I made this up over the weekend. It turned out excellent!

Baked Potato Bread
==================

Makes 2 small (one pound) loaves or one large loaf
pictures and more info at:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/modules/...php?storyid=43

1/2 cup mashed potatoes
3 to 4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour (I'll explain the
ambiguity below)
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cooked bacon
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives

To begin, chop up two or three slices of bacon and fry them up. Remove
them from the heat.

Mix the mashed potatoes, yeast, salt, and 2 cups of the flour together
in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixed. Add the sour
cream, water, chives, and bacon and mix together until all ingredients
are combined. I also mixed in the bacon fat, which there was about a
tablespoon of in the pan, because it improves the flavor of the loaf.

At this point you'll have a very wet, sticky mess, probably more of a
batter than a dough. Add additional flour a handful (1/8 cup) at a time
and mix or knead it in.

(I lost track of exactly how much extra flour I added, but it seems
like it was around 9 or 10 hands full. I added 4 or 5 hands full and
mixed them in while the dough was still in the bowl, then I poured the
dough out onto a well-floured cutting board and added more, kneading it
with my hands which I repeatedly dipped in flour to keep the dough from
sticking to them. After 5 or 10 minutes of this I ended up with
something that was still quite sticky, but was definitely in the realm
of a dough and not a batter: it could be formed into a ball and
generally held its shape.)

Once you have combined the ingredients well and gotten the balance of
flour and water to a level that seems acceptable, return the dough to a
well-oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough
to rise for 90 minutes at room temperature or until it has doubled in
size.

Remove the dough from the bowl and shape the loaf or loaves. Set them
aside and let them rise for 45 minutes or so.

While the loaves are rising again, preheat the oven to 425. If you have
a baking stone, be sure to put it in early to heat.

When they have doubled in size (as I said before, about 45 minutes
after shaping), put the loaves in the oven to bake. I baked them at 425
for 5 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 350 and baked them
another half an hour. The loaves are done when the internal temperature
reaches the 185 to 195 degree range (as read with an instant-read
thermometer) or when they are nice and brown on the outside and sound
hollow when tapped on the bottom. For me this took about 35 minutes.

Eat!

What did you use for levening? What made the bread rise to double in size?
>
> Baked Potato Bread
> ==================
>
> Makes 2 small (one pound) loaves or one large loaf
> pictures and more info at:
> http://www.thefreshloaf.com/modules/...php?storyid=43
>
> 1/2 cup mashed potatoes
> 3 to 4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour (I'll explain the
> ambiguity below)
> 3/4 cup water
> 1/2 cup sour cream
> 2 teaspoons instant yeast
> 1 teaspoon salt
> 1/4 cup cooked bacon
> 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
>
> To begin, chop up two or three slices of bacon and fry them up. Remove
> them from the heat.
>
> Mix the mashed potatoes, yeast, salt, and 2 cups of the flour together
> in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixed. Add the sour
> cream, water, chives, and bacon and mix together until all ingredients
> are combined. I also mixed in the bacon fat, which there was about a
> tablespoon of in the pan, because it improves the flavor of the loaf.
>
> At this point you'll have a very wet, sticky mess, probably more of a
> batter than a dough. Add additional flour a handful (1/8 cup) at a time
> and mix or knead it in.
>
> (I lost track of exactly how much extra flour I added, but it seems
> like it was around 9 or 10 hands full. I added 4 or 5 hands full and
> mixed them in while the dough was still in the bowl, then I poured the
> dough out onto a well-floured cutting board and added more, kneading it
> with my hands which I repeatedly dipped in flour to keep the dough from
> sticking to them. After 5 or 10 minutes of this I ended up with
> something that was still quite sticky, but was definitely in the realm
> of a dough and not a batter: it could be formed into a ball and
> generally held its shape.)
>
> Once you have combined the ingredients well and gotten the balance of
> flour and water to a level that seems acceptable, return the dough to a
> well-oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough
> to rise for 90 minutes at room temperature or until it has doubled in
> size.
>
> Remove the dough from the bowl and shape the loaf or loaves. Set them
> aside and let them rise for 45 minutes or so.
>
> While the loaves are rising again, preheat the oven to 425. If you have
> a baking stone, be sure to put it in early to heat.
>
> When they have doubled in size (as I said before, about 45 minutes
> after shaping), put the loaves in the oven to bake. I baked them at 425
> for 5 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 350 and baked them
> another half an hour. The loaves are done when the internal temperature
> reaches the 185 to 195 degree range (as read with an instant-read
> thermometer) or when they are nice and brown on the outside and sound
> hollow when tapped on the bottom. For me this took about 35 minutes.
>
> Eat!
>

"jimmyjames" > wrote:

>> Baked Potato Bread
>> ==================
>>
>> Makes 2 small (one pound) loaves or one large loaf
>> pictures and more info at:
>> http://www.thefreshloaf.com/modules/...php?storyid=43
>>
>> 1/2 cup mashed potatoes
>> 3 to 4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour (I'll explain the
>> ambiguity below)
>> 3/4 cup water
>> 1/2 cup sour cream
>> 2 teaspoons instant yeast
>> 1 teaspoon salt
>> 1/4 cup cooked bacon
>> 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives

> What did you use for levening? What made the bread rise to double in size?

2 teaspoons instant yeast, most likely. It's in the ingredients list
that you included....




(bread instructions elided.)
--
Jenn Ridley :

NOT WEARING MY GLASSES! I read through the list a dozen times!
> >> 1/2 cup mashed potatoes
> >> 3 to 4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour (I'll explain the
> >> ambiguity below)
> >> 3/4 cup water
> >> 1/2 cup sour cream
> >> 2 teaspoons instant yeast
> >> 1 teaspoon salt
> >> 1/4 cup cooked bacon
> >> 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
>
> > What did you use for levening? What made the bread rise to double in
size?
>
> 2 teaspoons instant yeast, most likely. It's in the ingredients list
> that you included....
>
>
>
>
> (bread instructions elided.)
> --
> Jenn Ridley :