These are an addictive, all-American comfort food that’d be just at home at Thanksgiving as they’d be at a 4th of July barbecue. Slightly sweet and perfectly doughy, these deserve their classic status.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 5 hr |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Inactive: | 4 hr |
| Cook: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 32 rolls |
Ingredients
- 1 medium baking potato (about 6 ounces)
- 1/2 cup hot water (115 degrees F)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar (4 1/4 ounces)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise yeast (1/4 ounce package)
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 4 1/4 to 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (13 1/8 ounces)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature, plus more for brushing
Instructions
- Cook the potato in a microwave on HIGH until soft and it squeezes easily, using the designated baked potato setting, or up to 15 minutes. Peel and pass the warm potato through a potato ricer or food mill into a large bowl. (You should have 1 cup pureed potato.)
- Stir the hot water, eggs, half the sugar and yeast into the potato. Add 2 cups of the flour and the salt and mix with a wooden spoon to make a sticky, shaggy dough. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the dough doubles in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Beat the butter with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Switch to the dough hook and add the risen dough to the creamed butter. Continue to mix on low until the butter and dough come together, about 1 minute. (Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl if needed; the dough will be very sticky.) Gradually add the remaining 2 1/4 cups of flour, about 1/4 cup at a time, to make a shaggy dough that pulls away from the side of the bowl. Continue kneading on medium speed until dough is smooth but still tacky, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand until dough is smooth and no longer tacky, 1 to 2 minutes more. (If the dough is still sticky, gradually add 1/4 cup flour.) Shape dough into a ball.
- Brush a large bowl with butter and turn dough around in bowl to coat lightly. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, trace a circle the size of the dough on the plastic, and note the time. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Generously butter two 9-inch round or square cake pans. Turn the dough out of the bowl and pat into a rectangle about 16- by 8-inches, gently pressing out excess air. Divide the dough into 32 equal portions, about an ounce each, with a pizza wheel or bench scraper.
- (If you don’t have a scale, divide the dough in half lengthwise, then in half crosswise. Cut each of those four sections into 8 equal-sized rolls.)
- Tuck the edges of the dough under to make round rolls and place them seam-side down in the prepared pan, leaving a little space in between each roll. (See Cook’s Note) Cover the pan with buttered plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the rolls rise almost to the rim of the pan and have more than doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
- Bake rolls until golden brown and puffy, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the rolls registers 190 degrees F, about 40 minutes. Remove rolls from the oven and quickly brush the tops with soft butter.
- Cook the rolls in the pan for about 10 minutes before turning them out onto a rack in one piece. Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature in one piece or pulled apart as individual rolls.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 32 servings |
| Calories | 91 |
| Total Fat | 3 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 13 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Cholesterol | 19 mg |
| Sodium | 73 mg |
Reviews
These have been a staple on our holiday table for 15 years. A few tips for first timers:
1. The ingredients list should say “2/3 c sugar, divided” because you don’t add it all at once
2. Bloom your yeast with the warm water and a little honey or sugar before adding to the potato and egg.
3. These are done Baking I’m less than 20 minutes. This recipe has said “40 minutes” for 15 years but that’s WAY too long.
4. Only cool in the pan for 4 or 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack. Otherwise the edges get too crunchy.
1. The ingredients list should say “2/3 c sugar, divided” because you don’t add it all at once
2. Bloom your yeast with the warm water and a little honey or sugar before adding to the potato and egg.
3. These are done Baking I’m less than 20 minutes. This recipe has said “40 minutes” for 15 years but that’s WAY too long.
4. Only cool in the pan for 4 or 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack. Otherwise the edges get too crunchy.
Rolls are WONDERFUL & taste is Devine ….Why bother with average when this recipe will exceed ordinary!!
AMAZING! Exactly what I was looking for a nice sweet, SOFT delicious roll. Baked for only 20 minutes and they were more than brown enough, 15-18 minutes is probably best. I loved them and we’ll make it again and again.
I was so skeptical because I had never made rolls using these techniques but this is now my go-to sweet roll . If you don’t like sweet this is not for you Thank you
I do not understand what the recipe wants when it says,
? Brush a large bowl with butter and turn dough around in bowlto coat lightly. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap,trace a circle the size of the dough on the plastic, and note the time. Letrise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
? Brush a large bowl with butter and turn dough around in bowlto coat lightly. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap,trace a circle the size of the dough on the plastic, and note the time. Letrise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
Followed the directions first time, would not rise. Second time did not mix yeast and water with egg and potatoes. The roll did raise no problem. Adding the egg (at room temp) and baked potato cooled the mixture. 40 minutes would have burned the rolls
5 stars
This was Really Really good! Much better than I expected. I used a bit less sugar (scant 2/3 cup) and it turned out perfect. Mine browned a little bit faster and a little bit more than the rolls pictured but no worries… They were still soft and delicious inside and out.
Like other reviewers, I pulled the rolls out earlier than stated.
I make these rolls quite often especially for events. I double the recipe using a prepared package of instant Idahoan Roasted Garlic Mashed potatoes. I cut the sugar in half as they are too sweet for taste otherwise.
great recipe but a little too sweet,,,, will definitely mske next time but less sugar… so far this recipe is a keeper!!!
I was looking for a recipe to use my leftover mashed potatoes. I replaced the baked potato with 1 cup of mashed potatoes (which were already loaded with cream cheese, butter, salt & pepper). They came out so moist. My family thought I had bought them. This is definitely a recipe to keep.