food - Making

Potato Sourdough No-Knead Bread

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'm a writer and editor based in Livingston, Montana. I moved to Livingston from the San Francisco Bay area in 2002 in search of affordable housing and a small community with a vibrant arts community. I found both. LivingSmall details my experience buying and renovating a house, building a garden, becoming a part of this community. It also chronicles my efforts to rebuild my life after the sudden death of my younger brother, and closest companion, Patrick in a car wreck.

2 Comments on “Potato Sourdough No-Knead Bread

  1. 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. 🙂

  2. 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 …

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