Sourdough Potato Bread

Sourdough Potato Bread

The following recipe is based on Jeffrey Hamelman's “Roasted Potato Bread” converted to a liquid levain sourdough. The recipe is scaled down to make one loaf of about 780 grams. I think the adding potato improves crust color and makes for a milder sourdough flavor. The little flecks of potato add a surprising sweetness.

Bread Flour 318 grams

Whole Wheat Flour 68 grams

Water 193 grams

Liquid Levain (125% hydration) 153 grams

Salt 11.5 grams

Cooked Potato 114 grams

1. Mix the levain: I have a very active starter, so I make the liquid levain about 6 to 8 hours before mixing the dough. Mix 80 grams of bread flour, 100 grams of water, and about 50 grams of mature liquid starter (125%). If you use a stiff starter add enough additional water to bring the total hydration to 125%. Cover and let stand at 70 to 75 degrees F.

2. Cook the potatoes: If you haven't already done so, bake or boil some potatoes. Yellow fleshed potatoes such as Yukon Gold are especially nice. You can remove the outer skin or leave it on, whichever you prefer. (I take the skins off) Mash the cooked potatoes without adding any additional liquid and set aside.

3. Mix the dough: Measure and mix all ingredients. (Save the leftover levain for the next baking.) I mix by hand in a bowl until the all the flour is totally moistened, let it set for 30 to 40 minutes, and then knead briefly with a plastic dough scraper or wet hand. Don't add any additional flour at this stage.

4. Fermentation: Cover the bowl with plastic cling wrap and set aside at room temperature for an hour or two. At this point I usually retard the dough overnight in the fridge.

5. Folding and Shaping: Next morning take the covered bowl of dough out of the fridge and let it set at room temperature for an hour or so. Then turn the dough out on to a floured work surface and stretch and fold about 2 or 3 times. Shape roughly. Cover the dough and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes and then do the final shaping.

6. Final Proof: Place the shaped loaf, seam side down on parchment paper that has been dusted with corn meal. Cover the loaf with a large bowl and proof at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours or until doubled in size. When proofed, score/slash the loaf as desired. In this example I used a scissors to cut a star shape in the center of the loaf.

7. Bake: I bake the scored loaf in a preheated cast iron pot at 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake covered for 30 minutes, remove the cover, and bake for an additional 10 to fifteen minutes. Remove the loaf and cool.