I have a need for recipe(s) requiring potatoe flour. We have 4.? pound left over from another recipe that called for two tablespoon, so let's use our minds. How many tablespoons do I have left? Please help me use up the rest of the 4.? pounds. Thank you, Paula Reynolds, Centerville, PA

-- Paula Reynolds (preynolds@csonline.net), August 31, 1999

Answers

My mom has this wonderful recipe for potatoe bread. I wonder if potatoe flour would be a good addition to your yeast bread? I am not familar with potatoe flour, but I do know that you can "play" a lot with bread ingredients, and still have a very acceptable final product. Play around with it!

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), September 01, 1999.

Hi; I came up with two answers for you. 1. Add enough liquid to make your flour like mashed potatoes. My husband tells me that his mom used to make 'potato candy', by adding enough powdered sugar, til you get a dough, then, simply fashion it into what ever desired shape. (I think I would advise finding a recipe for potato candy. 2. An old friend (Italian) of mine taught me how to make Gnocchi. With this process, again, make 'mashed potatoes', then add an egg, in a separate (lg) bowl have a well of (semolina, white, or wheat flour). Put the potato mix into the flour (mixture?). Knead the whole thing to be a pretty stiff dough. Then let set for a while, covered. Now tear off enough dough to make a snake (a little more then pencil thick). Now, continue making snakes with rest of dough. Cut the 'snake' into 1-inch long pieces. With each piece, you'll want to roll the dough down the back of a fork, leaving the inprint of your finger on the one side, and the inprint of the fork on the other side of the piece. When done correctly, you'll be rolling the dough with your finger, making a 'shell' type of form. When it's all done, you dump all the shells into boiling water. Cook until the shells are 'al dente' - I usually just wait for then to pop to the top of the water. Spoon spaghetti sauce over, top with some grated parmesan. Add a salad to your taste, now, you have dinner. When making the dough, add enough flour, so the dough won't take anymore. Good Luck.

-- Carol Price (cprice@gateway.net), November 09, 1999.

Add a few tablespoons to any bread recipe. It makes the bread moister longer-stops the dry crumbles. Also it makes a very good thickener for soups or just thicken some chicken broth with it, add chopped sauteed onion and the tops of sprouting onions, salt and pepper and call it potato soup. I keep a plastic gallon container in the freezer and all the leftover bits of meat, defatted gravy and vegetables go into it. When it is full, I thaw it, simmer it in broth if there isn't enough liquid, thicken with leftover mashed potatoes or potato flour, season and serve it with a quick bread. Instead of calling it soup du jour, it's soup du your guess is as good as mine. More ways than one to recycle!

-- Marilyn Dickerson (rainbow@ktis.net), January 18, 2000.

Marilyn's idea is also something I do, except my family calls it "free soup". Never quite the same twice, but always good. I use the water from boiling potatoes when I make bread, and it adds a unique flavor, I'm sure the potato flour, added to any bread recipe would be great! You can also make donuts after reconstituting it to the mashed potato stage. Enjoy! Jan

-- Jan B (Janice12@aol.com), March 18, 2000.

You can use potato flour, a couple of tablespoons to a cup of wheat flour, in just about anything except cakes. (It might make them heavy). I wouldn't make mashed potatoes out of it, though -- don't think that would be very good. And it does make a good thickener for soups and casseroles. I have quite a bit of it as I have celiac disease and can't use flours made from wheat, barley, or rye. They are thinking we may be able to start using oats, but the research isn't totally conclusive yet.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 13, 2000.