KS Quotient

Easy: Easily mixed ingredients; prepping the herbs takes a little time. No hand-shaping.

2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached white bread flour, plus 1 cup (5 ounces), plus more as needed

1½ tablespoons granulated sugar

1½ teaspoons table salt

¾ teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast

2 tablespoons corn oil, canola oil, or other flavorless vegetable oil, plus extra for coating dough top and baking pan

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed

1/3 cup leftover mashed potatoes, preferably at room temperature

1/3 cup plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt, drained of any liquid, preferably at room temperature

¼ cup finely chopped fresh dillweed

¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives

1 teaspoon dill seeds, plus ½ teaspoon for garnish, optional

First Rise In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast. In another bowl or measuring cup, whisk the oil into the water. Thoroughly stir the mixture into the bowl with the flour, scraping down the sides and mixing to form a smooth, well-blended dough; it should be slightly moist and fairly easy to stir. Brush the top with oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, you can refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.

Second Rise In a medium bowl, stir together the mashed potatoes, yogurt, dill, chives, and 1 teaspoon of the dill seeds (if using) until the potato is free of lumps. Vigorously stir the mixture into the dough until completely blended. (If desired, use a dough hook and heavy-duty mixer on low speed.) Scraping down the sides as you work, thoroughly mix in the remaining 1 cup of flour, plus enough more flour to yield a hard-to-stir dough.

Using an oiled rubber spatula, lift and fold the dough in towards the center all the way around the bowl. Invert into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Brush or spray the top with oil. Smooth out the dough top with the spatula or oiled fingertips. If using dill seeds, sprinkle ½ teaspoon over the loaf top, pressing down to imbed. Cover the pan with nonstick spray—coated plastic wrap.

Let Rise Using Any of These Methods For a 2- to 2½-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1- to 1½-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water; or for an extended rise, refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours, then set out at room temperature. When the dough nears the plastic, remove it and continue the rise until the dough just reaches the pan rim.

Baking Preliminaries 15 minutes before baking time, place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 375°F. Using well-oiled kitchen shears, cut a ¼-inch-deep slash lengthwise down the loaf center.

Baking Bake on the lower rack for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown. Cover the top with foil to prevent over-browning and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes longer, until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few particles clinging to the bottom (or until the center registers 208° to 210 °F on an instant-read thermometer). Bake for 5 minutes longer to be sure the center is done. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn out onto the rack; cool thoroughly.

Tip

Don't use dried dillweed or chives, as they will contribute nothing but flecks of color. If you lack fresh herbs, make the plain potato bread variation below. And don't use extra herbs, as they can retard rising.

Serving and Storing

Serve warm, or cool, or toasted; the bread slices best when cool. Cool thoroughly before storing in plastic or foil. Keeps at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. May be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.

Variation

Farmhouse Potato Bread

Increase the sugar to 3 tablespoons. Omit the dillweed, chives, and dill seeds from the recipe but otherwise proceed exactly as directed.