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Original post published July 2nd, 2019. Post last updated on August 5th, 2024.
A potato bread recipe with roasted garlic, olive oil, fresh herbs, crumbled blue cheese, and a sprinkling of coarse sea salt. This rustic loaf pairs nicely with salad or a bowl of soup for a comforting lunch or light weeknight dinner.
What Inspired This Potato Bread Recipe?
Several years ago, I took a fantastic class at Bread Ahead Bakery here in London. During the half-day course we learned to make a few classic British recipes, including a delicious loaf of potato bread.
Although we’d done a little bit of breadmaking in Le Cordon Bleu’s Basic Pâtisserie course, the Bread Ahead class is what really piqued my interest in the art of boulangerie. Since then, bread recipes have been a regular part of my baking repertoire—especially bread recipes filled with lots of add-ins, like herbs, nuts, seeds, and cheese. (See also: This blue cheese bread with raisins and walnuts, or my pear bread recipe with raisins and blue cheese!)
When it comes to add-ins, my potato bread recipe is no exception. This rustic loaf is packed with roasted garlic, extra virgin olive oil, potatoes, and herbs, plus crumbles of blue cheese which meld perfectly into the dough, creating depth of flavor in every bite. I’ve topped things off with a generous sprinkling of coarse sea salt for a satisfying crunch.
I like to slice this hearty potato bread and pair it with a fresh salad or a bowl of homemade no-chicken noodle soup for a cozy lunch or a light weeknight dinner. This roasted garlic bread recipe makes a nice addition to a bread basket, too!
Potato Bread Ingredients
To make this potato bread recipe, begin by gathering the following ingredients:
- Potato – You’ll need one large baking potato, weighing about 200 grams, or 7 ounces.
- Garlic – You’ll need six cloves (about half of a bulb) of garlic, peeled.
- Active Dry Yeast – If desired, you can skip the proofing step and make this recipe with instant yeast instead.
- Granulated Sugar – To give the yeast a boost, and add a touch of moisture to the dough.
Ingredients for making potato bread - Flour – I’ve used a mix of strong bread flour and all-purpose flour. You’ll also want to have some additional all-purpose on hand for dusting the countertop, as well as coating the loaf before scoring.
- Salt – You’ll need kosher salt for the dough, plus coarse sea salt for sprinkling.
- Fresh Herbs – I’ve used a mix of rosemary and thyme, but you can use all of one or the other if you’d like. I highly recommend sticking with fresh herbs for this recipe, rather than dried.
- Chili Flakes – These are optional, but chili flakes give the bread just the tiniest kick of heat.
- Olive Oil – For making the dough, plus roasting the garlic and coating the dough and bowl before proofing.
- Blue Cheese – I like Stilton, but Roquefort or Gorgonzola will also work nicely. And if you don’t care for blue cheese, try replacing it with a mild or medium cheddar instead.
Tools for Making this Potato Bread Recipe
This potato bread recipe doesn’t require much in the way of special equipment, but here are a few tools I recommend to help make the process easier:
- Bread lame or kitchen shears – For scoring the loaf.
- Elastic food storage covers, shower caps, or clingfilm/plastic wrap – To cover the bowl while the dough proves.
- A half-sheet rimmed baking tray – For shaping and baking the loaf.
- Bench scraper – For mixing the dough, and working in the inclusions.
- Baking parchment – To line the baking tray.
For more tool recommendations, you can read about all of the breadmaking tools I love.
Preparing the Potato
If you’ve never had bread made with potato before, you’re in for a real treat!
Begin by washing the potato and dicing it into 1-inch cubes. (I don’t bother peeling the potato, but you can if you’d like.) Add the pieces of diced potato to a medium saucepan, cover with water, and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Then just reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Once tender, drain the diced potato in a collander or fine mesh strainer, mash with a fork or potato masher, and set aside until it’s time to add the potatoes to the dough.
Scoring the Loaf
When scoring the loaf, you can keep things very simple (a few snips with a pair of kitchen shears) or create more intricate designs with a bread lame. For this loaf, I went with a leaf pattern on one side, and a deep score on the other:
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
To save time, try roasting the garlic, crumbling the cheese, and cooking and mashing the potato the night before you plan to bake. Transfer each component to a separate airtight containers and refrigerate until ready to use.
This potato bread recipe is best enjoyed on the day it is made, but you can wrap leftovers in foil, or place in a bread bag, and store at room temperature for up to two days. Potato bread can also be wrapped in foil and frozen for up to three months.
Other bread recipes you might enjoy:
Everything Bagel Bread
Soda Bread with Cheddar and Herbs
Blue Cheese, Date, and Rosemary Dinner Rolls
And if you make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Potato Bread Recipe with Roasted Garlic
- Total Time: About 4 hours
- Yield: 1 10-inch loaf 1x
Description
A rustic potato bread recipe with roasted garlic, olive oil, blue cheese, and herbs.
Ingredients
1 large baking potato (about 200 grams, or 7 ounces), diced into 1-inch cubes
6 garlic cloves, peeled
195 milliliters lukewarm water (3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon)
7 grams active dry yeast (2 teaspoons)
15 grams granulated sugar (1 tablespoon)
384 grams bread flour (3 cups)
128 grams all-purpose flour (1 cup), plus more for coating dough and dusting countertop
3 grams kosher salt (1 teaspoon)
2 6-inch sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 6-inch sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
30 milliliters olive oil (3 tablespoons), plus more for roasting garlic and coating dough
65 grams blue cheese (1/2 cup), crumbled
Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
Line a half-sheet rimmed baking tray with parchment. Set aside.
Add diced potato to a medium saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil on the stovetop. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender, about 12-15 minutes.
Use a fine mesh strainer to drain the potatoes. Mash with a fork. Set aside.
While potato boils, coat garlic cloves in olive oil. Place on a small tray and roast under oven grill/broiler, turning periodically with a spatula, until fragrant and golden brown, about 10 minutes.
With a knife, cut roasted into small pieces. Set aside.
Add the lukewarm water to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with the yeast and a pinch of granulated sugar. Set aside to prove until yeast looks bubbly, about 5-8 minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk together bread flour, all-purpose flour, kosher salt, chopped rosemary, chopped thyme, and red pepper flakes.
Add dry ingredients to the yeast bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil, then use a bench scraper to combine.
Add the mashed potato and continue mixing until a soft dough forms. (If dough seems dry, add 1-2 more tablespoons lukewarm water, but it shouldn’t feel wet or sticky. The potato and cheese will both add moisture to the dough.)
Turn out onto lightly floured countertop.
Knead by hand for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.
Add the crumbled blue cheese and roasted garlic and use your hands to mix until well combined, about 1 minute more.
Shape dough into a ball. Place in a clean, lightly oiled mixing bowl and drizzle with oil.
Cover bowl with a soft cloth or plastic wrap (or one of these handy elastic food storage covers). Sit bowl in a warm place allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about 1 – 1 1/2 hours.
Punch dough down.
Shape dough into a smooth ball. Place on prepared tray.
Cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about 30 – 45 minutes more. While dough rises, preheat oven to 400° F / 205° C.
Coat dough with flour. With a bread lame or kitchen shears, score as desired.
Sprinkle generously with coarse sea salt.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 – 50 minutes, or until top and bottom are deeply golden brown.
Transfer potato bread to a wire rack and allow to cool completely prior to serving.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Rise Time: 1 1/2 - 2 hours, divided
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Bread
