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I would like to bake hamburger buns from a recipe that calls for instant potato flakes, only I can't find instant potato flakes.

This is the original recipe:

1 cup lukewarm water
1/3 cup (3/4 ounce) instant potato flakes
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 tablespoon honey
2 1/2 cups (11 1/4 ounces) bread flour
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

How much fresh baked potato should I substitute for the instant potato flakes?

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  • Where do you live? They are almost certainly sold as "instant mashed potatoes". en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_mashed_potatoes and bing.com/images/search?q=instant+mashed+potatoes&FORM=BIFD may help you find them in the store.
    – Kate Gregory
    May 20, 2011 at 17:44
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    There are many, many recipes online for potato bread that actually use potatoes. Why start with a "substitution" for what is actually a substitution for the real thing anyway? Google "potato bread". Look for recipes for which you don't have to substitute anything and that are highly rated by many reviewers.
    – Jolenealaska ♦
    Feb 3, 2014 at 19:55
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    @Jolenealaska There's some truth to that, but using potato flakes isn't that crazy. It's obviously more convenient, and it's less prone to measurements being off than when using fresh potatoes whose water content might vary, especially if they're boiled.
    – Cascabel ♦
    Feb 4, 2014 at 1:02
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    @Jefromi It may not be crazy to use instant potato flakes for bread. What's crazy is starting with a recipe that calls for instant potato flakes, and then looking for a substitute for the flakes 'cause you can't get them.
    – Jolenealaska ♦
    Feb 4, 2014 at 3:43

2 Answers 2

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Instant potato flakes are effectively dehydrated mashed potatoes.

In general for potato flakes you mix 3:4 volume flakes to water. They increase in volume by about two and a bit times, and weight about six times

For potato powder you mix 1:5 volume powder to water. They increase in volume by about three times, and weight about six times.

So roughly 3.75 ounces of water are required to rehydrate .75 ounces of potato flakes which gives 4.5 ounces of mash, or just less than 2/3 cup of mash

Remember to remove the equivalent water (3.75 ounces) from the recipe

This all varies slightly depending on the supplier of flakes and what variety of potato they used

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You can boil your own potatoes instead of using instant potatoes. Be sure to peel them first, it just makes it easier to whip them, and use them warm (about 70 degrees).

For the above recipe use about 1/2 to 2/3 cup well whipped spuds (I like organic Yukon Golds best) and then reduce the water to about 1/2 cup.

The dough will be moist but make sure it's not so sticky that it is clinging to the bowl. Makes great buns, bread and cinnamon bread that stays moist and soft for several days. Enjoy!

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    This answer would be a bit more useful if you could be more specific about the measurements. If you don't use the right amount of fresh potato, or don't remove the right amount of water, you're going to mess up the recipe.
    – Cascabel ♦
    Feb 4, 2014 at 1:00

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