How could you say no to a bread loaf that someone has described as “basically a huge, yeasted, baked gnocchi”?
The recipe for this Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) challenge calls for about equal amounts of mashed potatoes and flour, mixed with a small amount of the potato’s cooking water, yeast, olive oil. And after two quick rises, the bread is ready for the oven. Easy, right?
Except. I was baking in the Mr Gander Family beach hut, with a bare, holiday-house-kinda kitchen. It had a great view and gorgeous surroundings (see photos at the end of this post), but none of the baking accessories that forms my comfort zone: kitchen mixer, measuring cups, measuring spoons, kitchen scales, baking stone, and our slightly quirky but familiar oven. Instead, I made the rustic potato loaf with a large salad bowl, an old wooden spoon and by eyeballing the ingredients. It went something like this:
Me: does this look like 1/4 cup to you??
Mr Gander: …
In addition, we came back from the shops with waxy potatoes, not floury potatoes. Waxy potatoes, like kipfler potatoes, are great for salads. They have low starch content, maybe more moisture, and keep their shape when cooked. Floury potatoes, like Russet potatoes, are great for mashing because of their higher starch content and melty-fluffy-ness when mashed. Floury = great for potato bread. Waxy = maybe not so good for potato bread. (See here for more a detailed explanation.)
Probably because of the eyeballing, and the use of undesirable waxy potatoes, the potato loaf dough never quite came together into a satiny elastic ball as I expected. Instead, it looked like ciabatta dough’s cousin thrice removed: wet and shaggy, sticky, consequently a bit difficult to knead and shape; but also rises beautifully, with some irregularities in the moist, open crumb.
On a whim, I added rosemary from the garden, some whole fennel seeds, and a tiny bit of cracked pepper.
There was so much that could have gone wrong with this baking venture. I was unconsciously holding my breath until the bread came out of the oven. And – the bread loaves actually rose and browned in the oven! And most of them were eaten for dinner (before I took a photo). And the left over bread were made into toast the next morning (when I was ready to hover with the camera).
I made two batches of potato loaves, each with slightly different baking times and temperatures. One turned out more like the ‘classic’ rustic potato loaf. The other turned into a kind of hybrid gnocchi-bread. Surprisingly, the gnocchi-bread was the preferred bread for a few of the Gander clan. Hmm…gotta love the in-laws !?
‘Classic rustic potato loaf’: For the first batch, I turned the oven’s thermostat turned down to about 150C (300F), instead of the 190C (375F) specified in the recipe. This is because the oven in the beach hut has a tendency to “take off”, temperature-wise. The crust turned a golden brown after 40 minutes, and so I removed it from the oven.
The bread was, like the recipe promised, very tasty – and very moist, which was great for mopping up sauces. It also made good toast the next morning, with a lightly toasted edges contrasting with the soft, toothsome interior.
‘Hybrid gnocchi-bread’: This loaf baked for just over 30 minutes, with the thermostat on a higher temperature – apparently 170C (about 340F). Just for the record, I think the temperature in the oven was much higher than 170C / 340F.
The loaf browned much faster and formed a lovely looking crust. But underneath the crust, it was as though the bread decided it wasn’t going to get up and out of bed today (or maybe it was trying to become matzoh…). This left a gnocchi-like texture, with enough yeast-leavened lightness so that it wasn’t tough and chewy (like over-worked gnocchi can be), and instead was just-sufficiently-toothsome, creamy, tasty – especially with a puddle of melted butter on top.
Next time, I would like to make this properly, back within my baking comfort zone and with a few variations in flavouring. But Mr Gander has been making puppy eyes about the gnocchi-bread, so that may be something I will try to replicate back at home.
Verdict: I made bread in the beach hut!! This says a lot about how versatile and forgiving the recipe is. And it was very tasty, particularly for a dough that doesn’t have a long, slow rise to develop flavour. This is probably because of the potato in the dough – apparently before commercial baking yeast became widely available, people used starch-rich potato water to leaven bread.
So, if you are craving freshly baked bread in a holiday house, make this potato bread.
Now for that gnocchi-bread.
Recipes and other TWD-ers:
Curious about the classic rustic potato loaf recipe? Go to Dawn of Simply Sweet (who made such a gorgeous loaf with ‘baked potato’ filling, I’m jealous…yet inspired at the same time). To see what other TWD have done with this recipe, go to the TWD links page.
