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Potato rolls are pillowy soft, chewy, and buttery, with mashed potatoes adding a melt-in-your-mouth flavor to every bite.
Yes – Made with Mashed Potatoes!
If you are anything like our family, you rarely have leftover Best Mashed Potatoes. But trust me, scooping out ½ a cup to make these potato rolls is worth it!
If you’ve never made them before, potato rolls are a new twist on a favorite Yeast Dinner Roll. These fluffy rolls are incredible delicious and flavorful because they have mashed potatoes as one of the ingredients. Sounds weird, but we promise it’s AMAZING!
These potato rolls are the perfect soft dinner roll for a Sunday dinner idea, holidays, or any time (and especially perfect on the off chance you have leftover mashed potatoes). 😉
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Fluffy perfection. Potato rolls boast an irresistibly soft and fluffy texture that melts in your mouth.
- Holiday staple. Rolls and biscuits are a beloved tradition for gatherings and celebrations, adding a touch of comfort and warmth.
- Freezable. Enjoy fresh-baked taste anytime by freezing the dough or leftover rolls to heat later.
Ingredients
- PREP TIME: 20 minutes
- RISE TIME: 2 hours
- COOK TIME: 10 minutes
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water – for the yeast to activate the water should be between 105-110°F
- 1 cup milk – room temperature milk helps keep the dough warm for the yeast the grow.
- ½ cup prepared mashed potatoes – you can use plain homemade mashed potatoes or instant potatoes. Do not use mashed potatoes that have been seasoned or buttered.
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 large egg – room temperature eggs incorporate better than a cold egg as well as keep the dough warmer.
- 4-5 cups all-purpose flour – How to Measure Flour. Should you like to use wheat flour, I suggest replacing half of the all-purpose flour with an equal amount of white wheat flour.
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted – I like using salted butter, but unsalted butter works well too.
How to Make Potato Rolls
- YEAST. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast in ¼ cup warm water.
- WET INGREDIENTS. In a small microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, add 1 cup milk,½ cup mashed potatoes, and 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter.
- Heat on high for one minute, stir, then heat for an additional 30-60 seconds, until the butter is melted and the milk is warm but not hot.
- Add the milk mixture, ¼ cup sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and 1 egg to the yeast mixture.
- DRY INGREDIENTS. Add 2 cups of flour, and mix to combine. Mix in 2-3 cups flour, ¼ cup at a time, to form a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- KNEAD, SHAPE, & RISE. On a lightly floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise for about one hour, until doubled.
- DIVIDE. After one hour, gently punch the dough down. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Divide the dough into 24 pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Place the balls of dough with the smoothest side up, on a greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- SECOND RISE. Cover and let rise for 30-60 minutes, until the dough springs back when touched lightly.
- BAKE. Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
- SERVE warm with Strawberry Jam and Honey Butter or for Ham and Cheese Sliders. Enjoy!
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Potato Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup prepared plain and unseasoned mashed potatoes
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 egg
- 4-5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in warm water.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, add the milk, mashed potatoes, and 4 tablespoons of butter.
- Heat on high for one minute, stir, then heat for an additional 30-60 seconds, until the butter is melted and the milk is warm but not hot.
- Add the milk mixture, sugar, salt, and egg to the yeast mixture.
- Add two cups of flour, and mix to combine. Mix in additional flour, ¼ cup at a time, to form a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for about one hour, until doubled.
- After one hour, gently punch the dough down. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Divide the dough into 24 pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Place the balls of dough on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Cover and let rise for 30-60 minutes, until the dough springs back when touched lightly.
- Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Serve warm with Strawberry Jam and Honey Butter or for Ham and Cheese Sliders. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Mix up the dough in steps 1 and 2, but instead of letting it rise for an hour on the counter, cover the bowl and stick it in the fridge to rise overnight. The colder environment will make the yeast rise much more slowly.
- The next day, shape the dough into balls and let them rise again.
- Because the dough is chilled, the rise time may take almost twice as long.
- Bake according to the recipe.
- Refrigerator. Place shaped rolls on a baking tray, cover them with plastic wrap, and keep them in the fridge for about 12 hours. Allow them to finish rising at room temperature before baking.
- Freezer. Follow the recipe but instead of placing the dough balls on a pan to be baked, place the pan into the freezer. Once the dough balls are solid, transfer them to a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months.
- To bake. Place frozen dough balls on a baking pan. Cover the pan with a greased piece of plastic wrap (the cooking spray helps keep the plastic from sticking to the dough). Allow them to rise for about 4 hours before baking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Potato dinner rolls are simple Yeast Dinner Rolls but they also have mashed potatoes inside. Mashed potatoes give it a soft and sweeter taste and texture than normal white rolls.
No, not at all! They just taste like any other delicious dinner roll but with a soft texture from the added potatoes.
For a pull-apart bread with softer sides, space the dough balls closer together. For rounded, brown all-over, crustier rolls, add more space in between each dough ball. This way they don’t touch when they’re baking.
Mix up the dough in steps 1 and 2, but instead of letting it rise for an hour on the counter, cover the bowl and stick it in the fridge to rise overnight. The colder environment will make the yeast rise much more slowly.
The next day, shape the dough into balls and let them rise again. Because the dough is chilled, the rise time may take almost twice as long.
Bake according to the recipe.
Refrigerator. Place shaped rolls on a baking tray, cover them with plastic wrap, and keep them in the fridge for about 12 hours. Allow them to finish rising at room temperature before baking.
Freezer. Follow the recipe but instead of placing the dough balls on a pan to be baked, place the pan into the freezer. Once the dough balls are solid, transfer. To bake, place frozen dough balls on a baking pan. Cover the pan with a greased piece of plastic wrap (the cooking spray helps keep the plastic from sticking to the dough). Allow them to rise for about 4 hours before baking.
Store leftover Potato Rolls in a Ziploc bag on the counter for 2-3 days.
Wrap the leftovers in plastic wrap, then again with foil, and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Could these be frozen before the second rise and baked later?
Absolutely!!
Hi, is there a small typo about mixing just the water and yeast together? Shouldn’t we measure out the full 1/4 cup of sugar and from that, take about 1 Tbsp of said sugar and add it to the yeast and water to help the yeast bubble faster?
Other than that, I’m so excited to try these! I’ve got the 1st half of a batch just about ready to go in the oven (it’s actually an air fryer so I only have room for 9 rolls at a time) so in the next half hour, they’re going to be ready to eat!
The recipe should turn out as the direction state or by adding a little sugar to the yeast/water. I hope that you enjoy the rolls. You’ll have to let us know how the rolls turn out being baked in the air fryer!