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Fluffy Potato Bread

By Melissa Griffiths

5 from 4 votes

Updated Mar 20, 2024

Potato Bread is soft, fluffy and perfect for the beginning baker. You will love how easy it is to make and how yummy it tastes.  

This classic potato bread is made by boiling a potato! I use some of the starchy water and then mash the potato into the dough. It creates the best texture and only uses a few ingredients.

Since a potato replaces some of the flour it has a soft inside and a crusty edge. Potato bread also is full of fiber and has a longer shelf life than other homemade bread.

This bread recipe is great for a variety of things. It is a great bread to use for sandwiches, toast or to serve with dinner. If you have leftover mashed potatoes you can use those for this recipe too. Potato bread is easy to make and tastes delicious too. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Soft inside and crusty outside
• Longer shelf life than other homemade bread
• Great for sandwiches, as toast, or to serve with a delicious vegetable soup

Recipe Ingredients

• Water: this is the liquid in the recipe and you’ll be using some of the reserved water that the potatoes cooked in
• Russet potatoes: this will be about 1 large or 2 medium potatoes just FYI. Peel, cube and cook these up and use the cooked mashed potatoes AND some of the water they cooked in (it’s full of starch that helps the bread be soft!) to make this classic extra soft potato bread.
• Butter: a little fat helps the dough to not be crumbly and helps it to be extra soft
• All-purpose flour: such a great flour to keep on hand and it’s perfect for this recipe
• Yeast: this is a yeast bread and this is what helps it to rise. Have no fear this is a great beginner yeast bread!
• Eggs: this adds some fat and binding agents to the bread and again, helps it to be extra soft and tender.

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Fluffy Potato Bread

1. You’ll have to start with peeling and cooking your potato. Just boil it up in some water until tender. When you drain that water, keep some of it, it’s going back in the bread!
2. Mash the potatoes really well and cool the cooking water.
3. Add the cooking water to a mixing bowl and add some of the flour.
4. Add the potatoes, yeast, and more flour and keep on mixing.
5. The dough will come together really nicely and then let it rise.
6. Shape into loaves and let rise again.
7. Bake up and serve warm with butter and honey!

Recipe FAQs

Expert Tips

• Potato Prep: Boil the potatoes until they’re very tender for easier mashing. Remember to reserve some cooking water for the recipe!
• Temperature Matters: Cool the water mixture to about 110 degrees Fahrenheit before adding it to the flour and yeast mixture to ensure the yeast activates properly.
• Gradual Flour Addition: Add flour gradually, mixing well after each addition until you achieve a smooth dough consistency.
• Rising Time: Let the dough rise until doubled in size, usually about an hour, then divide and shape into loaves, placing in pans, before allowing them to rise again until about an inch above the sides of the pans.
• Prevent Over Browning: If it’s browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil and continue cooking until the bread sounds hollow when tapped.

How to Store Fluffy Potato Bread

Potato bread can be stored at room temperature either wrapped or in an airtight container for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen, wrapped well, for up to 3 months.

More Bread Recipes to Consider

Homemade Bread

100% Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

Homemade Bread

Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Yeast Bread Recipes

Brioche Bread

Yeast Bread Recipes

Challah Bread

Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!

5 from 4 votes

Fluffy Potato Bread

By: Melissa Griffiths

Soft and fluffy potato bread made with a cooked mashed potato, flour, the cooking water from the potato and a few other simple ingredients. 

Prep: 2 hours hrs

Cook: 35 minutes mins

Total: 2 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Servings: 2 loaves

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ 1 3/4 cups cubed and peeled russet potatoes, (about 1 large or 2 medium potatoes)
• ▢ 1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ 4 1/2 to 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 packages active dry yeast, (4 1/2 teaspoons)
• ▢ 2 large eggs

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Instructions 

• In a medium sauce pan add the water and the potato and bring them to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 or so minutes or until the potatoes are very tender.
• Drain the potatoes but RESERVE 1 cup of the cooking water.
• Place the potatoes in a small mixing bowl and mash well. You should have 1 cup of mashed potatoes.
• In a small bowl add the cooking water, butter, and salt and stir to combine.
• Let the mixture cool until it is about 110 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer add 2 cups of the flour and the yeast.
• Add the water mixture to the bowl and stir until well combined.
• Add the eggs and mix until well incorporated.
• Mix this wet dough on medium to medium high speed for 3 minutes.
• Add the mashed potatoes and stir to combine.
• Add the flour, 1/4 cup at a time stirring well after each addition, until a smooth dough forms.
• Knead the dough by hand (for 6 to 8 minutes) or with your mixer (for 5 minutes) adding any more flour you might need to form a nice dough that is moderately stiff but is still smooth and elastic.
• Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl, cover with lightly greased plastic wrap (or a beeswax wrap) and let rise until doubled, about an hour.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide the dough into 2 even pieces.
• Cover the dough and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Prepare 2 loaf pans (8×4 inches) by greasing them well with butter or shortening (I find that cooking spray doesn’t release the bread as well).
• Shape each piece of dough into a loaf and place them seam side down into the prepared pans.
• Lightly sprinkle the tops with a little flour and place a clean dish towel over the top.
• Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled (30 to 40 minutes). I generally let my loaves get 1 inch above the rim of the pan before I bake them.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. and bake the loaves for 35 to 40 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped lightly.
• If they are getting too brown before the cooking time has passed, cover the tops lightly with foil if needed.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for 5 minutes before remove them from the pan. Let them finish cooling on a wire rack.
• They slice best when they have had time to cool though the warm bread is worth cutting into in my opinion.

Notes

• This bread is SO soft and fluffy. It makes the best sandwiches, toast, or eaten warm with butter and honey or jam.
• Potato bread can be stored at room temperature either wrapped or in an airtight container for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen, wrapped well, for up to 3 months.
• Add flour gradually, mixing well after each addition until you achieve a smooth dough consistency.
• Let the dough rise until doubled in size, usually about an hour, then divide and shape into loaves, placing in pans, before allowing them to rise again until about an inch above the sides of the pans.

Nutrition

Serving: 2 of 16 one-inch slices, Calories: 196kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 28mg, Sodium: 252mg, Potassium: 121mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 0.2g, Vitamin A: 119IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 2mg

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