Kitchen with a view: being out of my comfort zone wasn’t so bad when I get this instead:
Tagged: bread, fennel, gnocchi, holiday, potatoes, rosemary, TWD
Saucy Gander. Adventuress in the kitchen and beyond. Amateur cook, baker, traveller, occasional dinner party hostess. I read copiously, blog unprofessionally, and eat almost incessantly. I am an un-trendy resident of Sydney inner west, have never eaten a cake pop, and don't have a DSLR. 
Saucy gander 
Wow! Both versions of your bread sound (and look) great. This was a beautiful recipe: easy, forgiving and quick. I loved it. I also love the view from your beach hut window. I hope you had a great time.
We did have a great time, thank you!
Looks scrumptious! I’d like to have some with some chilled cultured butter and raspberry jam! The crust, the giant air pockets, everything looks superb!!
Oooh now I want to make more potato bread, so I can eat it with cultured butter and raspberry jam!
Seriously? I’d take the opportunity to make anything in that beach hut. Love the view! And the idea of the huge gnocchi.
The ‘gnocchi’ description is a stroke of genius, even if I didn’t come up with it. 🙂
Wow, bread in a beach hut… Congratulations! Your bread looks like it turned out beautifully.
Thanks! we all love the beach hut.
Bravo baking out of your comfort zone!! And the bread looks great. It has a great texture. Beautiful pictures out of the ‘hut’. Looks like a lovely place to be, eating yummy homemade bread! 🙂
Thanks, I think baking (and cooking) out of our comfort zone can teach us a lot, like, how to improvise. 🙂
Both the bread and the setting look lovely. This seems like a recipe that could date back to pre-electric appliance times.
Yes, the ingredients and steps are so simple, I can definitely see this being made in old-times kitchens. The simple things can be the best, right?
I love the description as a yeasted, baked gnocchi! Your loaf looks delicious.
I love the description too! All kudos to Pragmatic Attic blog.
With views like those who cares if you have the tools you need or not? Your bread looks great and I am glad that your family enjoyed it.
Thanks, the view definitely enhanced our enjoyment of the bread!
Your empty plate just made me smile.
Thanks! It was one of those moments..
Lovely photos. Your beach hut looks like a place that’s worth a little bread improvisation! Thanks for taking us through your two versions. Both sound delicious.
The hut was definitely worth it, glad you liked the photos!
Wonderful looking rustic potato bread – and your additions of fennel, rosemary and cracked black pepper sound fabulous. What a wonderful scenery too!
Have a great Wednesday!
Thanks! I’d like to try more herbs in bread after this one.
The bread looks enticing, and I’m a potato fan, so I think I will adore it. Well done on making it despite the obstacles along the way!
Thanks – if you like potatoes I think you will like the bread. The potatoes definitely add to the flavour.
Nicely written. You were courageous to tackle bread outside of your kitchen. I have baked at the vacation cabin before, but always take my Bosch mixer with me. Adding rosemary, fennel and black pepper sound wonderful.
I love my Bosch too, and if I was doing anything more tricky (like sponge cake or a really wet dough), I would definitely have taken it with me.
Yes, I would not trade those views for a real kitchen! Well done.
thanks!
Would bake in that beach hut any day. It definitely looks like the place to be – what a view. Your bread looks amazing.
Yep, I’m very lucky to be able to visit that beach hut, we never get tired of that view. More photos coming in the next week or so..
This bread is totally beach inspired 🙂 Kudos for baking in an unfamiliar oven such a gorgeous looking bread! Have a great holiday!
Thanks! 🙂
The only thing that could make a beach hut better would be eating this bread in a beach hut! It really was a very versatile bread. Glad it worked for you there. It looks amazing!
Yes, the bread was so good, I’m already looking for a reason to make it again.
Now I wish I had added some herbs to the bread. It would be perfect with that. Gnocchi bread is a perfect description. What a view to bake with.
The gnocchi bread was an unexpected (but good) result, glad you liked the view too!
Your additions sound great! I am always impressed with others who take on projects outside their own kitchens. The vacation pictures are beautiful.
This was probably one of the easier recipes to make in a holiday kitchen. Nonetheless, I’m glad (and relieved) it turned out well!
Good to know that the bread turns out well in a beach hut, too! it looks yummy…definitely worth trying again.
That looks glorious! How well did it last? Or was it all eaten too quickly to evaluate keeping length?
We ate the bread by the next day. But a few Tuesdays with Dorie bakers have said it keeps well & stays moist for a few (maybe 3-4) days. It was great toasted!