread is on it’s way!
The dough needs to rise once more before it is ready to bake. It takes about 35 minutes to bake the potato bread in a loaf pan as directed. Once the bread has turned a beautiful golden brown, let it cool slightly before slicing. If you cut into the bread when it is too hot, the soft center may get compacted and gummy under the pressure of the knife. It is worth waiting a few minutes to cool the bread and have a tender, airy consistency!
How Long Does Potato Bread Last?
Potato bread will last about a week when wrapped well and stored at room temperature. Be sure to keep it completely covered in plastic wrap, rewrapping it every time after slicing. For extra protection, you can store it in an airtight container or bread box.
Keep the loaf whole, only slicing off what you are ready to eat. This will prevent the dough from drying out and make it last even longer. The texture of the bread will be best when kept at room temperature rather than storing the potato bread in the fridge.
Can You Freeze Potato Bread?
You can freeze potato bread and it will work great! Bake the bread completely and then let it cool completely to room temperature. Wrap the bread in several layers of plastic wrap and then place the loaf in a zippered freezer bag. Seal the bag and freeze the bread for up to three months.
When you are ready to eat, unwrap the bread and let it thaw on your counter. It will take about 4 hours for the bread to thaw. It is then ready to enjoy! Heat it in the oven for a few minutes to refresh and warm it back up. It will be just as good as if you baked it fresh.
Recipe FAQs
You can use either store bought or homemade mashed potatoes to make potato bread. If you buy the mashed potatoes in the store, just be sure that they do not have lots of added ingredients. You want plain, basic potatoes, not flavored or mashed potatoes with lots of additives. Those extras may change the taste and texture of the bread. Simple is better!
You can make this potato bread recipe without a stand mixer. You will just have to knead the bread by hand. It may take a little longer but it can be a very soothing process. And, it will give your arms a good workout!
I use a Bosch stand mixer to make my potato bread. Any stand mixer with a dough hook attachment will work! The dough is tough so a strong mixer with a good motor is always best for bread.
You can make this bread in a bread machine however I would suggest cutting the recipe in half. This recipe makes two, good sized loaves and may be too large for your bread machine.
Add the ingredients to your bread machine in the order listed and then choose the “regular bread” function. The vegetable oil won’t be necessary at the end of the recipe since the bread will rise within the machine.
Potato bread is delicious and easy to make bread. It has more flavor than a regular white bread and a softer, chewy texture. This potato bread recipe is wonderful to have on hand and it may quickly become your favorite, every-day loaf! I hope you and your family love it as much as we do. Enjoy!
If you try this recipe, be sure to leave a rating below and also share it on Instagram, and tag me! You can also find me on Facebook and stay up to date on recipe releases by joining the Newsletter!
Potato Bread
Ingredients
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup butter sliced
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 package) instant yeast or active dry yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup mashed potatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 ½ cups bread flour
- 1 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- Add the water, milk, and butter to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave for another 30 seconds. It should be about 110 degrees F and the butter should be melted.
- Add the yeast to the mixture. If you’re using active-dry yeast, let it sit 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast is slightly foamy.
- Pour the mixture into a stand mixer.
- Add the sugar, eggs, mashed potatoes, and salt. Using the dough hook, mix on medium.
- While the mixer is still mixing, add in 5 ½ cups of bread flour. Let the mixer knead the dough for 5 to 7 minutes. The dough will still be sticky.
- Add the vegetable oil to the bottom of a large bowl. Using your hand, spread the oil up the sides of the bowl.
- Turn the dough out into the oiled bowl. With the oil still on your hands, rotate the dough so it’s coated with oil.
- Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Grease two 9x5 loaf pans with nonstick baking spray.
- Punch the dough down to release the gases and divide the dough into in half.
- Shape the first piece of dough into a rectangle that’s only as wide as your 9 inch loaf pan and about 20 to 24 inches long.
- Start at the side that’s 9 inches wide, begin tightly rolling up the dough. Press the edge of the rolled up dough down into the dough that’s laying on the counter every couple of rolls to help seal it along the way.
- Once it’s completely rolled into a loaf, pinch the seams together to connect the end of the dough and the roll of dough.
- Pinch either side of the loaf of dough and fold underneath the loaf.
- Place the loaf into the greased loaf pan, seam side down.
- Repeat with the second piece of dough.
- Loosely cover the two loaf pans with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F while the dough is rising.
- Once doubled, place the loaf pans in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden brown and when tapping on the top, it sounds hollow.
- Let it cool for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
- Rub the top of the bread with butter while it’s still hot. This will soften the top of the bread. Let cool completely.
- Place in an airtight container or storage bag and store at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)
