Still need to plan your Thanksgiving menu? If you're looking for inspiration, then check out this fantastic round-up Classic Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes on Taste As You Go! You know how some people get really excited about the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks? That's how excited I get about turning the calendar over to November. Because November means the coming of the holiday season and the celebration of Thanksgiving. As much as we look forward to spending the day in the company of loved ones, Stephen and I have decided to stay home this year so we can enjoy our first Thanksgiving as a family of three. Of course, staying home means that I'll be cooking the big meal, and I have to admit that I'm a little intimidated by the idea. I know I have to plan for certain must-haves -- roast turkey, apple chestnut stuffing , and green bean casserole -- but I'm having a hard time choosing which additional side dishes to make. While I want there t
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Over dinner yesterday, our 5yo raved about how she got to have Cheetos with her meatball sandwich at lunch. I let her know how lucky she was to have such a variety of food at school... especially the Cheetos treat.
When I was in elementary school, it was rare for me to eat the hot lunch served in the cafeteria. My lunch bag often had a warm juice box, a smushed peanut butter sandwich, and a piece of fruit. (It was the fruit that smushed the sandwich.)
Later, she asked me what kind of bread my mother used for the sandwich. Without hesitation, I told her it was Home Pride Wheat Bread with the butter top... my mother's favorite... and totally susceptible to squishing when paired with peanut butter.
It wasn't until I was much older until I got to try potato bread. After all those years of wheat bread... potato bread quickly became my favorite. Especially for grilled cheese sandwiches!
After gaining confidence in the bread-baking department thanks to this book... I tried my hand at homemade potato bread using this recipe as a guide.
It was a huge hit with the family!
(Though I could probably work on forming the bread a little bit better...)
I generally wait until I've made a batch of my famous mashed potatoes before baking this potato bread. Because it's much easier to reserve a cup of potatoes from a large batch than to mash a single potato.
If you're looking to try baking bread in your own kitchen (and don't want to go the sourdough route)... I hope you give this recipe a try!
Potato bread has a nice firm crust and a bunch of little air pockets that make it perfect for toasting and soaking up tons of butter.
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 55 MinInactive time: 2 H & 45 MTotal time: 3 H & 45 M
Ingredients
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup leftover mashed potatoes
1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
2 cups bread flour
3 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
Pour the milk, salt, and sugar into a medium saucepan. Heat on medium heat until the milk starts to bubble at the edges.
Remove the pan from the heat, and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar.
Whisk in the olive oil and the mashed potatoes.
Pour this mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Let the mixture cool until it is still warm, but not hot, to the touch. If the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
Combine the bread flour and the all-purpose flour in a large bowl.
Stir the yeast into the mashed potato mixture in the mixing bowl. Then stir in 2 cups of the combined flour mixture. Using the mixing paddle, mix on medium-high speed for 4 minutes.
Change out the mixing paddle for the dough hook on the stand mixer. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour and mix on medium-low speed for 8 minutes. You want the dough to be loose and a little tacky to the touch.
Rub the inside of a large bowl with some olive oil, and transfer the dough from the mixing bowl to the large bowl. Gently rub the top of the dough with a little olive oil.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
Once the dough has doubled in size, press down on the dough with your hand to deflate it. Turn it out onto a clean and lightly floured surface and knead the dough a couple of times. Cut the dough into two halves.
Rub a little olive oil inside of two 8x4-inch loaf pans. Place a dough half in each pan and press the dough into the bottom of the pans. Rub some olive oil on the top of the loaves, cover with plastic wrap, and put in a warm spot to rise again for 45 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350°F). Remove the plastic wrap from the loaf pans and gently place the loaf pans in the oven in the middle rack. Bake the loaves for 35 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the internal temperature is between 190 and 200°F.
While the bread is still warm in the pan, run a knife between the pan and the bread to loosen the bread from the pan. Turn the loaves out onto a wire rack, let cool completely before slicing.
