Hey Phil,
I’m glad that you took my remarks in the light-hearted way they were made. I believe you are correct in assuming that most US & Canadian bread recipes are on the sweet side. The only way I have of comparing is the scones my grandmother used to bake and I found them quite horrible compared to the “conventional” bread my mother baked.
Your question about the properties of potato flour made me realize that I didn’t even know the answer, so check out the following bits of enlightenment.
Definitions of Potato starch on the Web:
• Potato starch is starch extracted from potatoes. The plant cells of the root tuber of potatoes plant contains starch grains (leucoplast). To extract the starch, the potatoes are crushed, the starch grains are released form the destroyed cells. The starch is then washed out and dried to powder.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato_starch
• Very fine flour made from the potato after the peel has been removed.
brightbites.com/glossary/
• This very fine gluten-free flour is made from cooked, dried, and ground potatoes. Also called "potato flour." Used as a thickening agent and in some baked goods. Corn flour and corn starch have pretty much taken its place today.
www.cookadvice.com/glossary/11/letterp
• A thickener, interchangeable with cornstarch. See Arrowroot.
www.bloodroot.com/glossary.htm
~an excellent choice for thickening sauces, gravies, stews, and soups. It also produces superior flour-free sponge cakes, for it absorbs and retains moisture to a far greater degree than wheat flour and produces cakes with a lighter texture.
http://scandinavianfood.about.com/od/sc ... starch.htm
Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks.