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Potato Black Pepper Loaf

Potato Black Pepper Sourdough Bread

1712kcal
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Prep 40 minutes
Cook 35 minutes
Total 1 day 6 hours 30 minutes
An incredibly soft and moist artisanal sourdough loaf, where the addition of mashed potatoes yields an exceptionally plush interior crumb and extended shelf life, while cracked black pepper introduces a subtle, savory kick. This high-hydration recipe utilizes a professional bassinage step and an elegant lamination phase to seamlessly integrate its bold flavors.
Servings 1 loaf
Cuisine American

Ingredients

Sourdough Starter Build (Morning Before)
The Main Dough (Late Afternoon)
  • 270 g Bread flour (90%)
  • 30 g Stone-ground whole wheat flour (10%)
  • 210 g Water
  • 9 g Extra cold water (Reserved strictly for the bassinage step)
  • 60 g Prepared sourdough starter (20%)
  • 120 g Mashed potatoes (40% - Boiled until soft without salt, then cooled and mashed smoothly)
  • 9 g Salt (3%)
  • 3 g Black pepper (1% - Coarsely cracked)

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer (Optional, can also be mixed and developed entirely by hand)
  • Cast Iron Dutch Oven (With a tight-fitting lid)
  • Proofing Basket (Banneton, or a loaf pan lined with a clean kitchen towel)
  • Sharp Bread Lame or razor blade
  • Kitchen Scale
  • Parchment Paper
  • Spray Bottle (For misting your work surface)

Method

Morning Starter Build & Afternoon Autolyse
  1. 7:00 AM: In a small glass jar, whisk your 5g of starter culture into 35g of water. Add 30g of bread flour and 5g of rye flour, stirring thoroughly with a small spatula until no dry clumps remain. Cover loosely and let it ferment at a warm room temperature of 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 8 to 10 hours until it at least triples in volume and reaches its peak.
  2. 5:00 PM: In your stand mixer bowl (or a large mixing bowl), combine the 210g of water, 270g of bread flour, 30g of stone-ground whole wheat flour, and 120g of cooled mashed potatoes. Mix cleanly just until the flour is hydrated and forms a shaggy dough mass. Cover and let it rest undisturbed for 1 hour for the autolyse phase.
Bassinage Mixing & Pepper Lamination
  1. 6:00 PM: Add 60g of your mature sourdough starter directly to the autolyzed dough. Mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or speed 3 on a KitchenAid for 3 to 4 minutes) until completely integrated. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
  2. 6:30 PM: Add the 9g of salt along with the 9g of reserved extra cold water. Mix on a low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or speed 3 on a KitchenAid for 5 to 6 minutes). This bassinage step helps tighten up the gluten network. The dough should gather together cleanly but remain slightly sticky on the bottom of the bowl. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes at 74–78°F (23–26°C).
  3. 7:00 PM: Mist your clean work surface generously with water and wet your hands thoroughly. Transfer the dough out onto the damp counter and gently pull it from the edges, stretching it out as thin as possible into a wide sheet without ripping it.
  4. Sprinkle the 3g of coarsely cracked black pepper evenly across the entire surface of the stretched dough. Fold the dough back over onto itself into a neat packet and return it to a covered container to rest for 45 minutes.
Structural Folds, Shaping, and Cold Fermentation
  1. Build additional structural tension by performing three separate rounds of stretch-and-folds spaced out over the evening:
  2. 7:45 PM: 1st Stretch-and-fold.
  3. 8:30 PM: 2nd Stretch-and-fold.
  4. 9:15 PM: 3rd Stretch-and-fold.
  5. After your final fold, let the dough proof undisturbed for 30 minutes at 76–80°F (24–27°C) until you see small bubbles rising to the surface and the dough mass achieves a light, airy 50% increase in volume.
  6. 9:45 PM: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough tightly over onto itself so the floured side stays entirely on the outside (this forms your crunchy crust). Shape into a neat round and let it sit uncovered on your counter for 30 minutes for a bench rest.
  7. 10:15 PM: Dust the top with flour and flip it over. Pull the bottom corners up and inward, then roll the dough downward tightly into a smooth, taut ball or oval log shape.
  8. Transfer the shaped loaf seam-side up into a prepared proofing basket. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it sit in an 80°F (27°C) space for 15 minutes before transferring it into the refrigerator for a slow 14 to 24-hour cold fermentation overnight.
High-Heat Dutch Oven Baking
  1. Next Morning: Place your cast iron Dutch oven with its lid on inside your oven and preheat completely to 500°F (260°C) for 45 minutes to a full hour.
  2. Remove the cold dough directly from the refrigerator. Flip it out gently onto a sheet of parchment paper and use a sharp bread lame or razor blade to score a clean line across the top.
  3. Use the parchment corners to lift and drop the cold loaf safely into your piping hot Dutch oven. Secure the lid tightly to capture the expanding steam and bake at 500°F (260°C) for exactly 15 minutes.
  4. Carefully remove the lid, lower your oven temperature down to 450°F (230°C), and continue baking uncovered for an additional 20 minutes until the exterior crust is deep golden brown. Let the loaf cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.

Nutrition

Calories1712kcalCarbohydrates353gProtein58gFat7gSaturated Fat1gPolyunsaturated Fat3gMonounsaturated Fat1gCholesterol14mgSodium1941mgPotassium1877mgFiber19gSugar5gVitamin A35IUVitamin C98mgCalcium112mgIron6mg

Notes

  • Managing the Wet Texture of Potato Dough: Adding real mashed potato introduces significant moisture and starches into the flour matrix, which can make the dough feel much looser and stickier than a standard 73% hydration white loaf. Do not panic or add raw flour to dry it out early in the process. Keep your hands wet with clean water during the folding stages to prevent sticking, and rely on the lamination and stretch-and-folds to build a strong, high-standing gluten network.
  • Potato Selection and Preparation Rules: For the absolute best internal texture, utilize a high-starch potato variety such as a classic Russet or Idaho potato. Peel and boil the potato completely until it is tender enough to be easily pierced through the center with a knife. Always mash the potato completely smooth while hot to ensure zero solid lumps remain, but allow it to cool down fully to room temperature before mixing it into the flour so you do not accidentally kill your sourdough culture. Do not add salt to the boiling water.
  • Alternative Spice Infusions: The lamination method used here acts as a perfect vehicle for distributing add-ins evenly without tearing up the delicate dough strands during heavy mixing. If you want to customize your loaf, you can easily swap or complement the black pepper with options like freshly chopped rosemary, roasted garlic cloves, cracked pink peppercorns, or grated Parmesan cheese distributed across the stretched sheet.
  • Troubleshooting Runny or "Soupy" Dough Adjustments: If your kitchen climate runs exceptionally humid or your flour brand features a lower protein content, potato starches can occasionally cause the dough to spread flat during the final counter-shaping phase. If you encounter this, simply drop your initial autolyse water volume down to 195g (bringing your base hydration to roughly 65%). This slight reduction provides a firmer, more stable dough structure that is much easier for beginners to shape cleanly.

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