We were invited for Christmas dinner at the neighbors.  Very nice since both our boys were traveling to significant others houses and this must be the only time it’s been Christmas with just the two of us. 

I offered to bring bread.  Well I couldn’t just do one bread, I had to do two.  I couldn’t do breads I’d already done, I picked two recipes I’d never made before.  

With the adventuresome spirit of a Daring Baker I wanted to try new recipes.  Since I really love the texture, taste and crust of potato bread, I determined to try a different recipe from THAT potato bread.  Maybe I’m looking for THE perfect potato bread.  I even let the idea of thinking what an idea it would be to challenge myself to making a different potato bread recipe once a month for the next year.  But I doubt I have the follow through for that one.

Up-dated: The original recipe used a pre-ferment only, I have added the Leaven and I cut the recipe in half.  If anyone would like the original I can copy it for you, just let me know. 

In Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques & Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman, I found a recipe for Roasted Potato Bread that I had marked when I first got the book.  This recipe appealed to me in several ways.  I like less yeast and slow rises.  I wanted to try roasting the potato instead of boiling.  I really wanted to try the fendu shape!

The potato brings a sweetness and moisture to this bread I think it would lack without it. 

Crust:

It’s pretty hard to beat potato crust bread and this one was over the top soooo good, it sang to me!  Singing bread?  Yes!  They even have a name for it . . .  musique du pain.  This is only the second bread that has sung to me, the first was the No Knead I made here.

Roasted-Potato Bread

adapted from

Bread: A Baker’s Book of Technique & Recipes

by Jeffery Hamelman

Starter:

100 g my Leaven (It really is time to name this baby!)

5 oz King Arthur bread flour

90 g water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

Mix all well, cover with plastic and allow to stand at room temperature from 6 to 8 hours.

The day of baking:

9 oz (2 cups) KA bread flour

2.4 oz (1/2 cup - 66 g) whole wheat flour

6.6 oz (180 g) water

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoons yeast

5 oz roasted potato

above starter

Whisk yeast in with the 2 cups flour.  In a stand mixer, combine flours, water, salt, and potato and mix on low for several minutes (less than 5 minutes).  

Add the starter and mix to a stiff dough an additional 3 to 4 minutes. 

Cover and allow to rise.

At 45 minutes, remove dough from container and fold twice.  Cover again and allow to rise another 45 minutes.

Divide the dough into two equal portions and cover with plastic; allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before shaping.

This recipe suggests the fendu shape and Hamelman gives excellent illustrations and dialogue to do the fendu.

The fendu shape was easy to accomplish and made for a rather dramatic presentation.  When I do it next time, I’ll get some photos.  Simply put:  Shape the dough into a loaf.  I did a round.   Heavily dust the dough with flour.  I have a skinny rolling pin that I used.  The rolling pin is laid across the loaf dividing it in half and then rocked back and forth dividing the dough in half without severing it at the bottom.  Then the rolling pin rolls back and forth to create a gulf between the two halves.  Push the two halves back together. 

When I googled Fendu for writing this, I found Susan’s excellent write up and photos of this shape here.

I then placed the loaf top side down in a round Banneton basket.  Allow to rise for the final time.  The final rise took about an hour and a half in my oven with the light on.

Pre-heat the oven to 450° F for the last 45 minutes of the rising time.

My two round loaves took 45 minutes: 15 minutes at 450°F and 30 minutes at 425°F and registered 200°F internally.

And here I must make a small digression as to two pieces of equipment I’ve mentioned in preparing this bread. 

One of the things I enjoy most about cooking is the connections that it brings.  The connection may be a smell or a fleeting memory.  In these two instances it’s an object in reality. 

The skinny rolling pin I just mentioned is a French tapered rolling pin.  I enjoyed using because it is perfect to create the fendu shape.  This particular rolling pin I doubly enjoy using because I bought it in Paris at Dehillerin’s.  Cook’s have shopped at Dehillerin’s since 1820.  Dehillerin’s is a fantasy land for a foodie who cooks or bakes.  Every imaginable pan shape and size is found there.  I’ve been there with just Gorn and even he was able to enjoy it.  I’ve been there with my friend Sue.  And I’ve walked the aisles with Julia Child and Mimi: well in my imagination I’ve walked the aisles with those two.

And the Banneton basket . . . that was a special gift from another bread baker when I was in the Netherlands!  Thank you Karen, it will always keep me baking bread with you.

It’s as close to time travel as I can get and it’s pretty good!

Now tell me true: Do you risk all with a new recipe on company?  Or do you always give it a test run first?

Wishing you a very Healthy, Wealthy and Wise New Year!