Irish Potato Bread

We had a bunch of leftover potatoes sitting around that we wanted to use up before heading out for Thanksgiving, so we looked up some creative ways to eat potatoes that didn't involve mashing them or putting them in a skillet. They were smaller potatoes, so we don't make baked potatoes, but the thought did cross my mind to look up potato bread recipes. Well of course there were some on Pinterest and the one that looked the most intriguing was an Irish potato bread recipe that appeared to be some form of soda bread with potatoes. So I figured I'd give it a shot and it was a good idea to try it! I love making soda bread because it's really simple (it doesn't involve much kneading and no rise time), so a potato version of soda bread sounded brilliant to me. This turned out excellently and provided us with some bread to go with our dinners as well as a snack while we were on the road Tuesday evening!

Cooking Notes: I used four small potatoes instead of the two 3/4 pound russet potatoes the recipe originally calls for. I also used an "Egg Beater" in place of a large egg white. We also didn't use caraway seeds because we didn't have any and didn't feel like they would be worth buying for one recipe.

Irish Potato Bread (adapted from Culinary.net; serves 8)
2 3/4 pound russet potatoes
1 large egg plus 1 large egg white
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup fat-free milk
2 tbsp minced chives 
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting and kneading
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Bring one inch of water to a boil over high heat in a large saucepan. Peel 1 potato and cut into eighths; steam pieces until tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. Mash pieces in a large bowl and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.

Preheat to oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil baking sheet or spread cornmeal on baking stone. Peel the other potato and grate it through the large holes of the box grater. Squeeze out any excess moisture, then add to the mashed potatoes. Stir in egg, egg white, oil, milk, chives, and caraway seeds until fairly smooth. Add 3 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a soft, but sticky, dough.

Lightly flour a clean work surface as well as your hands. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface and knead for 1-2 minutes, adding flour incrementally if necessary to keep dough from turning too sticky. Shape into an 8-inch circle and place on baking sheet or stone. Use a sharp knife to put an X on the top of the bread, cutting in only about a half an inch. Bake 55 minutes or until golden brown. The bread should sound slightly hollow when tapped. Cool for at least one hour before slicing and serving. Keep wrapped in a tea towel for storage.

Recipe: Culinary: Irish Potato Bread