If you love a good white bread with a chewy crumb and soft crust, you need to make this Sourdough Potato Bread. Made with sourdough starter and long-fermented, it's full of flavor and has just the right amount of tang.
Adding starchy potatoes keeps the crumb extra soft and moist, so the bread stays fresh for days. It's perfect for sandwiches or toasted slathered with cultured butter and raspberry preserves. If you've tried my sourdough discard sweet potato sandwich bread or sourdough milk bread, this loaf is another one you'll want to try.
5-Star Review ★
This recipe is the one I use all of the time. It is very close to the bread my Grandma baked. Great multipurpose loaf without all of the hard crust.
Cathy Smith
What You Need
Bread flour - A higher protein content gives this loaf a lovely chewiness, if you don't have any on hand, all-purpose will work as well (do not substitute whole wheat flour).
Russet potato - Starch locks in a lot of water resulting in softer bread, it's best to use Russets since they are higher in starch, but you can substitute any other type of potato, even sweet potatoes.
Potato cooking water - Don't toss this the water you cook your potatoes in. It will have a lot of starch in it, which will increase the starch content of your dough even more.
See recipe card for detailed ingredient information.
Step-by-step Instructions
Cook the potatoes
Cook the potatoes until fork tender, save a little bit of the potato cooking water. Mash the potatoes and allow them to cool.
Make the dough
Mix the dry ingredients, potatoes, starter and potato cooking water in a large bowl. Knead the butter into the dough until completely absorbed.
Knead the dough
Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes. When you start kneading, the dough may feel rough and uneven. However, as you continue to knead, the gluten strands become more organized and elongated giving it a uniform texture and appearance.
First proof
Let the dough rise untouched for 3 to 4 hours. At the end of bulk fermentation, the dough should look like it has doubled in volume and feel like it's full of air.
Shape the dough
Divide the dough into 4 portions. Flatten the dough into a rough circle. Fold the corners into the center. Turn the dough over and round it into a tight ball. Nestle the dough into a loaf pan.
Final proof and bake
Proof until the dough has filled the pan, about 2 hours. Bake at 375 for 30 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes from Hannah's Test Kitchen
- I'll be giving time cues in this recipe, but rising times will depend on the activity of your starter and the temperature in your kitchen. Be flexible and look for the signs of fermentation, instead of depending totally on the times stated here.
- Let the dough rest for 30 minutes after mixing. This allows the flour to fully hydrate, making it less sticky and much easier to handle.
- You can shape this loaf in any way. I find that using this method helps prevent the sandwich loaf from splitting as it bakes. This loaf can be baked in either a 9 by 4-inch Pullman pan or 8.5 by 4.5-inch (1 lb) Loaf pan.
- Let the bread cool completely before slicing, while it may be tempting to tear into this bread right out of the oven, slicing it while it's still hot will cause all of the moisture to escape and cause your bread to dry out faster.
Did this recipe rise to the occasion?
★★★★★
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Sourdough Potato Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 9 by 4-inch Pullman pan or 8.5 by 4.5-inch Loaf Pan
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Ingredients
- 200 grams Russet potato about half of a large potato
- 113 grams potato cooking water cooled
- 420 grams bread flour
- 6 grams salt
- 50 grams granulated sugar
- 113 grams sourdough starter mature and active
- 56 grams unsalted butter softened
Click US Customary to view volume measurements
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes: Dice the potatoes into 2-inch cubes, add potatoes to a small saucepan and cover completely with water. Bring the potatoes to a boil, cook over medium heat for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Set aside 113 grams (½ cup) of potato cooking water. Mash the cooked potatoes. Set the mashed potatoes and water aside until they are completely cool. Do not proceed until your potatoes have cooled completely. Mixing your dough with hot potatoes could kill the yeast in your sourdough starter.
- Make the dough: Combine the potatoes and potato cooking water with the remaining ingredients except for the butter. Stir the ingredients together until your mixture forms a shaggy dough. Knead the butter into the dough one tablespoon at a time, waiting until each addition is fully incorporated before adding more. Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 30 minutes. Letting your dough rest will make it much easier to knead and handle.
- Strengthen the dough: Turn your dough out on a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough until completely smooth and elastic, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Bulk ferment: Round the dough into a tight ball, place it in a clean, lightly-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place until doubled in volume (about 3 to 4 hours).
- Cold proof: Degas the dough and round it into a tight ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it proof in the fridge overnight.
- Shape: Take your dough out of the fridge. Divide the dough into 4 portions, round each portion into a tight ball and nestle them into a 9 by 4-inch Pullman pan.
- Second rise: Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until the dough is puffy and almost fills the pan.
- Bake: Once your dough is almost ready, preheat the oven to 425 F. Once your oven has reached temperature, place your dough into the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 375 F. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and registers at 200 F when probed with an instant-read thermometer.
- Enjoy: Remove your loaf from the pan and transfer to a wire rack. Let your bread cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
- Store and reheat: Store leftover slices in a zip lock bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Tips
These recipes were developed and tested using grams for precise measurements. To increase your chances of success, I recommend investing in a kitchen scale. I've included rough volume estimates (in tablespoons and cups), but they might not be totally accurate.
Remember all ovens are unique, these recipes were tested in my oven which runs cooler than others. You might need to lower the temperature if your bake appears to be browning too quickly. Monitor your bake closely and make adjustments if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist or dietitian, any nutrition information provided is an estimate.
