Serving potato bread for Easter dinner is as traditional as serving the ham. Easter potato bread is special because it uses potato water, the water you boil your potatoes in, and with mashed potatoes to give you the best flavor you can get from a potato bread. This recipe for Easter potato bread makes 3 loaves that can be made ahead and frozen until the night before Easter dinner.
Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup potato water
- 1 cup butter
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1 cup mashed potatoes
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 7 to 8 cups bread flour
Preparation:
- Scald milk and potato water in saucepan. Remove from heat and pour into large bowl.
- Add butter, sugar, and salt to bowl and stir until butter is melted.
- Stir in cold water and let bowl sit until liquid is lukewarm.
- Stir yeast into warm liquids.
- Stir in mashed potatoes and beaten eggs.
- Begin adding flour and mixing continuously until a soft dough is formed.
- Turn dough out onto floured board and knead until dough is smooth.
- Place dough in greased bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so that the top is also lightly greased. Cover bowl and let dough rise in warm place for 1 hour or until double in size.
- Punch down dough and knead for 5 minutes.
- Shape dough into 3 loaves and place in 3 greased bread pans. Cover loaves and let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for another 30 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped on.
- Remove bread from pans and cool on rack.
- To freeze loaves, let cool completely, bag, and freeze.
