When I tell you this bread is so good, I “accidentally” ate an entire loaf yesterday, I am not joking! Needless to say, I am not feeling so amazing today, but if you can restrain yourself or you have more than two people in the house, (or you really just want to try this deliciousness) definitely make this bread! It is super easy and I cannot describe how light and fluffy and just plain amazing it is! You will thank me, I promise!
Part of the process of when you begin Intuitive Eating is giving yourself permission to eat literally anything. It’s a struggle for me some days, honestly. I have been restricting for so long. And, I do really well with super tight rules (and then breaking them). What I don’t always do so well with when it comes to eating is freedom. And, since I started this process at my highest weight in years, it is really playing a number on my brain letting myself eat. I have been dieting since I was 8; this goes against everything I know to do!
And, that’s why you see so many bread and cake and carb posts lately. I’m in the beginning part of the journey where I go through eating whatever I want. For me, that is all the fluffy, amazing breads and desserts I have been saying no to for years. But, after yesterday where I binged on this insane potato bread, I am so tempted to race back to my previous ways and jump on the fastest, sure fire way to shed the bloat and lbs I have gained since starting this new way about a month ago. I have been thinking all night about the diet I am going to secretly start today, and have been planning how I am going to break up with my therapist as well. I am just tired of feeling like this. I even weighed myself this morning and was shocked by the number.
I know this is part of the process, and while the food eating is the fun part, dealing with what I have done to my body for so long by dieting kind of sucks! And, now I am so grateful for this blog. Because, as I write this, it is giving me the pause I need to understand this is part of the process and I cannot simply run back to my old ways; that is how I got here in the first place! I need to tap into the feeling that eating an entire loaf of bread provides: that gross, uncomfortable bloated feeling, and stop demonizing the bread. My body needs freshness and things that are alive, and that is what I will give it next.
If you have been through this rollercoaster too, I would love to hear from you! I am flying solo on this journey (with the help of my therapist), but I would love to hear from people who have been through this and it worked for them! Just knowing this process works would help me so that I can continue to help others by sharing my journey!
I used this recipe from the Devour blog, and adjusted it slightly.
Ingredients:
- 1 large or 2 small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed (I actually used russet and red potatoes I think, not sure the exact variety. It’s what I had from our farm box)
- 2 1/2c cool water
- dash of salt
- 1 T dry active yeast
- 2 Tbs butter
- 1 Tbs course salt
- 2 Tbs granulated sugar
- 3-5c all purpose flour
Directions:
- In a small sauce pan, bring potatoes and water to a boil. Add a sprinkle of salt. Cook until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes. Do not drain. Reserve 1/4c of the cooking liquid.
- Mash potatoes in remaining liquid and stir in butter. Let butter melt into liquid, and cool to lukewarm. Don’t worry if you end up with big lumps in the mash. I had some pretty large chunks in the dough, and it didn’t matter.
- Dissolve yeast in 1/4c reserved liquid and let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy.
- In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes, yeast liquid, sugar and salt. Add 3 cups of flour and stir until a dough begins to come together.
- Knead dough until smooth. Recipe says to add up to 2 more cups of flour. I’m not sure how much I put in, maybe 1 c more. I just kept sprinkling a little on the top and bottom to keep the dough from sticking to the bowl. You just need to feel out your dough to see how much it will need at the time.
- Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover with a dish towel, and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
- Grease or spray two 9×5 inch loaf pans. I use silicone pans, and so you do not need to grease silicone.
- Punch down dough and divide into 2 equal pieces; recipe says to form into loaves, but really all you need to do is place dough along bottom of pans. The next rise will do the rest. Cover pans again with a dish towel and let rise another 30 minutes, or until doubled.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and place a rack in the bottom third of the oven. Uncover loaves and bake for 35-45 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
- After a few minutes, I removed my loaves from the pan to check they were done, and found a surprising golden color all the way around. I let cool a little while longer on the cooking sheet without the pans, and then sliced in with some butter. Enjoy!
A Pinch and a Dollop 