Pillowy soft dinner rolls perfect for fall and winter holidays, made extra tender with smashed potato.
Recipe by Joy the Baker on November 24, 2020
Prep time: PT1H30M
Cook time: PT25M
Total time: PT1H55M
Rating
5 stars ( reviews)
Ingredients
2 ½ teaspoons (1 pack) active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water (about 105 degrees) (cooled water that the potatoes were boiled in if possible)
1/3 cup (65 grams) plus a pinch granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature and lightly beaten
2 teaspoons kosher salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into cubes, divided (have a little extra butter on hand to grease the pan)
1 cup (175 grams) unseasoned warm or room temperature mashed potatoes, lightly packed (about 1 medium to large potato)
Scant ¾ cup lukewarm water (water that the potatoes were boiled in if possible)
4 ¼ cups (520 grams) all-purpose flour
Steps
First cook the potato. I find it easiest to peel, quarter and boil the potato to softened. Remove the potato pieces and mash while still warm. Reserve the cooking water.
To make the roll dough, in a small bowl stir together yeast and warm water with a pinch of sugar. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes until the yeast foams and froths.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hood or in a large bowl to mix by hand combine the yeast mixture, eggs, 1/3 cup sugar, salt, 6 tablespoons butter cubes, mashed potatoes, water, and flour. Whether bringing together on a mixer or by hand, roughly combine the ingredients with a spatula.
If using a mixer, place on low speed and knead together. If mixing by hand, begin to knead the dough until all the ingredients are cohesive and the dough begins to smooth. The dough should be soft, pliable, bounce, and rather smooth. If there are a few potato bits or chunks in the dough, don’t worry – they’ll bake to smooth.
Place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest until doubled in size, about 60 minutes.
Place the dough on a clean counter, gently deflate, and divide the dough into 16 large or 24 smaller dough pieces. Roll each dough ball into a small round.
Place rolls in a lightly greased 9×13-inch pan. Lightly cover the rolls with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and brush rolls before baking. Bake rolls for 20-25 minutes until. Remove from the oven, allow to rest for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Serve rolls warm or at room temperature. Store rolls, well wrapped in plastic at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage.
Reviews
Patricia on 2020-11-24 (5 stars): They turned out great. Soft, buttery just like you promised!
Julie on 2020-11-26 (5 stars): Really, really delicious and easy! Thank you!
LAURA on 2020-11-26 (5 stars): Thank You so much for the recipe. Just the recipe we were looking for Thanksgiving .
They turned out perfect. So look forward to you weekly posts. Thank You !
Laine on 2020-11-26 (5 stars): These rolls were so delicious and amazing. I believe I screwed up the recipe and put in a couple of extra tablespoons of butter, but they were none the worse for wear. So light, so pillowy, so fluffy! I will never buy King's Hawaii rolls again.
Veenas on 2020-11-28 (5 stars): A Very Yummy Wonderful and Healthy Recipe !!! WOW Nice Photos to See. I'll Definitely Try it. Thank You For Sharing.
Carol on 2020-12-01 (5 stars): Made these Thanksgiving morning while making the mashed potatoes. Very convenient and easy. DELICIOUS!
Carol on 2020-12-22 (5 stars): Made these Thanksgiving morning while making mashed potatoes. The were so easy and sooo delicious. I’m making them again for Christmas. Thanks, Joy!
Hannah on 2021-12-17 (5 stars): Holy doodle. I cannot say enough how amazing these are. They’re the softest rolls I’ve ever made, and I’ve made many a roll. I accidentally put all the butter in so I brushed an egg wash on top. Will be making these my new go to recipe! I’ll try then as burger buns next. Thanks for the great recipe!
Carolyn on 2023-12-11 (5 stars): This is similar to my potato roll recipe l've been using for yrs. Love pics of your family ?
Hansen Jill on 2024-04-01 (5 stars): Outstanding! Made for Easter dinner yesterday. Since I had quick-rise yeast, I didn’t proof yeast but added it to the sugar (which I cut to 1/4 cup), but heated the potato water to 125 degrees. Mixed & kneaded in my KA stand mixer & the butter mixed in beautifully.
I used a generic a-p flour & ended up kneading about an extra cup of it when I kneaded the proofed dough into balls.
This is a keeper for sure!
