The aroma of bread ...

... was wafting from my kitchen as I was finishing up this month's Daring Baker's challenge . With the weather chilly outside, this was just what the home needed to make it cozy. Our wonderful hostess Tanna of the delicious blog My Kitchen in half cups picked Potato bread as the theme of the month. I must admit that I am not used to baking bread, so I was a bit daunted about this task and we were required to knead it by hand . What !? no help from my trusty KitchenAid? But upon hearing such rave reviews from other Daring Bakers who had done the challenge early, I gained more courage by the day.

The dough was pretty sticky but that was expected. I really enjoyed the kneading process - quite therapeautic really. It was also a soft type of dough which I found hard to shape into dinner rolls which kinda explained my flattish ones as seen below.

My resulting bread had a thick crisp crust with a soft tasty interior. I found the bread quite heavy, I could only eat one slice at a time. I do really like the idea of adding potato to bread. I think this is an awesome idea that could be applied to different types of bread like brioche maybe.

My thanks to Tanna for a great challenge. I needed to work on my bread-making skills and this provided the much needed practice. Besides, I was able to use the "proof" mode in my oven for the first time!

Please visit the other creative interpretations by my fellow Daring Bakers, I'm sure they have wonderful stories to tell.

Comments

[Dharm]

The rolls look just lovely! Great job!

[Lydia]

Beautiful little potato rolls! I think that kneading by hand is one of the most enjoyable experiences in the kitchen. You get into a rhythm, and soon find that your hands are working on their own, and your mind is free to wander and ponder.

[Meeta]

Nice going Veronica! I enjoyed the bread too and the potato does make it very filling. Those rolls look simply fantastic!

[Bev]

I think your dinner rolls look perfect!
I also find the kneading part great therapy.

[foodie froggy]

The loaf looks nice and the rolls are so cute !

[ilva]

I love kneading, if you're in the right mood it's really comforting I find! So are you chucking out your kitchen aid now?

[joey]

Your loaf is gorgeous Veron! :) Isn't kneading great? A really stress-buster in my book :) I had to use a lot of muscle with this one as my dough was so incredibly sticky...but it all turned out well in the end :)

Love potato bread...you're right, it's heavy, but good right? :)

[foodie froggy]

Hi, it's me again !
Helene must be a great teacher, your french (on my comment box) is superb !

[Anne]

The loaf looks simply perfect...loved how you captured them beautifully :)

[megan]

Job well done. They look beautiful!

[Dana]

Looks great! One of these days I will join the Daring Bakers ;-). In the meantime, I have (and love) this book, so I'll have to give this recipe a try! It's been on my list for a while...

[Fruittart]

Great job! I was nervous about this too but it was a good recipe for yeast-phobics.

[Laurie]

It was a heavy bread, but I loved it. Both your loaf and rolls look perfect! I was worried about kneading by hand too. I love the handy KA! But it all worked out. Great job! xo

[Mandy]

well done!A "proof" mode? your oven is so cool.

[Deborah]

I would have never guessed that you did not bake bread often! It looks great - I do agree it was quite heavy, though.

[chronicler]

Great job! I was a bit surprised at the heaviness of the bread I baked too. Still tastes great!

[breadchick]

Veron, kneading by hand really is relaxing isn't it! I love how your rolls turned out. Quite lovely actually. Glad to bake with you once again, Daring Baker sister!!

[kellypea]

I WISH I found the kneading theraputic. It always sounds like it should be. Too painful, and this time, sticky. But the outcome was so worth it. Your rolls are so cute!

[Gabi]

Great Job on your beautiful Potato Bread!
I love the meditative process of kneading but this was one sticky dough to do it with :)
xoxo

[Rose]

Isn't the crust the best part of the bread? well done Veronica.

[Shawnda]

Kneading is usually very therapeutic. I pour a glass of chilled white wine, pull up a barstool to the island, and watch the KitchenAid earn its keep :) Your bread looks lovely!

