Clara’s Heritage Monkey Bread

Force the boiled potato through a sieve to obtain 1 cup mashed potato. Heat together the mashed potato, saved boiling water, milk, shortening and butter, until a thermometer reads 120 to 130 degrees.

Combine the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Add the hot liquids to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Stir in the eggs. Using the dough hook in a standing mixer, knead the dough until it is smooth. Add additional flour if necessary to make a soft dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Place the dough in a greased bowl. Cover and rise until the dough has doubled, about 1 hour.

Divide the dough into 4 parts. Roll out to ¼-inch thicknesses and cut into 1½-inch strips, then into diamonds. Stretch each piece and dip into the melted butter. Lay the pieces in a greased ring mold, overlapping. Let rise in a warm area until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Once the dough has doubled in bulk, bake the bread for 20 to 25 minutes. Carolyn’s note: Wow, can you smell the butter?