Fresh Milled Sandwich Bread with Potato Flake Starter
Learn how to make this soft, flavorful fresh milled sandwich bread with a potato flake starter!
Learn how to make the POTATO FLAKE STARTER HERE!
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If you struggle with your fresh milled flour loaves being dense, a potato flake sourdough starter may be just what you need to lighten your bread!
Milder in flavor than a traditional sourdough starter, potato flake sourdough bread will appeal to a wider range of taste preferences in your family.
What is a Potato Flake Starter?
A potato flake starter is a starter made with yeast, instant potato flakes, sugar, and water.
Note: The yeast is only used initially to start the process
This type of starter works great for fresh milled flour bread because it yields a light, fluffy loaf with a mild flavor.
Potato flake starters are less acidic and offer a predictable experience, as well.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Made with 100% Fresh Milled Flour
- Mild Flavor (Kid Friendly)
- Soft, Fluffy Texture
- Great for Toast and Sandwiches!
If you are new to milling your own flour, START HERE!
Ingredients need to make this sandwich bread with a potato flake starter
- Fresh Milled Flour – I use Hard White Wheat for this recipe to lend to the lightness and mildness of flavor. You can use Hard Red Wheat or a combination of the two if you prefer. Whole grains have superior nutrition compared to all purpose flour or store bought white flour.
- Water – Warm your water to 95-105 degree F.
- Potato Flake Starter – Feed your potato flake starter 6-8 hours before making bread. Use 1/2 cup of the starter.
- Honey -May substitute with sugar or Maple Syrup.
- Olive Oil – Substitutions include Avocado Oil, melted Coconut Oil, or melted Butter.
- Salt – I prefer to use Sea Salt.
- Egg (Optional)
Full ingredient amounts can be found in the printable recipe card below
If you want to make your own starter (potato flake starter recipe),
Equipment needed to make this recipe
Grain Mill – I use the NUTRIMILL GRAIN MILL to mill my wheat berries for whole grain flour.
Stand Mixer – For this recipe, I used the BOSCH UNIVERSAL MIXER
Bread Pan – I love using a cast iron loaf pan and THIS ONE is enameled making it much easier to maintain. These bread pans are 9×5.
Measuring Cups & Spoons – For precise measurements, I recommend a set of MEASURING CUPS AND SPOONS.
My favorite bread knife is the NUTRIMILL BREAD KNIFE
Step by Step Instructions for making Fresh Milled Sandwich Bread with a Potato Flake Starter
- Mill your wheat berries on the fine setting of your grain mill.
- Gently heat your water to 95-105 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water, potato flake starter, honey, olive oil, and egg. Mix well.
- Add the flour and salt and mix until combined. Mix until no dry flour bits remain and dough should pull from the sides of the bowl.
- Allow this dough to soak or autolyse for 30 minutes.
- Knead for 6-8 minutes on speed 2 or until the dough is soft, glossy, and elastic.
- Lightly grease a large bowl and transfer the dough into the bowl.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a bowl cover and let dough rise or ferment for 6-12 hours (first rise) at room temperature depending on the temperature and humidity of your home. This dough can go for up to 24 hours in a very cool room.
- Prepare a loaf pan by spraying with oil or lining with a piece of parchment paper. I use a 9×5 loaf pan.
- After the bulk fermentation, turn the bread dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a loaf.
- Place the shaped dough into the loaf pan covered with plastic wrap for the second ferment or rise in a warm place for 3-4 hours.
- Once the dough has risen over the rim of the loaf pan, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Bake the loaf in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.
- Let the loaf cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Tips for Success (Fresh Milled Flour)
Autolyse – Don’t skip the soaking of the fresh milled flour dough! It makes all the difference in the outcome of your loaf. This step softens the bran and germ leading to a better knead of the dough which in turns leads to a better rise and texture.
Watch your dough – The times listed above are for reference only. Remember to check in on your dough every few hours to check for signs of fermentation. Depending on the temperature of your home, your dough may rise more quickly or slowly.
Avoid adding too much flour – Only add enough flour to make a soft ball of dough that is still a bit tacky before kneading for best results. Adding too much flour will lead to a dense loaf.
Use Hard White Wheat or Hard Red Wheat – This recipe was developed using Hard White Wheat. I have not tested it with Ancient Grains.
Troubleshooting problems with your loaf
Bread is dense – The most likely culprits are too much flour and not kneading long enough. Make sure to use just enough flour to make a soft dough and make sure you knead until glossy and elastic. Also, make sure you allow time for rising on the first and second rise.
Bread didn’t rise – It will take quite a long time to rise. Much like sourdough bread, it will be several hours from start to finish. If your dough hasn’t risen after 8 hours, cover it and let it keep going. It just takes long especially if your home is on the cooler side.
How to store this bread
Store cooled bread in a plastic bag or airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days. For longer freshness, sliced as needed.
Freeze the cooled loaf in a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely, after the autolyse, knead the dough by hand for 10-12 minutes or until elastic and glossy.
For best results, the starter needs to be recently fed. Look for your starter to be bubbly for the best rise.
Yes, you can leave the sweetener out altogether if you prefer.
Check out these bread recipes for more Fresh Milled bread inspo!
Try my BREAD MACHINE FRESH MILLED SANDWICH BREAD or SOURDOUGH VERSION
You will love this FRESH MILLED SOURDOUGH FRENCH BREAD!
For a no knead, beginner friendly recipe, try my FRESH MILLED NO KNEAD ARTISAN BREAD
If you make this recipe and love it, please tag me on Instagram: the_rose_homestead!
Fresh Milled Sandwich Bread with Potato Flake Starter
Equipment
- Grain Mill
- Stand Mixer
- 9×5 Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Warm Water (110.5 grams) 95-105 degrees F
- 1/2 cup Potato Flake Starter (138 grams)
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil (47 grams)
- 2 tbsp Honey (40 grams)
- 1 Egg
- 3 cups Fresh Milled Flour (390 grams) I used Hard White Wheat
- 1 tsp Salt (7 grams)
Instructions
- First, mill your wheat berries on the fine setting of your grain mill.
- Warm the water to 95-105 degrees F.
- In the bowl of stand mixer, add the water, potato flake starter, oil, honey, and egg. Mix well.
- Add the flour and salt and start mixing. Mix on speed 1 just until the dough comes together and is shaggy.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough soak or autolyse for 30 minutes.
- Knead on speed 2 for 6-8 minutes.
- Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a bowl cover.
- Let this dough ferment at room temperature for 6-12 hours or until the dough has visibly risen. This dough can go for up to 24 hours in a very cool room.
- Prepare your loaf pan by spraying with olive oil or lining with parchment paper.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a loaf shape.
- Place the dough into the loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap.
- Let the dough rise an additional 3-4 hours or until the dough tops the rim of the loaf pan.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven.
- Let the loaf cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
