Bread Machine Potato Bread (with Rosemary)

Tips – Bread Machine – Potato Bread

• The tips below are for bread machine “novices”. Hopefully, these tips will help you to maximize the success of your potato bread.
• Click on our “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include our tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
• This recipe is part of our series on easy Bread Machine Recipes.
• WARNING – You need to use DRY potato flakes when making this recipe. Reconstituted flakes (with water) will add too much moisture and the bread will come out soggy and/or the bread top could collapse. This is the number #1 error when people make this recipe (as they mistakenly use moist mashed potatoes versus using the required dry potato flakes).
• Be aware that old potato flakes (if not in an airtight container) can pick up moisture from the air. This may throw off recipes by adding too much liquid. Extra liquid (beyond what is called for in a recipe) can result in bread collapses, misshapen tops, etc. You should keep your potato flakes in airtight containers in order to avoid potential moisture contamination from the air.
• My potato bread recipe creates a 2 lb loaf. This recipe will NOT work in smaller bread machines (i.e. those with only a 1 lb capacity). The dough will overflow the bread pan and/or hit the top of the bread machine if the bread machine is too small.
• I like to include a “hint” of rosemary in my potato bread in order to add a little extra flavor. Other flavor possibilities include black or white pepper, Italian seasoning, diced chives, etc.
• You should use bread flour when making this recipe. Bread flour has more gluten than all purpose flour. Gluten helps to provide structure to the bread.
• Use FRESH ingredients (i.e. flour) for the best results. Ingredients that have been sitting in the pantry for months can become stale or pick up weird smells & flavors. Try to keep your ingredients (i.e. flour) in airtight containers in order to extend their shelf life.
• Do not remove any of the salt from the recipe. Otherwise, the yeast will cause the dough to rise higher (and faster) than expected and you are more likely to suffer bread problems (i.e. dough overflowing the bread pan or a bread top that collapses or is misshapen).
• Many bakers like to make an indent in the top of the flour in order to hold the bread machine yeast in place (looks sort of like a small flour volcano with a yeast crater). This is done to prevent the yeast from falling into the liquid ingredients (and activating prematurely) and/or coming into contact with the salt until the bread machine is turned on.
• Do not place the salt next to the yeast (as this will kill the yeast). I like to place the yeast in the middle of the bread pan (in the “indent” mentioned above) and the salt next to one of the sides of the bread pan (away from the yeast).
• Do not open the lid of the bread machine during the baking cycle. This will release the heat and cause baking problems.
• This recipe uses bread machine yeast (instant yeast). It does NOT use “active dry” yeast. Bread machine yeast and instant yeast are not the same as active dry yeast. Bread machine yeast and instant yeast are added directly to the recipe’s ingredients. In contrast, active dry yeast is not an instant yeast and must be activated in water/milk before being added to a recipe’s ingredients. If you try to use active dry yeast for this recipe, it is much less likely to work properly (as the recipe instructions & leavening time is based on the use of bread machine yeast).
• If you haven’t used your bread machine or bread maker in a long time, please buy some NEW bread machine yeast before making your bread. Old yeast can die or lose its potency and this will lead to bread that does not rise properly. Bread machine yeast is not likely to be viable if it has been sitting in your pantry for years.
• Bread machine yeast loses its potency over time. Generally, bread machine yeast lasts for only 3-4 months after you have opened the bottle. However, if the yeast is exposed to air & moisture (i.e. the bottle not sealed tight) or exposed to higher temperatures, the yeast will expire even more quickly. Many bakers like to store their yeast jars (sealed tightly of course) in their refrigerator or freezer.
• Bread machine yeast in a bottle that has never been opened should last until the bottle’s “Best If Used By” date… but only if the bottle has been stored properly (i.e. in a refrigerator, freezer or in a dark, dry & cool spot in the pantry) and the bottle remains unopened.
• If your bread comes out too dense, it is likely due to one of the following reasons; You are using old or stale yeast, using a cold refrigerator temperature liquid (which slows yeast growth), baking in a cold winter temperature kitchen (yeast likes kitchen temps of 75-80 degree F), using all purpose flour (versus bread flour as called for in the recipe), placing salt on top of or next to the yeast (salt kills yeast so it must be placed away from the yeast in the bread pan), etc.
• Kitchen humidity can impact a recipe. A winter kitchen tends to be drier due to your heating system drying out the air. In contrast, a kitchen in the summer can be much more humid. This change in humidity impacts baking as flour can soak up humidity from the air. Of course, excessive kitchen humidity or dryness can impact a recipe at any time during the year (not just in the summer & winter)!
• This is one of the reasons that people should store flour in an airtight container if they have already opened the flour package. The flour will pick up extra moisture from the air while sitting in the pantry and this can throw off recipes, spoil flavor, degrade shelf life, etc.
• Having trouble with bread collapses & misshapen bread tops? Make sure to read Bread Dad’s article on bread machine bread collapses. It has reasons and solutions to potential bread collapses.
• If you have run out of potato flakes but want to make a white bead, you might like to try our buttery Bread Machine White Bread recipe instead. Or you might like to try our Bread Machine Buttermilk Bread or Extra Soft Bread Machine White Bread recipes.
• If you have a problem with a “basic” bread machine recipe, please make sure that you are following the recipe exactly (i.e. using the correct bread machine settings), using the correct amount of an ingredient (i.e. don’t eyeball the measurements versus using a measuring cup or accidentally add a tablespoon when a teaspoon is called for), using the correct ingredients (i.e. bread machine yeast versus regular yeast or bread flour versus all purpose flour), etc. Please don’t “wing” things with recipes.
• Please read YOUR bread machine manufacturer’s instructions for information on how to use your bread machine safely and effectively. The manufacturer’s instructions will help you to master working with your specific bread machine model.
• Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with a bread machine. The bread pan and the rest of the bread machine can get very hot during the baking process. This means that the bread pan and bread machine is likely to be very hot when you attempt to remove a baked good from the bread machine and/or bread pan.
• For more bread machine recipes (i.e. white bread, banana bread, cornbread, whole wheat bread, etc.), please visit Bread Dad’s Bread Machine Recipes section.
• If you enjoyed this recipe, we would love to see a picture of your masterpiece! Please post a photo of it on Instagram and tag it with @BreadDadRecipes

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