Makes: 1 loaf
Time: About 5 hours, largely unattended
This is white bread 2.0, extra rich and fluffy from the addition of butter, egg, and, of course, mashed potatoes. If you’re mashing potatoes just for this purpose, a little less than 8 ounces of raw potatoes will get you the amount you need. The advantage of this is that you can use the starchy potato cooking water to further enrich the bread. Otherwise, just use leftover mashed potatoes (or sweet potatoes; see the variation).
If you don’t have a stand mixer, mix and knead this dough by hand; a food processor will make the potatoes gummy. Potato dough makes especially good hamburger and hot dog buns (see this sidebar).
1. To mix the dough in a stand mixer, combine all the ingredients except the oil in the mixer bowl and add ¾ cup warm water or potato cooking water. Using the paddle attachment, mix until the ingredients are combined, about 30 seconds. Then switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed until the dough is shiny and smooth, 8 to 10 minutes (it will still be fairly sticky). To mix the dough by hand, combine all of the ingredients plus the water in a large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon or your hand until a shaggy dough forms. Turn it out onto a floured counter and knead, adding more flour a necessary but keeping it to a minimum, until shiny and smooth, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Grease a large bowl with a little oil. Shape the dough into a rough ball, put it in the bowl, turn it over once to coat all over with oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until the dough has doubled in size, 2 hours or more.
3. Press down on the dough to deflate it. Dust your work surface with a little flour, turn out the dough onto the work surface, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.
4. Grease a loaf pan with enough oil to coat the bottom and sides. Shape the dough into a sandwich loaf (see page 401) and transfer it to the pan. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place (see the headnote for White Sandwich Bread) until the top of the dough rises about an inch above the top of the pan, about 1½ hours.
5. Heat the oven to 350°F. Brush or spray the top of the loaf lightly with water. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the top is deep golden, the bottom sounds hollow when you tap it, and the internal temperature reaches about 200°F (the loaf will fall easily from the pan). Remove the loaf from the pan and cool on a rack before slicing.
SWEET POTATO BREAD For a beautiful golden hue and subtly earthy flavor, substitute mashed sweet potatoes for the regular potatoes.