Russian Potato Bread

Dixie Vader's Note:

I got this recipe from a library book called "The Cook's Encyclopedia of Bread". It was made for dinner, but almost all of it got eaten the instant it got out of the oven. It's good plain, with butter, or with American cheese. The book says the potatoes give it a longer shelf life, but ours got eaten too soon to see if that was accurate. The number of servings is approximate, our bread-loving family of 5 ate it in two sittings, but it might last longer for other people.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 2 hrs 10 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 10

Yield: 1.0 large l ...

• 8 ounces potatoes (2 small)
• 2/3 cup potato water
• 1/4 ounce yeast
• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed caraway seed (or dill seeds)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, diced

Directions:

1. Grease a baking sheet.
2. Peel and dice your potatoes, then boil them until they're tender. Reserve 2/3 cup of the potato water and discard the rest.
3. Mash and sieve the potatoes. (I personally just mashed the potatoes until there were no lumps and it turned out fine).
4. Combine the mashed potatoes and potato water. Let cool to lukewarm.
5. Meanwhile, combine the flours, yeast, seeds, and salt.
6. Rub the butter into the flour mixture.
7. Gradually work the potato gloop into the flour mixture using your hands if neccesary to form a soft dough.
8. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead 8-10 minutes. Add more flour as needed to keep your dough from sticking.
9. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for approximately 1 hour (or until doubled).
10. Punch down, then turn out onto a floured surface.
11. Knead gently for about a minute, then shape into a 7-inch oval loaf.
12. [NOTE - My 1 large loaf didn't cook all the way through. It might've just been my oven, but you may want to make two smaller loafs instead].
13. Place on the greased baking sheet and lightly sprinkle with whole wheat flour.
14. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.
15. While it's rising, preheat your oven to 400°F.
16. Using a serrated knife, slash 3-4 diagonal cuts into the top of your dough (criss-cross style).
17. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden.
18. Cool on a wire rack, or eat hot.