Caraway and potato bread

In the Netherlands, bread can form the backbone of a meal. This caraway bread features a dense, milky dough made with mashed potato. The caraway seeds add gentle hint of spice.

• makes

  25

• prep

  1 hour

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 300 g potatoes, peeled, chopped
• 350 g plain flour
• 7 g sachet dried yeast
• salt, to taste
• 3 egg yolks, plus extra to brush
• 100 ml warm milk
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• salted butter, to serve

Resting time 45 minutes

The following recipe has been tested and edited by SBS Food and may differ slightly from the podcast.

Instructions

Place the potatoes in a medium-size saucepan of salted, simmering water. Cook for 13–15 minutes until tender. Drain well, return the potatoes to the pan and stir over a low heat for 1–2 minutes to evaporate any residual water. Push the potato through a sieve then add the flour and yeast and season with salt to taste. Beat the egg yolks and milk together and slowly mix into the potato until the dough comes together.  Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 15 minutes until smooth. Alternatively, place the dough in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix on low for 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for 45–60 minutes until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 200˚C.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each piece into a 35 cm x 25 cm rectangle, about 3 mm thick. Cut diagonally into 2 triangles. Starting at the wide end, roll each triangle towards the point, as if you were making a croissant. Arrange the rolls on 2 baking paper-lined oven trays, brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with caraway seeds.

Bake for 15–20 minutes until golden brown.

Photography by Alan Benson

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.