Focaccia

Why you should never throw out leftover mashed potato:
you’ll be missing out on the best bread you’ll ever have!
And conveniently baked in your own oven...

Incorporated in the dough, it makes a wonderfull focaccia, a nice and easy, crusty flatbread. No need for an extensive knowledge of bread making, a stand mixer or special loaf tins.
All you need is: a baking tray, bakers flour (bread flour, 00flour), olive oil, mashed potato, yeast, water, salt and a bit of (dried) rosemary, thyme or oregano for the perfect finish.
I decided to go rogue and added olives and halved baby roma tomatoes, it suits an Easter weekend.

Use this recipe, and make it your own. The dough is a delight to work with, dimpling with olive oil, dusting it with herbs. Kids will love to help you make it.
I make mine as a variation of our daily sourdough bread recipe, adding a little yeast to help the sourdough along and off course, the mashed potato.
If your mashed potato includes carrot, parsnip or sweet potato like mine often does, don’t worry it still works perfectly well, it will change the colour of the bread.
I haven’t tried my mashed potato and beetroot, but then, the pot always get scraped right clean... It would make a funky bread, maybe some feta over the top the finish it off? Don’t freeze mashed potato, believe me.

Serve it alongside soups, salads, stews. Make fancy sandwiches.
Any leftovers (I dare you!) freeze well and make lovely croutons.

Watch out for children (and husbands). Last weekend, my cooling bread was torn off bit by bit. By the time I got back from weeding the garden, all I found was crumbs...