This buttermilk potato bread recipe is a great way to use leftover mashed potatoes. It’s flavorful, moist, and fluffy on the inside with a golden-brown crust – perfect for sandwiches or toast!
I used to buy our bread at the store. But one day I ran out of bread, and I thought that it couldn’t possibly be that difficult to make. So, I attempted my first batch of homemade bread using an easy bread recipe like this one and while it was good, I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep making my own.
My second batch of homemade bread was this Potato Buttermilk Bread recipe. One slice and I was hooked! It was SO delicious and suddenly I didn’t mind the little bit of work that it took to make.
However, what SOLD me on never buying store-bought bread again was this:
Unbleached enriched wheat flour, buttermilk, sugar, yeast, soybean oil, salt, water, wheat gluten, calcium propionate, monoglycerides, calcium sulfate, citric acid, soy lecithin, calcium carbonate, datem.
In a single store-bought loaf of bread, there are more ingredients listed that I DON’T know than I DO know.
Since then, baking bread has been part of my regular routine. I‘ve made my No-Knead Overnight Artisan Bread, 90-Minute Man Bread, Oatmeal Bread, No-Yeast Bread, and even my Whole Wheat Einkorn Sourdough Bread…All of which I know you’ll love in addition to this amazing recipe for Buttermilk Potato Bread!
POTATO BUTTERMILK BREAD
Not only is this potato buttermilk bread recipe delicious, it’s also:
- Made of simple, easy-to-find ingredients
- Perfect for toast or sandwiches
- The most flavorful white bread ever
- Plus, it has a nice firm crust! YUM!
POTATO BREAD INGREDIENTS
- Russet Potatoes, peel removed and cut into large chunks (or use leftover mashed potatoes – see recipe tips below)
- Unsalted butter
- Buttermilk
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Salt
- Active dry yeast
- Bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
- Additional egg for egg wash
Psst! If you’re going to add salt, I highly recommend Ava Jane’s Kitchen. You may think all salt is created equal, but unfortunately, 90% of the salt produced around the world contains microplastics (gross, right?). Ava Jane’s Kitchen is an exception. Their salt is 100% microplastic-free, and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!)
INSTRUCTIONS HOW TO MAKE POTATO BREAD
Step 1: In a large saucepan, boil the potatoes until fork tender. Drain and either mash the potatoes in a large bowl with a potato ricer or potato masher or add the hot potatoes to a stand mixer and mix well with the butter. Alternatively, use 1 cup of leftover mashed potatoes. *
Step 2: Add buttermilk, 2 beaten eggs, sugar, salt, and yeast and mix well.
Step 3: Gradually stir in the bread flour in the bowl of a stand mixer until the dough is moist but not sticky. Knead with a dough hook on low to medium speed. Transfer to an oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature until it is doubled in volume.
Step 4: When the dough has doubled in size, grease two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Punch the dough down, and divide it in half. On a lightly floured surface, form into two loaves. Place them seam-side down in the pans. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise again at room temperature until almost doubled in size.
Step 5: Preheat oven to 375F. Brush the top of the loaves with the single beaten egg and bake the loaves until they are golden brown, about 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.
*Note: Yeast wants a warm environment. If you’re making fresh hot potatoes for this recipe, add the ingredients in the order listed (the butter, buttermilk, and eggs will help cool the hot potatoes, so they do not kill the yeast). If you are using leftover mashed potatoes, warm the potatoes or the buttermilk first so that your mixture will be warm enough to activate the yeast.
POTATO BREAD RECIPE TIPS
If you have leftover mashed potatoes, you can use them for potato bread. This recipe calls for 2 potatoes, so the equivalent would be about 1 cup of mashed potatoes.
You can also freeze leftover mashed potatoes for future potato bread. Just thaw in the refrigerator before mixing up your bread dough.
To freeze buttermilk potato bread, wrap the bread loaves individually in plastic wrap and place them in freezer bags, or slice before freezing to easily pull out the amount of bread that you need.
