Yeast Potato Bread with Rosemary

Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Cut the potatoes into cubes, spread on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper. Bake for 15 minutes until a knife passes through the potatoes almost easily. Cool. The potatoes should be half-cooked — their heat treatment will continue in the dough. If you overdo it, they will crumble when kneading.

Mix the wheat starter, both types of flour, yeast, salt, and water in a large bowl. Stir with a large spoon for about 10 minutes until a dough forms. Transfer to a clean surface and knead by hand for 15 minutes until a smooth ball forms.

Alternatively: place the starter in a mixer bowl with a hook attachment. Add flour, yeast, salt, and water. Knead on minimum speed for 4 minutes, scrape the dough from the sides, and continue on maximum speed for another 6 minutes until the dough becomes smooth.

Mix the potatoes and rosemary into the prepared dough by hand or at the lowest mixer speed, very carefully.

Lightly spray a suitable container with vegetable oil and place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for an hour at room temperature (about 20 °C) to ferment.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and stretch it into a rectangle approximately 2.5 cm thick. Fold one third upward, then repeat with the remaining third. Turn the dough 90 degrees and fold it into three layers again. Place in an oiled container and leave for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough with a blunt knife into two equal portions. Form each into a ball.

Line two bread baskets with waffle towels, dust with flour, and place the bread seam-side up. Alternatively, place the dough on a baking sheet with parchment paper seam-side down. Cover with a plastic bag and place in the refrigerator for one hour.

Preheat the oven to maximum temperature. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest in a warm, humid place at around 25 °C. The proofing will take 1–4 hours until the dough increases in volume by two thirds. If it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, it's ready. Score the dough and place it in the oven to bake.

Spray the oven with water and reduce the temperature to 220 °C. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the bread or baking sheets and bake for another 10 minutes. Watch to prevent burning. Check for doneness by tapping on the bottom — if the sound is hollow, the bread is baked. Total baking time no more than 40 minutes.