Homemade Potato Bread

Potato bread has a firm crust and lots of little air pockets, making it the best toast ever.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated January 27, 2025
Elise Bauer Elise Bauer
Potato Bread Potato Bread
Elise Bauer

Do you like potato bread?

Potato bread is essentially wheat bread with a mashed potato worked into the dough.

It has the most wonderful crust. And the light, but firm, structure with generous craggly holes make for the most fantastic toast. (All those nooks and crannies? Perfect butter and jam receptacles.)

With all of the artisan breads available at the markets these days it's a wonder anyone makes their own bread anymore. But I have yet to find freshly baked potato bread at the market, and making it at home is easy, especially if you have a mixer or bread machine.

Potato Bread Potato Bread
Elise Bauer

Adapting a Vintage Recipe

I recently came across a basic recipe for potato bread (called Hot Loaf) in MK Fisher's classic How to Cook a Wolf, written during WWII with essays on keeping the wolves of hunger at bay when food and money are scarce.

The recipe gave some basic guidelines, but left some things completely open to interpretation, like the amount of dough, "sift in enough flour to make the dough soft and workable..." and the baking temperature, "bake in a moderate oven until a fine golden crust is formed."

So, I've gathered advice from other recipes (here's a good one from the fine folks at King Arthur) to come up with more specific instructions.

That said, bread making really is an art that improves with practice. This recipe is flexible and forgiving, so it's a good one to try if you are just starting your home breadmaking adventures.

Potato Bread Potato Bread
Elise Bauer

Types of Potatoes To Use in Potato Bread

This recipe calls for russet potatoes, but over the years our readers have shared other options that worked for them.

  • Leftover mashed potatoes 
  • Potato flakes: they should be rehydrated, enough to yield 3/4 to one cup of mashed potatoes
  • Prepared ready-to-heat mashed potatoes from the store
  • Other types of potatoes besides russet, such as Yukon Golds; since other potatoes are waxier than russets, you may need to add a bit more flour to the dough

Can This Recipe Be Kneaded by Hand?

Yes! If you don't have a stand mixer or bread machine, you can certainly knead the dough by hand. But remember, the dough should still be a bit tacky but not too sticky. So, be careful not to add too much flour.

Storing and Freezing

To store baked bread, double wrap the cooled loaves in plastic film or aluminum foil. Then, place in freezer-safe, zip-top bags. Frozen bread will keep for about 6 months. Remove from the freezer and let thaw to room temperature while still wrapped.

It's best to not store bread in the refrigerator, since the fridge tends to dry out bread loaves.

Reader Variations and Tips

This potato bread recipe has been a favorite among readers for years. Here are some of the ideas and tips they've shared over time.

  • Celia: "I used a can of evaporated fat free milk and potato cooking water to make the 2 cups of milk. It was delicious. Will make this again. Soft and moist."
  • RMJ: "The purple potatoes I used were fun. When cold, the bread looked a little grey and my kids were freaked out. When I toasted the bread, the purple color became vibrant again. I will be making this again!"
  • Cheryl: "I used less than half spelt to white flour and that batch turned out great. Today I have also added ground flax seed to some of the spelt ratio." 
  • Robert: "I don't push my dough tight into the corners of the tins, from experience I've found the bread tends to end up a little flat when I do that. I leave it to just expand into them and the loaf tends to rise more in the middle to give that nice dome shape if that's your thing."

More Easy Homemade Bread Recipes

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Homemade Potato Bread

Prep Time 50 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Rising Time 2 hrs 45 mins
Total Time 4 hrs 20 mins
Servings 12 servings
Yield 2 loaves

You can save the water the potato was cooked in and use it for part or all of the milk in the recipe.

This recipe calls for 8x4-inch baking pans. If you bake the loaves in standard 8 1/2x4 1/2-inch pans, your loaves will likely take less time to bake.

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Ingredients

  • 1 large russet potato (about 12 ounces)

  • 2 cups (475ml) milk

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the pans

  • 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast

  • 5 cups (680g) all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for flouring the counter

Method

  1. Cook, peel, and mash the potato:

    You will need 6 to 8 ounces of mashed potato for this potato bread recipe. That's between 3/4 cup and one cup of mashed potatoes.