TO SERVE POTATO BUTTERMILK BREAD
Cool the potato buttermilk bread for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Then dig in! Here are a few of my favorite ways to serve potato bread:
- Perfect for piling high with sliced turkey
- It also has the perfect spongy texture for spreading jam, butter, or nut butter because of all of the little nooks and crannies in it!
- Toast a thick slice, slather it with butter, and serve with The Best Scrambled Eggs for a yummy, easy breakfast.
BUTTERMILK POTATO BREAD FAQS
Can I use leftover mashed potatoes for homemade potato bread?
Yes, if you have leftover mashed potatoes, you can use them for potato bread. This recipe calls for 2 potatoes, so the equivalent would be about 1 cup of mashed potatoes.
Is potato bread gluten free?
As written, this potato bread recipe is not gluten-free, but you could try substituting the bread flour (or all-purpose) with gluten-free all-purpose flour.
What does homemade buttermilk potato bread taste like?
The flavor is so good that Mr. Crumbs asked me to make this instead of ever buying bread, which I think speaks mouthfuls. And it doesn’t taste like potatoes – they’re just there for the texture. This bread is light and spongy! Plus, the buttermilk makes it so moist and fluffy.
Hands down, this homemade bread is a winner. It’s just melt-in-your-mouth delicious!!
Why is potato bread yellow?
The mashed potatoes give potato bread its delightful yellowish hue!
MORE HOMEMADE BREAD RECIPES
- 90-Minute Man Bread
- No-Knead Overnight Artisan Bread
- Oatmeal Bread
- No-Yeast Bread
- Whole Wheat Einkorn Sourdough Bread
- Slow Cooker Bread
- Homemade Pita Bread
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This buttermilk potato bread recipe is a great way to use leftover mashed potatoes. It’s flavorful, moist, and fluffy on the inside with a golden-brown crust – perfect for sandwiches or toast!
- Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves 1x
- Category: Breads
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 6 to 6 ½ cups of bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
Instructions
- Have all ingredients ready at room temperature. Bring a small to medium pot of water to a boil. Boil potatoes until done. Add hot potatoes and butter to a stand mixer and stir well.
- Add 4 tsp yeast + 2 cups buttermilk + 2 beaten eggs + 2 Tbsp sugar + 1 ½ tsp salt and mix well.
- Gradually stir in bread flour until the dough is moist but not sticky. Using the dough hook, knead on low to medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer to an oiled bowl and turn it over to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until it’s doubled in volume, 1 to 1 ½ hours. (If your kitchen is too cold, you can preheat the oven to the lowest setting, then turn it off and place the dough inside.)
- When the dough has doubled in size, lightly grease two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Punch the dough down, divide it in half, and form into two loaves, placing them seam-side down in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise again at room temperature until almost doubled in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. (If you don’t have loaf pans, you can free-form an artisan loaf on a cookie sheet).
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the top of the loaves with the single beaten egg and bake the loaves until they are golden brown and the bottoms sound hollow when thumped, about 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Bread can be wrapped individually in freezer bags and stored for future enjoyment!
Notes
- If you have leftover mashed potatoes, you can use them for potato bread. This recipe calls for 2 potatoes, so the equivalent would be about 1 cup of mashed potatoes.
- You can also freeze leftover mashed potatoes for future potato bread. Just thaw in the refrigerator before mixing up your bread dough.
- To freeze buttermilk potato bread, wrap the bread loaves individually in plastic wrap and place them in freezer bags, or slice before freezing to easily pull out the amount of bread that you need.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 331
Melissa P.
I made this recipe today (along with Hearty Pasta Sauce…YUM!!)
My bread made me laugh when I pulled it out of the oven. It rose SO high! It is still cooling on the racks. I hopped on here to make sure I used the right size bread pans. Should I have punched it down more, or not let it rise as long the 2nd time? It rose even more while being baked. I am SO thankful for all of your work, Tiffany. I am excited to cook for the first time in a long time!
