Easy Potato Bread

By Elizabeth Yetter

Updated 11/19/18

Potato Bread Recipe

 The Spruce

Ratings (55)
  • Total: 3 hrs 25 mins
  • Prep: 2 hrs 45 mins
  • Cook: 40 mins
  • Yield: 2 loaves (24 servings)
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
79 Calories
5g Fat
8g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 loaves (24 servings)
Amount per serving
Calories 79
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g 6%
Saturated Fat 3g 13%
Cholesterol 28mg 9%
Sodium 164mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Protein 1g
Calcium 13mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Thick and moist, freshly baked potato bread tastes nothing like the grocery store potato rolls. Fortunately, potato bread is easy to make. For this recipe, you can use leftover mashed potatoes or mix up a cup’s worth of instant mashed potatoes. This easy potato bread recipe makes two loaves so you have one to eat now and one to freeze for later (if it lasts). You can also use this recipe to make a braided bread dough.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup mashed potatoes
  • 2 eggs (beaten)
  • 1/2 cup butter (softened)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
  • 1/2 cup water (warm)
  • 5 cups bread flour (divided)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Potato Bread Recipe ingredients
     The Spruce

  2. In a large bowl, mix together the mashed potatoes, eggs, and butter.

    Potato Bread Recipe
     The Spruce

  3. Stir in the sugar, salt, yeast, and warm water.

    Potato Bread Recipe
    The Spruce

  4. Mix in enough flour to make a dough that can be kneaded by hand.

    Potato Bread Recipe
     The Spruce

  5. Turn the dough out onto a floured board or surface and knead it until it is smooth and elastic.

    Potato Bread Recipe
     The Spruce

  6. Put dough in a greased bowl. Flip dough over inside the bowl so that the dough top is also lightly greased. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 1 to 2 hours, until double in bulk.

    Potato Bread Recipe
     The Spruce

  7. Punch down the dough by making a fist and pressing firmly in the center of the dough.

    Potato Bread Recipe
     The Spruce

  8. Fold the edges of the dough into the center of the bowl to form a ball. Turn out onto a lightly-floured board and briefly knead out bubbles.

    Potato Bread Recipe
     The Spruce

  9. Divide dough in half and shape it into 2 loaves.

    Potato Bread Recipe
     The Spruce

  10. Place loaves in 2 greased 8 x 4 x 2-inch bread pans. Cover and let the dough rise a second time for 40 minutes or until doubled.

    Potato Bread Recipe
     The Spruce

  11. Bake at 375 F for 40 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when the top is tapped on.

    Potato Bread Recipe
     The Spruce

  12. Remove ​the loaves from the loaf pans and let them cool.

    Potato Bread Recipe
     The Spruce

  13. To freeze, let loaves cool completely before bagging and freezing.

    Potato Bread Recipe
     The Spruce

Tips

  • Bread flour has a higher amount of gluten than all-purpose flour. This means that bread made with bread flour will rise higher than bread made with all-purpose flour. You can make your own bread flour by adding 1 1/2 teaspoons of gluten to each cup of all-purpose flour you use in your bread recipe.
  • Egg substitute can be used in place of the egg.
  • Spraying loaves with water while they bake will produce a crispy crust.
  • Brush loaves with egg white before baking to produce a shiny crust.
  • Brush loaves with milk before baking to produce a dark, shiny crust.
  • Brush loaves with butter immediately after baking to produce a soft crust.
  • Use bottled water instead of tap water to make your bread. Water softeners and chlorinated public water can sometimes kill the yeast needed to make your bread dough rise.