    The easiest way to cook the potato is to poke it all over with the tines of a fork and microwave it on high, 4 minutes on one side, and 4 minutes on the other side. Let it cool. Then, peel and mash it with a fork.

    Or, you can boil the potato. Peel the potato, cut it into large chunks, cover it with water in a pot, bring to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes or so until a fork easily goes through the potato, drain, cool, and mash. (You can save the water the potato was cooked in and use it for part or all of the liquid in the recipe.)

  2. Heat the milk, whisk in mashed potato:

    Pour two cups of milk into a medium saucepan with the salt and sugar. Heat on medium heat until the milk starts to bubble at the edges. Then, remove from heat. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Whisk in the olive oil and the mashed potato.

    Pour into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer (or just a large bowl if you don't have a mixer), and let cool until it is still warm, but not too hot to touch. (If the mixture is too hot—over 130°F—it will kill the yeast in the next step.)

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    Elise Bauer
  3. Add yeast and 2 cups of flour:

    Stir in the yeast. Stir in 2 cups (272g) of the flour. Use a stand mixer, such as a KitchenAid (recommended). Attach the mixing paddle, and mix on medium-high speed for 4 minutes. This will help break up any potato lumps and incorporate the mashed potatoes into the dough.

    (If you are using a bread machine, put the milk potato mixture, the yeast, and all of the flour into the bread machine and knead for 8 minutes. Skip the next step and proceed to Step 5.)

  4. Add the remaining flour and knead:

    Swap out the mixing paddle for the dough hook on your mixer. Add enough of the the remaining 3 cups (408g) of flour to make a loose dough and mix on medium-low speed for 8 minutes. The dough should be tacky, but not sticky.

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    Elise Bauer
  5. Let the dough rise:

    Rub the inside of a large bowl with some olive oil. Transfer the dough from the mixing bowl and put it into this large bowl (You can use your mixing bowl if you clean it, and coat the inside with oil.). Gently coat the top of the dough with a little olive oil.

    Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a dampened towel (to prevent the dough from drying out). Place in a warm spot for 2 hours or in the refrigerator overnight.

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    Elise Bauer
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    Elise Bauer

    The dough should at least double in size. You'll know when it has risen sufficiently when you press into the top with your fingertip and the indentation remains for awhile.

  6. Divide the dough and place in loaf pans:

    Press down on the dough with your hand to deflate it. Turn it out onto a clean, lightly floured surface and knead a couple of times. Cut the dough into two halves (a pastry scraper comes in handy for this).

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    Elise Bauer
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    Elise Bauer

    Rub a little olive oil inside of two 8x4-inch loaf pans. Place a dough half in each and press the dough into the bottom of the pans.

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    Elise Bauer
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    Elise Bauer
  7. Let the dough rise again:

    Coat the top of the loaves with a little olive oil. Cover the loaf pans with plastic wrap and put in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour or longer, until the dough has doubled in size.

  8. Preheat the oven:

    Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set a rack in the middle.

  9. Bake the loaves:

    Remove the plastic wrap from the loaf pans and gently place the loaf pans in the oven in the middle rack. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the internal temperature is between 190° and 200°F. Start checking the bread after 35 minutes, note that your bread may take as long as 55 minutes.

    Simple Tip!

    Love a crispy crust? Our tester, Bryce, likes to remove the warm, just-baked loaves from the pans and put them back in the hot oven for 5 minutes to firm up the sides with direct heat.

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    Elise Bauer
  10. Cool the loaves:

    While the bread is still warm in the pan, use a dull dinner knife and run along the edges of the pan, between the pan and the bread to loosen the loaves from the pan. Turn out the loaf pans onto a rack. Let cool completely before slicing.

    Did you love the recipe? Give us some stars and leave a comment below!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
278 Calories
4g Fat
52g Carbs
8g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 278
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 3mg 1%
Sodium 377mg 16%
Total Carbohydrate 52g 19%
Dietary Fiber 2g 9%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 2mg 12%
Calcium 63mg 5%
Iron 3mg 17%
Potassium 281mg 6%
*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. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.