Potato Bread
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Soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet, this Potato Bread is everything homemade bread should be. It’s light, pillowy, and stays fresh for days thanks to one secret ingredient, mashed potatoes.
Easy Fluffy Potato Bread
Growing up, fresh bread was always a thing in our house. My mom and I would always love to experiment and whip up loaves that made the whole kitchen smell like a bakery. This potato bread takes me right back there, soft, buttery slices that make any meal feel a little more special.
I love it because it’s easy, foolproof, and ridiculously satisfying to make. The potatoes make this bread so soft inside, lightly golden on top, and honestly once you try it, store bought bread just won’t cut it anymore.
Why You’ll Love This Potato Bread
- Super soft inside: The mashed potatoes keep it tender and fresh for days.
- Simple ingredients: You probably already have everything you need in your pantry.
- Perfect for everything: Toast it, sandwich it, or just slather it with butter and call it dinner.
- Nostalgia: This one’s pure homemade goodness, just like the bread I grew up with.
Ingredients and Tips
- Potatoes: Russet or Yukon Gold work best. Avoid waxy potatoes, they can make the bread dense or gummy.
- Yeast: Instant yeast saves time and doesn’t need proofing. If you only have active dry, just bloom it in warm water first.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works perfectly, but you can swap in up to 1 cup of bread flour for a chewier crumb.
- Butter & Milk: Both add richness. Make sure they’re warm (not hot!) so they don’t shock the yeast. The ideal temperature should be around 110°F (43°C).
- Mixing tip: The dough should be slightly tacky but not sticky. If it clings too much, add a tablespoon of flour at a time.
- Patience pays: Let it rise until doubled. Don’t rush it, it’s worth the wait.
- Create a Warm Rising Environment: Find a draft-free spot in your kitchen for the dough to rise. If your kitchen is cool, you can place the bowl inside an oven with just the light on to keep it warm.
- Use Fresh Yeast: Make sure your yeast is active by checking the expiration date. Fresh yeast helps the dough rise properly.
Start by peeling and cubing 2 medium russet potatoes. Place them in a medium saucepan with 2 to 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender. Once done, drain the water and mash the potatoes with a fork.
In a separate medium saucepan, combine 1½ cups of milk, ¼ cup of unsalted butter, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it starts to bubble around the edges. Stir in the mashed potatoes. Transfer this warm mixture into the bowl of you mixer and let it cool until it’s warm but not hot.
Tip: Letting the mixture cool prevents killing the yeast, ensuring your dough rises properly.
Sprinkle 2¼ teaspoons of instant yeast over the milk and potato mixture. Add 2 cups of all-purpose flour. Using the paddle attachment, mix until the flour is fully incorporated. Switch to the dough hook and add another 2 cups of flour. Mix on low speed for 5 to 7 minutes. Gradually add up to 1 cup more flour as needed until the dough pulls away from the sides but remains slightly sticky.
Tip: Adding flour gradually helps achieve the perfect dough consistency without making it too dry.
Lightly grease a large bowl with cooking spray and place your dough inside. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 1 hour 30 minutes until it doubles in size. If you prefer, you can refrigerate the dough overnight for a slow rise.
Tip: A warm environment speeds up the rising process, giving your bread a better texture.
Punch down the risen dough to release the air. Turn it onto a clean, lightly floured surface and knead it gently a couple of times. Using a pastry scraper, divide the dough into two equal pieces. Grease two 8.5 x 4.5 x 3-inch loaf pans with a little oil or cooking spray. Place each half of the dough into the prepared pans.
Lightly sprinkle the tops of the loaves with a bit of flour. If you like, make 3 slits on top of each loaf for a classic look. Let the loaves rise again in a warm, draft-free area for 30 minutes to 1 hour until they double in size.
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) while the loaves are rising. Once ready, place the loaf pans in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped and reaches an internal temperature of 190°F to 200°F. If the loaves brown too quickly, cover them loosely with foil and continue baking.
After baking, let the loaves cool in the pans for about 2 minutes. Gently run a dull knife along the edges to loosen the bread. Turn the loaves out onto a cooling rack and let them cool completely before slicing and serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Potato Bread?
Potato bread is a form of bread in which potato flour or potato replaces a portion of the traditional flour we use! It is an excellent source of fibre (twice as much as white bread) and is thicker in texture, with a light potato flavor.
How Do I Know When My Potato Bread Is Done?
You can tell your bread is done when it sounds hollow when lightly tapped, but the best way to determine is with an Instant Read Meat Thermometer. The bread is baked through when the internal temperature is between 190°F and 200°F.
Can I Refrigerate The Dough Overnight?
Yes! If you want to prep your dough in advance, you can refrigerate the dough overnight, it should slowly rise in the fridge.
Can I Make This Bread In Advance?
Yes! Like most breads, this recipe can be made in advance and frozen for future use! See “freezing” section below for full instructions.
What Is The Best Place For My Dough To Rise?
