Braided Onion-Potato Loaf

Spring practice 2029. Thirteenth spring in this program. I've been here longer than any of the players in my building were alive when I arrived. This is a different relationship with place than I've had before — I'm not just the coach, I'm the institutional memory. I know things about this program that no one else knows: the origin of the summer lifting tradition, the specific practice that preceded the first championship, the reason we run the particular kickoff return we've been running for nine years. I am the archive. I think about this with some seriousness. Archives have to be maintained and transmitted or they disappear.

I've been writing more. Not just the food journal — I started a coaching journal after Hector died, which I'd been meaning to do since Sofia gave me the composition notebook in 2021. Eight years later I started. I write about practice. I write about players and what I see in them. I write about the decisions I make and why. I'm not sure who it's for. Maybe the players, someday. Maybe nobody. The act of writing is the point. You commit things to language and in doing so you see them more clearly. Hector taught me this in the kitchen: you write down the recipe because the writing makes you pay attention to what you actually did.

Marco came to me this week and said, "I'm ready to talk about next year." He's thirteen, going to Eldorado Prep in the fall as a freshman. He had a notebook. I recognized the notebook. It was one of mine from a previous season — he must have found it in my office. He had notes on the offensive scheme. He had questions. Good questions. We talked for an hour. Afterward I sat at my desk and thought about Hector watching me with patient certainty when I was fifteen. The chain. The long, patient, reciprocal chain.

After that hour with Marco—watching him open that old notebook of mine, full of questions I hadn’t thought to ask until I was twice his age—I came home and finished the braided onion-potato loaf I’d started that morning. Hector used to make something like it, and he always said the braiding was the part where you stopped thinking and started trusting your hands. Three strands pulled together, patient and deliberate: I couldn’t stop thinking about the chain when I worked the dough. Some things you learn by doing them over and over until they live in your body, and some things you have to write down first—this recipe, like the best lessons, is both.

Prep Time: 30 min (plus 2 hr rising) | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 3 hr 5 min | Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients

1 medium russet potato (about 8 oz), peeled and cubed
1/2 cup warm potato cooking water (reserved after boiling)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
1 tbsp granulated sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
2 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 large egg, room temperature
1 egg yolk plus 1 tbsp water (for egg wash)
1 tsp poppy seeds or sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

Cook the potato. Boil cubed potato in salted water until completely tender, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Mash the potato until smooth and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Sauté the onion. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Proof the yeast. Combine warm reserved potato water (should be 105–115°F), sugar, and yeast in a small bowl. Stir gently and let sit 5–8 minutes until foamy. If it doesn’t foam, your water was too hot or the yeast is spent—start again.
Mix the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Add mashed potato, sautéed onion, remaining 1 tbsp softened butter, egg, and the foamy yeast mixture. Stir until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8–10 minutes. The dough will be slightly tacky but should not stick to your hands. Add flour one tablespoon at a time only if necessary.
First rise. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Braid. Punch dough down and divide into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 16 inches long. Lay the ropes side by side, pinch together at one end, and braid loosely to the other end, pinching to seal. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Second rise. Cover loosely and let rise until noticeably puffed, 35–45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F.
Finish and bake. Brush the loaf evenly with egg wash. Sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds if using. Bake 30–35 minutes until deep golden brown. The loaf should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a wire rack at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition (per serving)

Braided Onion-Potato Loaf — The Chain, Written in Dough