This flavorful potato bread recipe is another one of my go-to sourdough recipes. Adding potatoes to the bread makes it softer, moister, and fluffier and you'll still get that iconic crusty outside that Germans love so much. To make it, you will use the genius combination of boiled potatoes, your unfed sourdough starter, wheat flour, and rye flour in the dough. This bread is beginner-friendly with easy-to-follow steps.
If you're looking for a bread recipe to taste just like from a German bakery, you're in the right spot. Plus this potato bread is healthier for your gut due to the addition of prebiotic sourdough and it is perfect for an authentic German Abendbrot experience.
Ingredients
The ingredients for this German bread really aren't difficult to gather, especially if you already have a sourdough starter. If you don't already have a starter, then it may be helpful for you to review my free sourdough guide which will teach you how to start and maintain a sourdough starter.
- Sourdough Starter. A sourdough starter is a must for making sourdough bread. If you don't already have one and can't get some from a friend, then you can buy a dehydrated starter here. Need sourdough starter tips? Check here for my free sourdough tips sheet ready for you to download.
- Rye Flour. I use dark rye flour, meaning whole grain rye flour in this recipe. It helps give the bread some amazing depth. However, you can also find variations in the recipe card below for using spelt flour instead. If you would like to try your luck with creating a gluten free potato bread, please scroll down to read more about this below.
- Potatoes. You will want a starchy kind of potato for this potato bread recipe, such as Russet or Idaho potatoes in the United States. The higher starch content in these potatoes helps with binding.
- All-purpose flour. I buy my organic all-purpose flour in bulk at Costco and keep it in a cool, dry spot.
- Oil. I use avocado oil in this recipe, but a mild olive oil will work just fine, too.
- Salt. I like using mineral salt and have switched to using this rock salt exclusively for all of my cooking and baking.
How to bake potato bread
Follow my easy-to-follow steps to get an overview of how to bake potato bread and find the recipe card on the bottom of this post for an even more detailed description.
Sourdough starter
Because this potato bread gets its rising action from a sourdough starter alone, you will have the addictive sourdough taste coming through much more than for example in my sourdough rye bread recipe. This also means that you need to have a very happy and active sourdough starter.
So if you're like me, and you sometimes like to forget about your sourdough starter in the back of your fridge, then it's time to give it a good feeding first (or two) before baking with it. Otherwise, you will likely need to let your preferment sit longer than the 12 hours listed in this recipe.
Preferment
For the preferment for this potato bread, you will mix together an unfed sourdough starter (unless it's been a long time since you fed it, see note above) with flour and water. It will then sit covered at room temperature until doubled in size, for about 12 hours.
Potatoes
At this time, you will boil and mash the potatoes and add all the other dough ingredients, such as more flour, water, oil, and salt, as well as the bubbly preferment, to create your main dough.
Shape and bake your potato bread
No excessive foldings are needed in this recipe. You will simply shape your loaf into a round (boule) or long loaf (batard) and place it in either a linen-lined and flour-dusted bowl or a flour-dusted proofing basket (either use a round basket or a rectangular or oval basket).
At this point, it will sit for another 30 minutes before you bake the loaf. Before baking, you will make some simple cuts (called scoring), which helps your loaf to expand in designated spaces instead of popping open uncontrollably. No special tools are needed to make those cuts. I have used a knife in the past before I bought a blade (called a lâme cutter for baking).
Baking with steam
When it's time to bake, you will recreate a steam oven effect by placing a bowl of hot water on either the bottom of the oven or the oven rack. The steam will help the bread in its initial rising stage, as well as help to brown your potato bread. The bowl will be removed for the final last few minutes of baking. I like baking on these high-quality, reusable silicone baking mats, you will just want to pay attention to the temperature limits when using the baking mats.
Slicing bread
The bread will rest on a cooling rack for about 1 to 2 hours before slicing. I used to slice bread by hand, however, I have found that the satisfaction I get from creating perfect slices using this manual bread slicer is unmatched. It also features a German-made blade and by not relying on electricity, you can slice bread even when your power is out. All fun set aside, it's an incredible tool that every German household owns.
Store leftover bread in a bread box (no need to cover it up inside of the box), and it will stay good for about 3 to 5 days.
Is potato bread gluten free?
While potatoes are naturally gluten free, this potato bread recipe is not naturally gluten free. The sourdough method does increase digestability for those with gluten sensitivity, but anyone with celiac disease should be careful regardless. To make this potato bread recipe gluten free, you can explore creating a gluten-free sourdough starter and using a gluten free flour blend to create a totally gluten free version of this German potato bread recipe.
