1 Potato, 2 Potato…

I have looked over the Daring Bakers Blogroll.
I have seen the posting days where e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e. flaunts their Cinnamon Buns and Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tarts.
I have checked out the membership requirements.
I have wondered if I would have time.
I have questioned if being in Peru would be a problem in completing the challenges.
I have thought about it again. And again.

Finally, the last month’s Bostini Cream Pies put me over the edge. I sent off my inquiry. Could I too be a Daring Baker? You know what? They said yes!!!

So this month, I proudly join the ranks of the Daring Bakers and today, along with over 300 others, share with you Tender Potato Bread!

When I first heard that the challenge for this month was Tender Potato Bread, I gulped rather hard knowing that I have not yet been the victor when it comes to yeast. I had looked forward to desserts, sweets, things that I enjoy making, baking and taking. But yeast? But, as a Daring Baker, I was up for the challenge. I know that a rather large part of the challenge is the process itself and not always the final result.

FIRST ATTEMPT: I set out early in the month making my first batch of the bread. I used a few papas negras, which are black skinned, white flesh potatoes. After mashing them, I used only one cup of the mashed papa negra. I did not have wheat flour and since I was trying out the recipe, I used wheat germ. I measured and mixed. The dough was to be turned out to a floured surface. Dough? What dough? This was still practically liquid and reminded me an awful lot of Jabba the Hut. Remember him? When it came to the point of kneading the bread, I did my best. All the while I wondered how one should knead bread. I felt as though I was just playing with the dough. I managed to get about 6 cups of flour into the dough when I was “kneading” it. Once placed in a few loaf pans, I left the dough to rise again. Unfortunately, I did not cover the plastic with cooking spray to prevent the risen dough from sticking. I had to “rip” the plastic off of the dough. I couldn’t help but feel like this caused my dough to deflate just a bit. I brushed the two loaves and the rolls with melted butter. After baking the loaves and rolls, I realized that the loaves looked “brick-like” and nothing seemed very light and fluffy – certainly not “tender!” I tried a couple rolls and the bread toasted was okay; but otherwise, it seemed to be like a brick.

ROUND TWO: What a relief it was to see that a few other daring Bakers were joining in a baking marathon one Saturday afternoon – the same day I had planned to try again! I would have help this time! For this round, I chose the papa amarilla, which is only grown at extremely high altitudes. I thought it would be interesting to see if there was any difference. Papa amarilla is typically used here to make pure de papas – not mashed potatoes, more like liquid potatoes. The papa amarilla disintegrates when boiled. This is wonderful as a soup thickener, but how would they hold up for tender bread? I ended up using 2 full cups of the potato this time around. I figured if I am going to be a daring baker, I might as well be daring! This time, I used what is known here as wheat flour, although it is not what I remember from the states. It seems more like white flour with wheat germ flakes mixed in. I had since practiced kneading so that the next time I tried potato bread, I would have better results. Better results indeed! I found that the rise went much better, the dough seemed much better. Another substitution, I have no such thing as a dough scraper so I proudly put my spatula to work that afternoon!

I hadn’t really decided what to do with the dough since I was not sure it would come out this time. I decided to make one part into a loaf and the other part into pizza dough. I swirled the loaf with ground oregano, crushed red pepper and parmesan cheese.

I filled the pizza dough with a mixture of ground beef, onion, garlic, tomato paste, aji panca, other seasonings and grated mozzarella cheese. The loaf was delicious and the calzones I made were devoured in just a couple days. Everyone that tasted the Tender Potato Bread was surprised to learn that just as I use vegetables in my cakes & fruits in my stews, I somehow managed to get potatoes into my bread!

For the recipe, visit Tanna at My Kitchen in Half Cups. To see what other Daring Bakers created with their potato bread, visit the Daring Bakers Blogroll. Thanks Tanna for a fun first challenge. Check back here in about a month for my next Daring Bakers’ challenge!