Potato Bread Rolls

Amazing dinner rolls ramped up with mashed potatoes. Soft, delicious, and oh so addictive, these super easy potato dinner rolls are an excellent way to make the entire family happy.

Course Bread, Side Dish, Sides

Cuisine American

Prep Time 3

Cook Time 20

Servings

Calories 176kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

The Potatoes

½ pound russet potatoes ½ cup mashed

The Potato Roll Dough

½ cup milk
½ cup water from potatoes
1½ teaspoons salt
¼ -⅓ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup melted butter
1 egg lightly beaten
1 packet instant yeast
3¼-3½ cups all-purpose flour plus more for kneading

Potato Roll Wash

1 large egg
1-2 tablespoons milk or water

Instructions

The Potatoes

Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks, then put the potatoes into a medium saucepan. The water should cover the potatoes at least an inch. Cook until tender and soft, about 10 minutes.
Drain potatoes and reserve about ⅔ cup water. Mash potatoes and set them aside to cool.

Potato Roll Dough

Meanwhile, in a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine milk and ½ cup of the reserved potato water (save the other bit in case the dough is too dry) with the butter pieces, sugar, and salt—microwave for about a minute. Stir until everything melts. If the mixture is too hot, let it cool.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, add yeast and eggs, whisk until ingredients are thoroughly mixed, add mashed potatoes and continue mixing.
Next, add the flour a cup at a time. Be careful when adding flour - stop when you can easily form a soft dough ball. It should be slightly sticky. (Too much flour will result in crumby bread or cause the bread not to rise properly - resulting in a dense dough.)
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 6-8 minutes or until the dough is nice and smooth.

Make the Potato Rolls

Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the dough. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled. Punch the dough down and place it on a clean flat surface or board.
Next, divide the dough into 14-16 pieces, and roll to form even balls (for accuracy, use food scale).
As you roll each ball of dough, place it into a 9x13 greased pan or baking sheet. (Put it on top of a cookie sheet to prevent dough from burning at the bottom.)

Potato Roll Wash

Whisk together the egg and milk until thoroughly combined.
Gently brush bread rolls with the egg wash if you want shiny, golden-looking bread rolls, just like in the photos.

Finishing the Potato Rolls

Cover with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm place (see notes) for about 20-30 minutes or until doubled.
Bake rolls in a pre-heated oven at 350F/176C for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove rolls from the oven and immediately brush with melted butter. Let them cool slightly before serving.

Notes

Everyone likes their rolls a little differently. I like mine with soft sides, but others like them perfectly round and golden balls. The only thing you need to do differently is the spacing. If you like soft sides, space them closer together. If you want the crusty golden balls, space them far enough apart that they rise and bake without touching.
A trick I use to get bread to rise faster is ensuring a warmer environment. I heat the oven to about 200F, then turn it off. Then I put the rolls in the oven to rise. If I don't want to heat the oven, I fill a bowl with hot water and put it in the oven under the rolls (the oven is off). The steam from the hot water helps the dough rise faster.
If you have a bread machine, throw all the ingredients in and set it on the dough cycle. Afterward, you can shape the rolls and let them rise.
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition