Pane di Patate

Pane di patate Bread is made with mashed potato has a soft crust and moist center. In this recipe, the dough is coated in butter and baked in a ring mold.

Pane di Patate

Special equipment:
Ring mold or 10inch round
cake pan, with 250m ramekin

Ingredients:
250g potatoes, peeled
and cut into 2-3 pieces
2 1⁄2 tsp dried yeast
9 tbsp unsalted butter,
plus extra for greasing
1 large bunch of chives, snipped
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
21⁄4 cups bread flour,
plus extra for dusting

Method:
Place the potatoes in a saucepan with plenty of cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Mash with a potato masher. Let cool.
In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over 1⁄4 cup lukewarm water. Leave for 5 minutes until dissolved, stirring once. Melt half the butter in a saucepan. Put the reserved liquid, mashed potato, dissolved yeast, and melted butter into a large bowl. Add the chives, sugar, and salt, and mix together with your hand.
Stir in half the flour and mix well with your hand. Add the remaining flour, 1⁄2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It should be soft and slightly sticky. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface. Knead for 5-7 minutes, until very smooth and elastic.
Grease a large, clean bowl. Put the dough in the bowl and flip it so the surface is lightly buttered. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1-1 1⁄2 hours, until doubled in size.
Grease the ring mold or cake pan. If using a pan, grease the outside of the ramekin and place it upside down in the center. Melt the remaining butter. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knock back. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Flour your hands and pinch off walnut-sized pieces of dough, making about 30 pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball.
Put a few balls into the dish of melted butter and turn them with a spoon until coated. Transfer the balls of dough to the prepared mold or pan. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover with a dry kitchen towel and let the loaf rise in a warm place for 40 minutes, until the mold or pan is full.
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Bake the bread for 40-45 minutes, until it is golden brown and starts to shrink away from the mold. Let it cool slightly on a wire rack, then carefully unmold. With your fingers, pull the bread apart while still warm.