Dough thrives in a warm, draft-free environment. If your oven has a “proof” function, then use it. The “proof” function preheats the oven to 100 F degrees, causing a warm, but not hot environment for your dough to rise nicely. If your oven doesn’t have this “proof” function, I would still use the oven. What I usually do is preheat the oven to 200F degrees, or whatever the lowest setting is for it. Once it reaches that temperature, turn off the oven, then place the dough in there to rise. This will speed up the proofing process tremendously.
I Don’t Have A Mixer, Can I Still Make This Bread?
Of course! Although it will take you longer, you can still knead the dough by hand. The dough needs to be soft, smooth and elastic, so you’ll have to knead it for about 15 to 25 minutes. Kneading bread dough by hand might also require a bit more flour, so play with it and see what works for you.
How do I store the bread?
This is a bread with staying power! Thanks to the starch in the potatoes, it will absorb more water, therefore giving us a softer texture for longer! Your potato loaf should keep for over a week, covered at room temperature.
Can I freeze the potato bread?
This potato bread is great for freezing. It’s important to freeze bread while it’s still fresh and not after it has gone stale. Let the bread cool completely before storing it in freezer bags. Bread will last in the freezer for 3 to 6 months.
My Dough Didn’t Rise!
Probably one of the most common questions I get on this blog is why didn’t my dough rise? Since I’m not with you in the kitchen when you’re baking, it’s really impossible for me to pinpoint where you went wrong or what happened with your dough. There are many reasons why dough doesn’t rise, so here’s my list for possible reasons.
- Dead yeast – this is probably the number 1 reason 90% of the time. I know it’s frustrating, but if the yeast is old, that dough will not rise, and you’ll end up with a brick of bread. Make sure you store yeast properly, for some tips on how to store yeast, check out this article.
- Water or milk is too hot – yes, yeast loves a warm environment, which is why we usually add lukewarm water or milk to dough. However if that water or milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast. The best temperature of the water should be anywhere from 95 degrees to 105 degrees for this.
- Environment – if your room is too cold, this will also prevent dough from rising. Yeast loves a warm and draft-free environment. Refer to my FAQ section above on the best place for dough to rise.
- Not enough time to rise – patience is key. Sometimes your dough may take 2 to 3 hours to rise properly, even though mine only took 40 minutes. Just give it some more time, if the yeast is good, it will do its job.
More Delicious Bread Recipes To Try
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Potato Bread
Video
Ingredients
- 2 medium russet potatoes (peeled and cubed)
- 1½ cup milk
- ¼ cup butter (unsalted)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2¼ teaspoon instant yeast (1 packet)
- 4½ cups all-purpose flour (up to 5 cups)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Fill a medium size saucepan with 2 to 3 cups of water and add the potato cubes. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and mash it with a fork.
- Add the milk into a medium size saucepan and add the butter and salt to it. Heat on medium heat just until the milk start to bubble around the edges a bit. Stir it then add the mashed potatoes.
- Pour this mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer and let it cool until still warm but not hot to touch. Add the yeast to the mixer bowl and 2 cups of flour. Using the paddle attachment mix until the flour is fully incorporated into the milk mixture. Switch to the dough hook and add another 2 cups of flour. Mix on low speed for 5 to 7 minutes. Add remaining flour as needed, it should mostly come clean from the sides of the bowl but should still be loose and a little gluey.
- Grease a large bowl with cooking spray then place the dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp clean towel and let it rise in a warm draft-free spot until doubled in size. You can also refrigerate the dough overnight, it should slowly rise in the fridge.
- Punch down the dough with your fist to let the air out. Turn the dough onto a clean and lightly floured surface. Knead it with your hands a couple time, then using a pastry scraper, cut it into two equal size pieces. Great 2 8×4-inch loaf pans with a little oil or cooking spray. Place each half into the greased pans.
- Lightly sprinkle the top of the loaves with a bit of flour and if preferred, cut 3 slits into each loaf. Let the loaves rest in a warm draft-free environment for another 30 minutes to an hour or until doubled in size.
- While the loaves are resting, preheat the oven to 375°F. Transfer the loaf pans to the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. If the loaves are browned on top but still not baked through, cover them loosely with foil to prevent over-browning and continue baking until done. The breads are baked through when the internal temperature is between 190°F and 200°F.
- Let the loaves cool for about 2 minutes in the pans, then gently run a dull knife along the edge of the pan to loosen the bread. Turn the loaf pans onto a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving.
Equipment
Notes
- Recipe yields 2 loaves and nutritional information assumes 10 slices per loaf and it’s per slice.
- I used 2 medium russet potatoes, which should yield 1 to 1.5 cups worth of mashed potatoes.
- Let the loaves cool completely before slicing to make it easier!
- If the loaves are browned on top but still not baked through, cover them loosely with foil to prevent over-browning and continue baking until done.
- I highly recommend getting an Instant Read Meat Thermometer to make it easier to determine when your potato bread is done! This will especially help new/novice bakers.
- Thanks to the starch in the potatoes, it will absorb more water, therefore giving us a softer texture for longer! Your potato loaf should keep for over a week, covered at room temperature.
- This potato bread is great for freezing. It’s important to freeze bread while it’s still fresh and not after it has gone stale. Let the bread cool completely before storing it in freezer bags. Bread will last in the freezer for 3 to 6 months.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