More German bread recipes
Are you interested in baking even more German breads? Because the healthiest way to eat bread is really baking it at home. Then you must try my popular sourdough rye bread recipe, as well as my classic Brötchen, sunflower seed Brötchen, and Müslibrötchen for the ultimate German breakfast experience.
To complete your German breakfast, explore these authentic German-style butcher products made by Schaller and Weber in New York City. Besides my favorites like their Teewurst and Gold Medal Paté Leberwurst, I also love their brand new, German-imported vegan patés, especially their mushroom vegan paté.
Do you need some help baking with sourdough? Download my free sourdough tips sheet here.
German Potato Bread Recipe (with Sourdough!)
Equipment
- 1 proofing basket batard (long loaf) Or use a large mixing bowl lined with a linen towel and dusted with flour.
- 1 baking lâme To cut (score) your potato bread before baking. You can also use a sharp knife instead.
- 1 bread slicer I love this bread slicer and every German household owns one. However if you don't want to invest in one, a bread knife will work too.
Ingredients
Preferment (make 12 hours before making main dough):
- 20 grams unfed sourdough starter see notes in case you have not fed your starter in a long time
- 100 grams dark rye flour this means 100% whole grain
- 100 grams water
Main Dough (mix together preferment plus):
- 200 grams starchy potatoes In America, this will be Idaho or Russet potatoes. Raw and unpeeled potatoes or use about 170 grams of boiled and peeled potatoes.
- 200 grams dark rye flour OR use 250 g whole spelt flour (spelt absorbs less water, so you will need to add more)
- 480 grams all-purpose flour
- 300 milliliters water
- 10 milliliters avocado oil or other flavor-neutral cooking oil
- 15 grams salt
Instructions
- For the preferment for this potato bread, you will mix together an unfed sourdough starter (unless it's been a long time since you fed it, see note below) with the flour and water from the preferment section. Mix using a fork until the mixture is combined and you see no more dry parts in it, for about 2 minutes. Cover the preferment airtight and let it develop at room temperature until doubled in size, about 12 hours. This process may take longer depending on the temperature and humidity in your room.20 grams unfed sourdough starter, 100 grams dark rye flour, 100 grams water
- When your preferment has about doubled in size, peel, boil and mash the potatoes.
- Now add all the other dough ingredients along with your preferment and mashed potatoes to create your potato bread dough. Using the dough hook, knead on the lowest setting for 8 minutes followed by the second setting for another 5 minutes. Cover the bowl airtight and allow to rest at room temperature for 90 minutes. No foldings are needed.200 grams starchy potatoes, 200 grams dark rye flour, 480 grams all-purpose flour, 300 milliliters water, 10 milliliters avocado oil, 15 grams salt
- One hour before baking, preheat your oven to 250℃ (480℉) and place a casserole dish with hot water on the bottom rack of your oven. This will create steam in your oven, which will help with the rising of the bread as well as with the development of the crust.
- After the dough has rested for 90 minutes, it is time to shape it. Shape your loaf into a round (boule) or long loaf (batard). It will help to watch the video in case you need help with shaping. I also included some notes on the bottom of this recipe.Place your shaped loaf, seam side up, in either a linen-lined and flour-dusted bowl or a flour-dusted proofing basket.Cover it with a clean linen towel and let it sit for 30 more minutes.
- Turn your loaf seam side down onto a baking sheet covered with either parchment paper or lined with a silicone baking mat.Now it's time to make some simple cuts (called scoring), which helps your loaf to expand in designated spaces instead of popping open uncontrollably. No special tools are needed to make those cuts. I have used a knife in the past before I bought a blade (called lâme cutter).
- Place the baking sheet on the middle rack and bake for 10 minutes with steam. Now open door wide to release some steam and lower the temperature to 190℃ (375℉). Bake for another 40 minutes.Remove the water bowl for the last 10 minutes of baking.Your loaf will bake for a total of 50 minutes.
- Remove the baked bread and place it on a cooling rack for about 1 to 2 hours before slicing.I used to slice bread by hand, however, I have found that the satisfaction I get from creating perfect slices using my manual bread slicer is unmatched.
Melanie
Amazing recipe! Sophie was able to capture exactly what the bread tastes like in German bakeries. I mean all her recipes are amazing but this is one of my favourites. The bread is perfectly moist and the crust has a crunch to it but not too much where it feels like your gums are about to bleed. Even my dad who has not found a bread he likes in the 10 years we have been out of Germany loved it and has asked me to make it for him twice a week now
dirndlkitchen
Melanie, thank you SO much for this incredible review for my potato bread! I look forward to creating many more bread recipes in the future and hope you will try those too!
dirndlkitchen
I love this new German bread recipe with 100% sourdough starter and no yeast and can't wait for you to make it and let me know how you like it too! 🙂