Old-fashioned brown flour potato soup is a very easy, scratch-made recipe. Recipes like this were once staples in Amish and Mennonite homes. This recipe comes to us from a Mennonite woman. And you don’t see recipes like this as much anymore. Certainly there’s still plenty of old-timers in Amish and Mennonite communities who fix recipes like this. And at it’s core, this is really just an old-fashioned potato soup. Still, the browned flour, and the scarcity of other ingredients in it, just point to it as an old-fashioned great depression dish
You get a nice thick potato soup with this recipe that is rich and creamy. The Mennonite woman who sent me the recipe made the following serving suggestions:
Serve with buttered crumbs, or squares of fried bread, or pretzels on top. You might boil some sliced onion with the potatoes, if you like.
Wow, I bet this potato spooned over some fried bread would be amazing, or with the pretzels. yes, absolutely.
🙋 FAQ
Potatoes are common in Amish gardens, but the soil has to be right, acidic and sandy to allow for the plants to spread out a bit underground. So if an Amish farmstead has poor soil for potatoes you won't find them as much. The Amish settlements in Maine are in a prime potato region and we've seen some bumper grows of Amish-grown red and russet potatoes!
The Amish, by the way, grow plenty of potatoes. Yes, Maine is a community with a growing Amish population, and the soil and climate perfect there for potatoes. So I have seen large Amish on potato farms in Maine. But I’ve also seen some very healthy potatoes being grown in Amish communities in places like Michigan and Ohio, you just have to have the right kind of soil
There’s just something fun about watching someone pour potatoes out of the ground. Many Amish will then store them in their cellar, and they’ll stay good for quite some time.
And, of course, there a gazillion ways to use potatoes, which is why they are beloved in Amish kitchens. Frying potatoes is a favorite, but potato soup has to be a close second. I've been to many Amish kitchens where a bowl of warm potato soup is on the menu for practically every meal during the winter months. Nothing better than breaking off a hunk of homemade bread and sopping up some soup.
This Old-Fashioned Brown Flour Potato Soup is so easy to make, containing just six easy-to-procure ingredients.
Brown the flour and butter to get a "paste" like this, it'll add richness and thickness once you add it to your soup.
Garnish with pepper, parsley, and salt. You can sprinkle some shredded cheese and bacon bits on top also. I was just trying to keep this as authentic as possible, so I didn't add any of those, but feel free to if you wish!
By the way, the 2 ¾ cup of milk ingredient was a little odd, I thought. Why not 3? So I used 3 cups and I think that is fine, but if you want to stick with the actual recipe, use 2 ¾, it'll be slightly thicker soup.
🥣 Old-Fashioned Brown Flour Potato Soup
- 6 medium potatoes
- 3 C. water
- 2 ¾ C. milk
- 3 T. flour
- 3 T. butter
- Salt, pepper and parsley
📋 Instructions
- Peel and cut potatoes in slices.
- Boil them in salted water until tender.
- Add the milk and let simmer.
- Meanwhile brown the flour in the melted butter, stirring all the time over low heat; add it to the soup, stirring until the mixture thickens.
- Sprinkle with parsley and pepper.
🥔 More Amish Soup Recipes
Homestyle Cheesy Potato Bake
🖨️ Full Recipe
Old-Fashioned Brown Flour Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 6 medium potatoes
- 3 cups water
- 2 ¾ cups milk (whole milk will make for a creamier soup, but you can use any kind of milk)
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons butter
- Salt, pepper and parsley to taste
Instructions
- Peel and cut potatoes in slices.
- Boil them insalted water until tender.
- Add the milk and let simmer.
- Meanwhile brown the flour in the melted butter, stirring all the time over low heat; add it to the soup, stirring until the mixture thickens.
- Sprinkle with parsley and pepper
Nana
I have always added some diced celery and diced onion when making potato soup so it is not so bland. Potato soup was a recipe taught in high school home ec cclass as a method for practicing making white sauces ( a kitchen basic).
Kevin Williams
Good idea on the diced celery, I wish I had thought of that!
Marrilyn Peavler-Ellis
This is the way I grew up eating potato soup. Once in a while mom would add a can of oysters for my dad. But never in mine and my mom's. Glad to see some others enjoy it made from scratch.
Kevin Williams
oysters, that would be an interesting twist, thanks for the suggestion, I'll try it sometime!
Peggy
Great soup !! I added a splash of fresh squeezed lime juice and it was really good. I kept the the potato water in before adding the milk. I don't drain the potatoes?
Kevin Williams
Hi, Peggy, thanks for telling us about that, a squeeze of lime is a clever twist, I'll have to try that. And sounds like keeping the potato water worked fine, I'll remember that too, I usually drain it, but this is a soup that is difficult to go too wrong on! - Kevin