Rustic Potato Loaves - TWD: Baking with Julia

Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia - 30th Installment.  The recipe is Rustic Potato Loaves.

Here I am, running to catch up with Tuesdays with Dorie...I was so caught up in my day-to-day living that I didn't check the site to see that our first recipe was 'due' in the very first week of April - by the time I looked at the site, I had missed the 'deadline' - oops!  So I squeezed this project into last weekend, and was so glad I did.  I loved this recipe, and so did my family. 

They just fit on the baking stone

 Any kind of potato bread tends to draw raves around here, and this was no exception.  And it was SO EASY and SO FAST.  I couldn't believe the short rising times (20 minutes?!?) produced such a delicious result.  I love the way the seam on the bread turned into a big slit in the top of the loaf - I was surprised I didn't have to slash the bread to make that happen.

It helped to have a Kitchen Aid for the lengthy kneading, and a baking stone, to enhance the crusty texture.  I appreciated the specific directions in the recipe about the texture of the dough - it seemed too dry initially, but the mixing worked its magic.  I think it might have to do with the moisture in the potatoes gradually making its way into the dough over the course of mixing.