German style potato bread.
Germany prior to the 19th century was a mixture of hundreds of tiny kingdoms that each had its own dialect, culture and of course its own breads. Each place tried to impress travelers to come to try out their tasty local options.
The type of breads baked in part depended on sunshine levels, with rye and spelt based baked goods appearing in areas with less sunshine, and breads mostly made of wheat being produced in areas with more sun.
Rye is used the most, and is often mixed with other types of flour like wheat and spelt. You may also see breads with ingredients like oats or barley, along with added tasty bits of onions, bacon, cheese or spices.
In 2015, UNESCO recently added German bread culture to their list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the world.
How is Potato Bread called in German?
Potato bread is called "Kartofelbrot".
How to pronounce "Kartoffelbrot"?
Listen to this audio file to hear how to say "Kartoffelbrot" in German.
Potato Bread
The saying is that the best bread in the world comes from Germany, and considering that the Germans say their bread sustains their culture, that saying rings true for the people who eat it every day.
The facts are that Germany is said to have more bakeries and types of bread (over 3,200 recognized varieties) than just about any other place in the world.
How to make German Potato Bread Video Tutorial
If you’ve already watched some of my videos you know that German bakeries offer more than 3,200 registered bread varieties. In this video I will show you how to make a wonderful moist German potato bread. This bread tastes great and will keep fresh & soft for a whole week without any artificial ingredients.
Authentic German Potato Bread Recipe
German Potato Bread
Ingredients
- 8 cups bread flour plus
- 1 tbsp. instant yeast
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 2 tbsp. salt
- 3 cups warm water
- 2 eggs
- 1 pound starchy potatoes
- 1 tbsp. German bread spice optional
Instructions
- Add flour, yeast, German bread spice (optional) and sugar to a bowl and blend briefly.
- Add warm water and knead for about 10 min.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for about 20 min.
- In the meantime, cook the potatoes.
- Rice the potatoes and add them with salt and the eggs to the dough.
- Knead the dough for about 10 min.
- Depending on the potatoes add gradually up to 4 more cups flour. The dough should still be soft.
- Cover and let rise for about 1 hour.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400 F and place a large heatproof bowl or pan with water in the oven.
- Add the dough to a floured working area.
- The dough will be pretty sticky. Flour well and tuck ends of the dough under to round it.
- Sprinkle the bread lightly and slash with a sharp knife.
- Bake at 400 F in a preheated oven for 40 to 60 min.
Nutrition
Serving Tip
Serve this bread with all kinds of savory and sweet toppings or as a side to a hearty soup.
Cindy says
We tried this bread and it turned out huge and tasted fantastic! One question though, what is German bread spice?
Angela Schofield says
That´s wonderful, Cindy. I am glad you liked the bread. German bread spice is a spice blend, you can find a recipe for it here: https://alltastesgerman.com/german-recipes/bread/german-bread-spice-blend/
Brent Reinert says
I have made this bread twice now and both times it came out incredibly. Highly recommended. I did cut the recipe in half, though, because there are only two of us in the house. Half was a good size for two people. Thanks for making this recipe available.
Angela Schofield says
Thank you for trying out the recipe, Brent. I truly appreciate your feedback. It is really a huge loaf, I am happy it turned out well for you baking half of the size. A wonderful idea for other readers.
Gord says
Hello, Glad I found this recipe. Have made it twice now-1st time I made 2 large boule, today as I write this I have 4 loaf pans in the oven. I am noticing that the crust is separating more on the loaves that I didn't score than the loaves I did score.
Any thoughts-It is a delicious tasting bread- by the way I used 3 cups of Duram Atta flour as well as excellent Canadian hard wheat bread flour.
Angela Schofield says
Hi Gord, thank you for trying out the recipe. The separation of the crust can have various reasons. Either too much internal pressure built up, which you can avoid by scoring as you mentioned. Other reasons could be that the different flour made the dough too wet/dry, the shaping technique or under proofing. It is really hard to say. Hope that helps.