I know I’ve blogged a million times about no-knead bread, but this one was so beautiful I just had to post a photo.
I started with about a cup and a half of leftover mashed potatoes. Then I added 3 cups of flour, a 1/2 teaspoon of yeast (I’m at the bottom of the jar and it’s not very lively anymore), a tablespoon of salt, and mixed it until the mashed potatoes were all incorporated.
Then I added 1.5 cups sourdough starter and 1 cup of warm water. It was a little wet, so I added half a cup of whole wheat flour. It was definitely a “wet shaggy dough” as the recipe describes. I covered it with plastic wrap, and left it overnight.
When I got home this morning it had risen to the top of the bowl. Sourdough starter seems to really like mashed potatoes — I’ve had that happen before. It was a really really wet dough — I had to add some more flour and use the pastry scraper to shape it into a boule.
But look what happened? It gained enormous spring once I put it in the oven — this loaf pretty much filled up my Le Crueset pot. It’s by far the nicest loaf of bread I’ve made in a while, which means it’s going to be interesting around here in the morning as someone likes mashed potato in his breakfast burrito, and I might start hoarding the leftovers for bread.
I too, am a fan of no knead — a crazy, evangelical no-knead bread maker. And this loaf os beyond gorgeous! I’m definitely trying the potato version. If we ever end up with leftover potatoes, that is.
It was unbelievably great! The potato and sourdough combo does something amazing to the crumb — chewy and soft and yum. I think we’re just going to make extra potatoes every time now … it was all I could do not to just eat bread all morning …