Donnetta Swindell says
I made a same day loaf. I'll be doing a cold proof loaf this weekend.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Thanks for your positive feedback on my sourdough potato bread! So happy you enjoyed this loaf. You'll have to tell me if you prefer the same day bake or the cold proof option.
LY says
Excellent recipe - baked same day, outstanding. Can’t wait to do it again with cold proof!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Thanks for your feedback! I'm so happy you loved this bread.
Amy Nemeth says
Hi there! My dough is currently cold proofing in the fridge. I see that you’ve used the Pullman loaf pan without the lid. Is the temp and bake time the same if I want to bake with the lid and get that perfectly square loaf?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi Amy - I've never used the lid before. My advice would be to use it like a dutch oven. Bake covered for 20 mins and uncovered for 15 mins.
Amy Nemeth says
While I was awaiting your reply I decided to just go for it and baked it exactly as your recipe states, but with the lid on. After 30 minutes I took off the lid and finished baking until the correct internal temperature was reached. It was perfect!! Made the very best BLTs, which is high praise.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
I'm so glad you went ahead with it! I'm going to have to try to use my lid for this recipe too. Thank you for your feedback.
Janice says
Hi Hanna! Do you have a video on this when you need it. Mine started to stick to me and did not smooth out then I wet my hands so it wouldn’t stick and well the dough was good at first but then it started sticking again now I have it in a stand mixer and I added a bit more flour but it’s not getting smooth.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi Janice! Sorry to hear the recipe gave you a tough time. I find that when any bread dough starts to stick, the best thing to do is stop kneading and let it rest. There’s a point where too much handling can cause the dough to tear and disrupt the gluten bonds, which actually makes it feel stickier.
When that happens, try not to add more flour. Unhydrated flour can be a temporary fix, but it often leads to the dough becoming sticky again—and it can change the final texture of your bread. A rest period of 15 to 30 minutes gives the gluten time to recover and form stronger bonds, which makes the dough easier to work with.
Alternatively, if you're not yet comfortable handling sticky dough, feel free to make your bread in a stand mixer. That’s always a great option too!
Cathy Smith says
This recipe is the one I use all of the time. It is very close to the bread my Grandma baked. Great multipurpose loaf without all of the hard crust.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
So glad you loved it!
Dan Pesante says
Hi Hanna
Thanks for sharing your sourdough recipes, recommendations, and for another very good recipe. Potato bread is so nice, but this sourdough potato bread is just excellent, with the typical soft texture and very flavorful.
Kudos!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
So glad you loved it!
Donna says
I can't find ANYWHERE that says what size Pullman pan you used!! When I click on 'pullman pan', it says that page doesn't exist! Kind of an important point to know what size pan to use!!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi Donna! Thanks for your comment, I was able to fix the link and added the pan size throughout the recipe as well. It's hard to keep track of the links at all times, but thanks to your feedback, I was able to fix it.
Marie Eve says
First of all, I want to thank you for all the great sourdough recipes you share! I have made many of your cookies ( the chocolate crinkles are on repeat in my home) and bread and they are fantastic! I was wondering if I could use this recipe to make hamburger buns instead of a loaf.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Absolutely! You can just shape them into buns instead of a loaf. Check out my post on Sourdough Hamburger Buns for shaping and baking instructions.
https://makeitdough.com/sourdough-hamburger-buns/
Raina says
I have to give it 5 stars because I had to tamper with the recipe and it still turned out great! I used a baked potato and was a few grams shy so I added potato flakes. Then it was too dry so I added more water, then it was too wet and so on... It still turned out soft and delicious. I will definitely make again, following directions!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
I'm so glad you were able to make this recipe work for you!
Carol says
Would it be OK to use a stand mixer for kneading the dough?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Yes!
Raina says
Hi- would like to try this with a leftover potato, can I use milk in place of the potato water?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi Raina! This should work just fine or you could also use water.
Nicole says
Whats the difference of shaping 4 balls of dough rather than one large one?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
You can shape the loaf however you want. I prefer shaping in this way because I find that it's less likely to split on the side.
Diana says
This is so good! A nice soft bread to eat. Everyone loved it!
Mary says
This looks delicious! What size pullman pan do you use? Thank you.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
The exact pan that I use is linked in the recipe!
Anne says
I’m a huge fan of the potato bread in your book (the best!) so I wanted to try this variation. Very happy with the results and my husband loved it too. I let the bulk fermentation go 8 hours — didn’t seem like too much at all — then shaped in loaf pan, popped in fridge overnight, let it rise on the counter for an hour or so, and baked it for 45 minutes. So good! Loved that this bread used the potato water for the liquid. One question: is the russet potato weight before or after cooking? Thanks again for all the brilliant recipes! We love them!
Hannah @ Make It Dough says
Yay so happy you loved the recipe and you were able to adjust and be flexible so it would work for you. That's what bread baking is all about. I believe I weigh the potatoes after cooking! I cooked the entire potato and gave the leftovers to my pups who loved the extra treat in their dinner.
A says
Can I use potatoes made from potatoes flakes? or potato pearls?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
I'm not sure if this would work since I've never tried it myself. But you can always try and make mashed potatoes with them and see how it turns out. I can't guarantee your results and you'll have to be careful about the amount of water you add! Try it out and let me know how it goes!