Source:Ultimate Bread by Eric Treuille & Ursula Ferrigno
Makes 6 servings, 1 round loaf
Preparation time: 5 hours
Tips: Best eaten the same day, great for sandwiches.
Ingredients
Preparation
2 medium floury potatoes, peeled (about 1 lb.)
2 teaspoons dry yeast
2 3/4 cups unbleached flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1. Boil the potatoes until soft, then drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the cooking water. Mash the potatoes thoroughly, pushing them through a sieve or food mill to form 2 1/2 cups of smooth and fluffy mashed potatoes. Let the potatoes and cooking water cool until lukewarm.
2. Sprinkle the yeast into 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the water in a bowl. Leave for 5 minutes; stir to dissolve. Put the flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the dissolved yeast.
3. Use a wooden spoon to draw enough of the flour into the dissolved yeast to form a soft paste. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let "sponge" until frothy and slightly risen, about 20 minutes.
4. Add the mashed potatoes, salt and caraway seeds to the well. Mix the flour thoroughly with a wooden spoon, adding the reserved cooking water, as needed, to form a soft, moist dough.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth, shiny, and soft, about 10 minutes.
6. Put the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a dish towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Punch down, then let rest for 10 minutes.
7. Shape the dough into a smooth, round loaf. Place on a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with a dish towel. Proof until the dough is well risen and springs back slowly when gently pressed with a finger, about 30 minutes.
8. Dust the loaf with flour. Cut three parallel slashes, 1/2-inch deep, across the top, then three slashes in the opposite direction to make a criss-cross pattern.
9. Bake at 425 F degrees in preheated over for 1 hour, until crusty and hollow sounding when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.
NOTE: During proofing the loaf will not rise as much as most doughs because of the denseness of the potatoes. However, once the bread is placed in a hot oven, the moisture in the potatoes will cause the loaf to expand dramatically.
Hungarian Potato Bread
Moist with a Springy Crumb
