3 ways with leftover mash

I’ve been experimenting with recipes that use leftover mashed potato, as the chooks turn their noses (sorry, beaks) up at it and waste makes my chest all tight. We’ve been eating loads of soup at our place recently, so I decided to make potato bread. The last time I made bread was about 10 years ago when breadmakers were the in thing. The breadmaker is rusting in the attic somewhere, which meant I had to make my potato bread by hand. I was pretty nervous but it turned out to be easy peasy. I was so excited by the finished product that I texted, Facebooked and Tweeted my success. Now I’m sharing the recipe in a blog I’ve written for Village Voices on repurposing mashed potato. Check it out at …

http://blogs.kidspot.com.au/villagevoices/3-ways-with-leftover-mash/

RECIPE: POTATO BREAD

• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 pkt dry yeast
• ½ cup warm water
• 5 cups bread flour

METHOD: Mix together mashed potatoes, eggs and butter in a large bowl. Stir in salt, yeast and warm water. Mix in flour to form a dough. Turn dough out onto a floured board and knead well for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Put dough in a greased bowl and toss so the entire surface becomes glossy. Cover with a tea towel and place in a warm spot to rise for an hour. Preheat oven to 220C (200C fan-forced). Turn dough out onto a floured board and knead lightly for five minutes. Return to bowl and cover with tea towel, leave in a warm place until dough doubles in size (about 30 minutes). Shape dough into an oval and score three times across the top. Brush with water. Place onto a baking paper-lined tray and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Delicious warm with butter and homemade soup.