Tiffany
LOL, I actually bought a third loaf pan for this recipe! It does rise VERY high, so you might consider dividing into thirds and making three loaves, or free form the third on a cookie sheet. You did nothing wrong though, have no fear. It’s just a monstrous loaf! 🙂
Melissa
I made this today and was convinced throughout the entire process that it wasn’t going to come out. First, the dough was way too sticky. Then my 5yo daughter and I were cracking up because the dough rose so much that it looked like the bread from that I Love Lucy episode! Well, it finally came out of the oven and looked as amazing as it smelled! Two thumbs up from everyone in the family! My hubby is happy I finally made a loaf of bread that is actually big enough to make sandwiches with 😉 Delicious! Thank you 🙂
Tiffany
Fantastic Melissa! I too had the same feeling as you when the bread rose… “my goodness, will it fall over?!” LOL! I’m so pleased your family liked it. My husband just requested this recipe yesterday… and some extra butter sounds delicious!!
Melissa
I totally agree with the extra butter, yum! Have you made this recipe using whole wheat flour? Spelt? Thanks for all you do. You’re truly inspiring 🙂
Tiffany
Hi Melissa! I’ve made it with 50/50 white/whole wheat, but not yet with spelt. I bet it would be yummy though! We have LOTS of potatoes that need to find a home, so if we make this, I’ll be sure to test it out with WW and spelt. I even have kamut!
Lori Ann
I am dying to try this. Forgive me if I missed in in the feed somewhere but what kind of potato should I use? Two russets vs. two white potatoes would be a big volume difference…I don’t want to mess it up!
Thanks so much!
Tiffany
Hi Lori Ann! I used small russet potatoes, but you can use white ones too. 3/4 cup of cooked potato is about the equivalent of two small white potatoes… so small, but not fingerling size. Maybe 2-3″ in diameter? You can always cook them and then add to pancakes, or even freeze for later (just warm before using in the recipe).
brittney
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have to say I was a little scared of making bread from scratch. I have a bread maker that someone gave to me years ago but it doesn’t get used often. My five year old helped me make this bread yesterday and it was great. We made two small loafs and one bigger loaf and one is already gone. I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes.
Janaye
Hi! Thank you very much for this recipe. I’m (quickly) making my way through the 22 day challenge. I’m very encouraged to cut our grocery bills in half, and at the same time feed my family healthy real food. My husband loves that I’m ready to make the switch to whole fat milk now!
Do you know how I could used milk and vinegar to make this bread? What ratio of vinegar to milk to substitute buttermilk? Thanks!
Tiffany
Hi Janaye!
I did this post last week on buttermilk that should help: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2014/02/10-ways-make-buttermilk-plus-16-reasons/
I’ll update the post later so everyone can see it. 🙂 Welcome to Crumbs! I look forward to seeing more of you!
robyn
do u use one?
robyn
sorry a breadmaker?
Tiffany
No breadmaker here Robyn. I use a stand mixer and the kitchen counter. 🙂
Libby
Made this bread and it is awesome! I have been using my bread machine, what a nice change to make from scratch.
Tiffany
It’s one of our favorites too. If you have any, try subbing sweet potato instead of white and using maple syrup as the sweetener. It adds just a slightly different sweet flavor that is SO good!
Misty
I’m planning to try this soon! You may not know the answer to this question but I thought I’d ask anyway. =)
I make butter from raw milk – do you think the leftover ‘buttermilk’ would work? It’s quite different from store-bought buttermilk.
Tiffany
Actually Misty, that is how you get real buttermilk! When the fat coagulates and separates from the liquid, that’s the buttermilk! I’d use that liquid and give it two thumbs up. Now, if you’re rinsing the butter and you’re getting more buttermilk, I’m not sure I’d use that part. It would have to depend on how acidic and thick it is. But the original stuff, go for it!!
Taylor
Looks great, but my dough was very sticky and messy…not at all a joy to bake with. I did 61/2 c flour. What am I doing wrong? I’ve wanted to make my own bread but always seem to fail with the dough and just give up later.
Tiffany
Hi Taylor!
