Homemade Potato Rolls
What You’ll Need
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 cup scalded milk, then “cooled room temperature”
- ½ cup mashed potatoes
- ¼ cup shortening
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 large egg
- 4 ½ cups flour
How Grandma Made It
- Wake up that yeast. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a little bowl and let it sit for about 5 minutes. When it gets soft and foamy on top, you’ll know it’s ready to go. That’s how you know your yeast is still lively.
- Start the dough. In a big mixing bowl, stir together the milk, mashed potatoes, shortening, sugar, and salt. And don’t worry about making fresh potatoes just for this—leftover mashed potatoes from supper work beautifully.
- Add the yeast and egg. Pour that nice, foamy yeast into the bowl, crack in the egg, and give everything a good stir until it’s all mixed together.
- Bring in the flour. Add 2 cups of flour and stir until it’s worked in. Then start adding the rest a little at a time until you have a soft dough. It may be a little sticky, and that’s perfectly all right. Don’t go adding flour by the handful just because it sticks a bit.
- Give it a good kneading. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead it for about 7 minutes. You’ll feel the dough change right underneath your hands. It’ll go from a shaggy mess to something smooth, soft, and springy.
- Let it rest and rise. Grease a bowl and put your dough inside. Turn it over once so the whole ball gets a little coating of grease. That keeps the dough from drying out while it rises. Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel.
- Find it a warm spot. Set the bowl somewhere warm and draft-free. The top of the refrigerator or a cozy spot near the stove works just fine. Let the dough rise until it’s about doubled in size, which should take around an hour.
- Punch it down. Now comes the satisfying part. Give that risen dough a good punch right in the middle to let the air out. Shape it back into a ball, cover it again, and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
- Get the oven ready. While the dough is resting, heat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease two baking sheets so those rolls won’t have any trouble coming off when they’re done.
- Shape your rolls. Divide the dough into 24 pieces and roll each piece between your hands into a nice little ball. Set them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little room between each one. Cover them lightly and let them rise again for 25 to 40 minutes.
Here’s my little trick for knowing when they’re ready: gently press the side of one roll with your finger. If the dent slowly springs back, they’re ready for the oven. - Bake until golden. Bake the rolls for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they’re a beautiful golden brown on top. Let them cool for a minute before you start eating them.
Of course, if you’re anything like me, that last part is easier said than done.
Grandma’s Little Notes
No shortening in the pantry?
No need to make a trip to the store. Use 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter instead. Truth be told, I think the butter makes these rolls even more delicious.
Want to make fancy folded rolls?
After kneading the dough, roll it out to about ½ inch thick and cut it into 4-inch circles. A drinking glass works just fine if you don’t have a biscuit cutter handy. A cleaned-out can works, too—just make sure there are no sharp edges.
Brush each circle with melted butter mixed with a little olive oil, then fold it in half and place it on your baking sheet. Let them rise and bake them just like the regular rolls.
When they come out of the oven, give them another little brush of that buttery mixture while they’re still warm.
They’ll look like you spent all afternoon fussing over them.
We’ll just keep that between us..
“We’ll just keep that between us.”