Rosemary Pecorino Potato Bread

This potato bread flavored with Pecorino and rosemary is a delicious homemade bread recipe, perfect served warm with butter.

Ingredients

Full recipe and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

• Potato. Any potato suitable for mashing will work.
• Instant yeast. 
• Sugar. 
• Flour. All purpose, bread flour, 00-flour are all suitable.
• Salt. 
• Pecorino Romano. Parmesan can be substituted.
• Olive oil. 
• Rosemary. 
• Warm water.

How to make potato bread

1. Cook the potatoes:  Peel and roughly chop two medium potatoes. Cook in a pot of salted water with a few sprigs of rosemary until the potatoes are soft. Drain then reserve 2 cups of cooking water. Allow to cool then mash the potatoes.
2. Make the dough: Whisk the yeast into the cooled cooking water and add the sugar. Allow to stand for 5 minutes until frothy. Combine the bread flour (using bread flour will allow more gluten to form), salt, mashed potatoes and pecorino in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the yeast mixture, olive oil and warm water to the flour and knead on medium speed until the dough starts to come away from the bowl. If the dough is too sticky or wet, add a little flour. If the dough seems too dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time until the dough is soft, slightly tacky and pulling away from the side of the bowl. Knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth.
3. Allow to rise: Transfer to a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise for at least 1 hour in a warm spot or overnight in the fridge.
4. Bake: Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball. Place the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper then place the parchment paper and dough into an oven-safe pot. Make a few cuts into the top of the dough and push whole sprigs of rosemary into the cuts. This is optional but looks beautiful. Place the bread in a preheated oven and allow to bake for 30-45 minutes or until the potato bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving.

Freezing and making ahead

1. Freezing: Make the dough and place in a freezer bag then freeze for up to 3 months. Allow the dough to thaw completely then place in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for an hour before proceeding with the baking instructions.
2. Making ahead: The dough can be made up to a day in advance and kept covered in the fridge. The baked potato bread will last for 1-2 days if kept covered on the counter.

What to serve with potato bread

1. Instant Pot Guinness beef stew
2. Easy healthy chicken broccoli soup
3. The ultimate BLT sandwich
4. Easy tomato soup with grilled cheese

Bread recipes

1. Cheese and herb Irish soda bread
2. Bacon corn bread
3. Naan bread
4. Easy garlic butter dinner rolls