This potato bread flavored with Pecorino and rosemary is a delicious homemade bread recipe, perfect served warm with butter.
This potato bread recipe has been one of my all-time favorites I have ever developed for the longest time. Bread is pretty much always my favorite thing to eat but when you’ve baked a loaf yourself and get to eat a slice warm with butter. Oh man. There’s just nothing like it. I love how simple this bread is but it always impresses the socks off of people. The rosemary and Pecorino cheese flavor the bread and makes it intensely savory while the potato ensures a crusty loaf with a soft, fluffy interior.
This loaf is great for sandwiches, perfect with soups and stews and will make such a lovely addition to any pot luck dinner.
How to make potato bread
- 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.
- 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.
- Allow to knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth. 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
Serving suggestions
- Instant Pot Guinness beef stew
- Easy healthy chicken broccoli soup
- The ultimate BLT sandwich
- Easy tomato soup with grilled cheese
Bread recipes
Rosemary Pecorino Potato Bread
This potato bread flavored with Pecorino and rosemary is a delicious homemade bread recipe, perfect served warm with butter.
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Servings: 10
Calories: 259kcal
Ingredients
- 2 medium potatoes
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary (plus extra for decorating the loaf)
- 10 g (2 tsp) instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 5 cups flour
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup finely grated Pecorino
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1-2 cups warm water
Instructions
- Peel and chop the potatoes. Place in a pot with the rosemary and season with salt. Add water to just cover the potatoes then bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are soft then reserve 2 cups of cooking water and drain. Mash the potatoes and allow to cool.
- Combine the cooled potato water, sugar and yeast and allow to stand until frothy.
- Combine the flour, salt and Pecorino in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
- Pour the yeast mixture, mashed potato and olive oil into the bowl and start kneading. Add 1 cup of warm water and allow to knead until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the bowl. Continue kneading on medium speed for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth. If the dough is very sticky, add a few tablespoons of flour, one at a time, until the dough is smooth and soft.
- Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
- Place in a warm spot and allow to rise for 45 mins - 1 hour.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
- After an hour, punch down the dough down then form into a ball. Transfer to a sheet of parchment paper and place in an oven-proof pot. Allow to rise for another 30 minutes.
- Place in the oven and allow to bake for 30-45 minutes until the loaf is golden brown, crusty and sounds hollow when tapped at the bottom.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 247mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3206IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 3mg
What size pot did you use? I have several to choose from. I imagine the smaller the pot, the more dense the bread??
The smaller the pot, the higher the bread will be. Mine was a 22cm.
The rosemary… the sprigs one cooks with the potatoes. What happends to them .
Discard them after cooking.
OK I am in the process of making this today, right now and I noticed something that in the Printed version the flour doesn’t say bread flour, but more importantly on Step 3 you don’t include to add in the mashed potato. Also don’t specify to add yeast first than the sugar as you do in the written commentary, which you are awesome at by the way! I know this is an ambitious project for today as I have never made fresh bread before outside of the box and the bread machine. I am waiting for the yeast to froth – no idea what that looks like, but hope this turns out okay as I am serving it with homemade French onion soup for this evening. Thank you.
Thanks for notifying me Marilyn, I’ve just amended the recipe to add the potatoes. It doesn’t matter too much if you add the sugar or yeast to the water first, as long as they get time to mingle in the water together. Frothy just means that the yeast is starting to eat the sugar and the mixture will start to become foamy/frothy. I hope you love this bread!
thank you. Made the bread it was a bit dense and not sure if it is because of the potatoes. I cooked it an extra 15 minutes and it is still a bit doughy/wet. Thank you again for all of your beautiful posts and recipes. One of my favorites!
Your oven temperatures could be different to mine. Bake the bread until it sounds hollow when tapped. Then leave it to cool before slicing to prevent a gummy texture.
Thanks. I will try again to bake it. I am thinking I put in too much of the potato and it just got dough. I just toast it to firm it up.
I am going to make this bread today with Md. Cream of Crab Soup.
Do you use bread flour and what kind of yeast? Quick rising or regular?
I need the therapy today! It is gloomy & rainy & I’m trying to quit smoking! UGH!
Thanks
Sue
I used bread flour yes and quick-rising yeast. Hope you enjoy it!
Beautifully written. I totally relate. Looking forward to making your bread.
Thanks Lucia!
Ok, I’m the process of making the bread as we speak. So far…it’s not going well for me. My dough definitely doesn’t look light and fluffy like yours does during the rise. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Fresh yeast, fresh flour – I followed the instructions, I think. What am I doing wrong? It looks so good in the pictures! 🙂
Looks delicious! I completely agree with the therapy of baking bread. I absolutely love baking homemade bread, I have been making all of my families bread since the beginning of the year.
Hello! This looks amazing! One question, the potatoes…is it one cup cooked cubed potatoes?
Thank you!
Svetlana
Yes indeed. You can mash the potatoes as well if you like.
amazing bread! im saving the recipe for my own therapy! LOL
Juliana, I hope it does the same for you as it did for me. 😉
WOW! This sounds amazingly delicious! I love rosemary and pecorino romano cheese; this is a must try!
I would like to invite you to join us at the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week if you’d like to link up!
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/10/clever-chicks-blog-hop-6.html
I hope to see you there!
Cheers!
Kathy
The Chicken Chick
OOOhh I so agree with you about the Therapy.. Leave me in the Kitchen for 5 hours with a glass of vino and a new recipe to try out and I am in heaven. Bread always scares me, But this looks amazing and will pluck up some courage and give it a go. Thank you! 😉
I share your feelings abuot making bread and cooking in general. I have a love affair with my stove. This weekend I made bread sticks following Markus Farbinger’s (from ile de pain in Knysna) method of making artisan bread. It is a slightly longer proces but boy, the results were amazing. The breadsticks were so crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, I could hardly believe that I made them.
I will definately give your recipe a go as well.
Delia, please let me know what you think.
Those breadsticks sound DIVINE!
Hi i am looking for the bread stick recipe ( il de pain knysna) that Delia refers to
Hi Leon.
I don’t have that recipe on Simply Delicious, unfortunately.
Yes!
yes I shall make this soon:)
I stumbled on your site and boy I am glad I did.
I am a big fan of bread and always make my own bread. I havent tried this recipe. will let you know when I make it:)
I hope you love it as much as I did Amy. Definitely a new favourite.
Stunning pictures, and yes, I agree, baking bread has to be one of the most therapeutic of activities. This is a bread recipe I definitely want to try.
Thanks Samlet. It is indeed a winner !