I can’t know for sure what went “wrong,” but one tip off-hand is to drain the potatoes well before adding to the butter. Also, sometimes altitude and temperature play a roll in making bread and more/less flour is needed. You could add in half the flour at first, mixing really well, then letting it sit for 20 minute to absorb moisture, then continuing with the remaining dough 1/2 cup at a time. In my own experience, adding 1/2 to 3/4 cup more flour won’t change the outcome much, if any. Add 1/4 cup at a time, letting it fully incorporate into the dough. Sometimes it only takes a little bit before the dough “magically” isn’t sticky anymore. Weird I know, but I’ve been in that place before many of times!
June
I want to try this recipe, but not only I am not a good cook/baker, I have 2 kids under 2. Is there a way to adapt this to make it in the bread machine? Thank You
Tiffany
Hi June! You could probably follow the instructions given by the machine manufacturer, just use the ingredients listed in the recipe. The order in which ingredients are added to machines is sometimes different, and I don’t know what yours says, but it’s certainly worth a shot. Worst case you’ve got very yummy croutons!
A side note – I’ve got two kids close in age as well and I probably would have considered myself crazy for attempting to make bread when they were younger, but it IS possible. Very little time is spent in the kitchen, maybe 30 minutes total and it’s not all at the same time. If you could somehow entertain the youngin’s for 5-10 minutes during the shaping, you’d be set! ~Tiffany
Pam
When I buy buttermilk, I use what I need and then freeze the leftover milk in an ice cube tray (measuring as I fill). Then it doesn’t go bad and I can thaw only what I need for the next recipe.
Tiffany
Ooh, I hadn’t thought about that! Great suggestion Pam!
Ann Marie
This bread recipe was so easy and very delicious. Made two huge, beautiful loaves. I think next time i will try splitting the dough into thirds and making rolls with 1/3 of it. Thank you Tiffany.
Tiffany
How wonderful that you and your family enjoyed the bread! Definitely large loaves, which is why I split them into 3rds as well. You’re very welcome Ann Marie!
Carole
So happy to find a new, fun blog! This recipe looks amazing! I’m going to try it with whole wheat flour and honey and see what happens!! Can’t wait to see what else you have going on here 🙂
Tiffany
Thanks for coming by Carole! I’m glad you’re enjoying my blog!
I have a friend who’s been experimenting with homemade bread and wheat flour. She’s found that when she uses whole wheat flour for the entire recipe, her dough doesn’t rise well. But, when she adds just a bit of vital wheat gluten (1 Tbsp per 1 cup flour), she has a successful and beautiful rise. I don’t know what your specific plans are for the recipe, but here’s some advice in case you need it!
Sue
Thanks for what looks like a great recipe. Have always loved potato bread, and made it, however, it never was anything special. This sounds very good, and never thought of using buttermilk.
Tiffany
I think buttermilk is the key to this particular recipe – a delicious, warm tang with each bite!
Anon
The header for the recipe says that it makes 3 loaves, but the directions say only 2. Can you confirm the yield on this recipe?
Tiffany
This recipe should make two loaves. Perhaps my loaf pans are smaller, because when I split the dough in half and put it into my pans for the second rise, there wasn’t enough room in my pan for each loaf to double in size. So I re-kneaded the dough together and split it into three to better fit my pans. I hope that clarifies!
Miz Helen
Congratulations!
Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday. Hope you have a fabulous week end and enjoy your new Red Plate!
Come Back Soon,
Miz Helen
Michelle
Tiffany,
This is a must try! I love making homemade bread and haven’t yet made one with buttermilk, which I love to bake with, but I am definitely going to try this one. Thanks so much for linking up to Creative Thursday last week. I can’t wait to see what you link up this week. Have a wonderful weekend.
Michelle
Christine
DELICIOUS!!!
Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer.. From Dream To Reality! I’m looking forward to seeing you at the party this evening!
Chaya
Hi Tiffany. Congratulations. You got the most clicks for this delicious recipe and it is being featured, this week. I can understand by looking at the photo, why people would be clicking to find out more.
JoAnn
Saving this recipe for fall / winter baking 🙂 Thanks for sharing it.
JoAnn