Add Potato Flakes To Your Next Bread Dough For The Most Tender Bite

Holding a box of potato flakes, your mind isn't on instant mashed potatoes, but on those dinner rolls you've been meaning to make for dinner. But what do potato flakes have to do with dinner rolls? The answer isn't immediately apparent, but it's simpler than you think.

When baking bread, we consider bread flour, eggs, yeast, and water. Rarely do we think of the humble potato flake. It's a secret ingredient that can be added to your bread dough for the most tender bite. From a scientific standpoint, potatoes have a high starch content. Starch has the unique ability to absorb and retain a significant amount of liquid, and this liquid retention capability is what makes your bread soft and moist. As potato flakes are dehydrated, their starches are like thirsty sponges. When liquid is introduced to the bread dough, the potato flake starches swell up while absorbing the liquid and gelatinize. Even after the bread has baked and cooled, the starch continues to hold onto that moisture, preventing the bread from drying out and staling quickly.

Thus bread made with potato flakes also has a surprisingly longer shelf life. In essence, potato flakes act like tangzhong, the roux that makes Asian bread, like milk bread, soft and tender and retain those properties for days after baking. And implementing potato flakes in your bread recipe is straightforward. Just replace ¼ cup of bread flour with ½ cup of potato flakes in a recipe calling for 3 to 4 cups of flour for enhanced moisture retention.Then continue with the recipe as you usually do when making bread.

For bakers, potato flakes have so much potential. You can also use potato flakes to make a gluten and dairy-free sourdough starter that results in soft and subtly sweet sourdough bread — perfect for sandwiches. The once humble potato flakes are now a secret ingredient in your pantry — not just for instant mashed potatoes — but for soft and tender bread and rolls and the perfect sandwich sourdough bread.