Parmesan Potato Bread - recipe from Betsy Oppenneer

Breads From Betsy's Kitchen is the source of this recipe. Betsy Oppenneer, a bread baker, author and baking instructor, offers these comments to describe her Parmesan Potato Bread . . .

It's hard to stop nibbling this exquisite bread. The crust is crisp and the bits of potato are slightly crunch. I love to eat the crust first, then start dipping the soft, sweet insides into a favorite soup...it's heaven! For a slightly marled texture, use shredded Parmesan rather than finely grated."

Parmesan Potato Bread   Yield: 2 round loaves

Recipe from Betsy Oppenneer; I made a couple of changes as noted by the comments in ().

2 tablespoons active dry yeast 
2 cups warm water (about 110 F)
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups coarsely shredded raw potato
1 cup finely shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour (1 used 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour for part of the 6-7 cups flour)(Pride of the Prairie flour from Farmer Direct Foods, New Cambria, KS)
Additional olive oil
In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften. 
Add salt, garlic, rosemary, olive oil, potato, cheese, and 3 cups flour. 


Beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Gradually add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl.


Turn dough onto a floured work surface.Knead, adding flour a little at a time, until you have a smooth, elastic dough. 



Place dough into an oiled bowl. Turn to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. 



Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Turn dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide in half. Shape each half into a ball and place onto a well-greased baking sheet (I placed rounds of bread on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.) 


Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
About 10 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375 F. Place a shallow pan on the bottom shelf of the oven. 
Just before baking, brush each loaf liberally with extra olive oil and cut a cross about 1/4-inch deep into the top. (I cut parallel slashes using a lame*.) 
Place the bread in the oven and put 5 ice cubes into the pan on the bottom shelf. Close the door quickly to prevent steam from escaping. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the loaves reaches 190 F. 
Immediately remove bread from baking sheet and cool on a rack.


* Baker's Lame — A Lame (pronounced LAHM, meaning “blade” in French) is typically a long thin stick made to hold a metal razor used to cut, or score, bread dough to help control the expansion of the loaf as it bakes.

Recipe without photos . . . Parmesan Potato Bread   Yield: 2 round loaves  Recipe from Betsy Oppenneer; I made a couple of changes as noted by the comments in ().
2 tablespoons active dry yeast 
2 cups warm water (about 110 F)
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups coarsely shredded raw potato
1 cup finely shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour (1 used 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour for part of the 6-7 cups flour)(Pride of the Prairie flour from Farmer Direct Foods, New Cambria, KS)
Additional olive oil
In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften. 
Add salt, garlic, rosemary, olive oil, potato, cheese, and 3 cups flour. 
Beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Gradually add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl.
Turn dough onto a floured work surface.Knead, adding flour a little at a time, until you have a smooth, elastic dough. 
Place dough into an oiled bowl. Turn to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. 
Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Turn dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide in half. Shape each half into a ball and place onto a well-greased baking sheet (I placed rounds of bread on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.) 
Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
About 10 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375 F. Place a shallow pan on the bottom shelf of the oven. 
Just before baking, brush each loaf liberally with extra olive oil and cut a cross about 1/4-inch deep into the top. (I cut parallel slashes using a lame.) 
Place the bread in the oven and put 5 ice cubes into the pan on the bottom shelf. Close the door quickly to prevent steam from escaping. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the loaves reaches 190 F. 
Immediately remove bread from baking sheet and cool on a rack.