[Shawnda]

Kneading is usually very therapeutic. I pour a glass of chilled white wine, pull up a barstool to the island, and watch the KitchenAid earn its keep :) Your bread looks lovely!

[MyKitchenInHalfCups]

I didn't get a pic of any of my loaves for some wacky reason. Yours looks fabulous. I have to think you are fearless after all your maccaroon escapades!

[peabody]

They used to call me the angry baker in college because whenever I was mad I would make bread just so I could knead the dough.
Good looking loaf and rolls.

[Nora]

Great job with the sticky dough, Veron! Mine ended up quite flat too. I used mini tart molds for the dinner rolls (I figured that not only will they look pretty, but that was the only way I can get them more round)

[Anita]

They are such a lovely brown color! Wonderful job, Veronica!

[Anh]

Veron, fantastic bread!

[Ivonne]

We have the same loaf pans!!! I always get so excited when I see that I have the same baking equipment as other people.

Okay. On to more serious business.

Your loaf is SERIOUSLY beautiful!

[T.W. Barritt]

That looks like a very successful loaf, Veron. I've said elsewhere that my biggest challenge is finding a warm place for the bread to rise -- but you have "proof" setting on your oven! Where can I get one of those?

[Julius]

Your loaf and rolls turned out wonderfully. Congrats!

[Bea]

Oh, I wish I was your neighbour!

[Marce]

oh yeah, kneading is definitely therapeutic. No stand mixer in this house, so that´s the only way I do it and I wouldn´t trade it for anything. Your bread looks fantastic.

[Jessica]

Your bread looks great. Especially the crust. I bet it tastes every bit as good as it looks. Well done

[Kaykat]

Crazy sticky dough, my arm got a serious workout!

The loaf looks delightful!

[T.W. Barritt]

I've always had trouble finding a warm place to let the dough rise, but I see you have a "proof setting" on your oven - where do I get one of those? Do you know what the "proof" temperature is?

[Hannah]

That loaf looks so good, I just want to grab a chunk of it right out of the screen! And it's good to know that I wasn't the only one having [admittedly minor] issues with the density.

[veron]

T.W. the lowest proof temperature on the oven is 85F , I'm not sure what the max is but I think it's 105F.

[Camila]

When i looked at your breads i could see mine coming out of the oven... well... excepet for the fact that my was all stuck on the paper!! And also found very therapeutic.!

[The TriniGourmet]

looks wonderful :D I'm back online btw :D :D Sent you a Facebook request, did you get it? :D

[Sheltie Girl]

Your bread is beautiful. You did a wonderful job!

Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go

[Sheltie Girl]

Your bread is beautiful. You did a wonderful job!

Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go

[Sheltie Girl]

Your bread is beautiful. You did a wonderful job!

Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go

[steamykitchen]

I've not tried gooood homemade potato bread before. Just the cheap-o dinner rolls at the market. Yours looks great!

[Kelly-Jane]

Your bread looks great, I love your dinner rolls especailly, well done!

[Kelly-Jane]

You did a great job, your bread looks great, well done :)

[Christina]

Veronica, your loaf looks amazing! It has a nice, deep, brown hue which I'm sure was a lovely contrast to the white crumb.

So it wasn't just me. I also thought a slice of this was heavier than normal bread, most likely due to the potato. I ate a slice with soup, then had another slice afterwards because I knew there wouldn't be any left the next day! Totally worth it.

[Mary]

I try to use my KA mixer whenever I can too. But even with the sticky blob of dough, the bread was fun to knead by hand.

[Chris]

I am with everyone else - lovin' the kneading. It may just put therapists out of business!

Your bread looks delicious!

[Andrea]

Your bread turned out great! I had trouble getting my rolls to hold their shape, too, so the next couple times I made them in muffin tins.

[Jen Yu]

Veronica, your bread looks great. I too found the bread to be heavier than I am used to (as potato bread goes). Maybe I added too much flour? But then if I didn't, it would stick to me and never make it into the oven ;)