These homemade potato rolls come together surprisingly quickly. You can use leftover baked potatoes, or quickly cook potatoes in the microwave just for this recipe. These soft and buttery rolls are perfect for sandwiches or enjoy them as dinner rolls with a bit of butter.
Homemade potato rolls are buttery and delicious. That mashed potatoes in the dough help to keep them really soft and melt in your mouth good.
When my friend Di sent over a recipe for these potato rolls, I just knew I had to make them. The recipe is easier than you’d think and much quicker too! It doesn’t call for two long proofs.
The total rise time in the whole recipe is only 15 minutes. You read that right! By the time your oven is preheated, the rolls are ready to bake!
The best part is they are delicious! They are so soft, with a very subtle sweetness. They have the perfect buttery texture as well.
We used them as Di does, as a base for some Porcupine Meatball sliders. Then we used the leftovers to make the best breakfast sandwiches.
They would make a great dinner roll and would perfect for lunch meat sandwiches as well!
What is a potato roll?
Potato rolls are dinner rolls that have mashed potatoes in the dough. You can use some leftover baked potatoes potatoes or microwave a potato until it the center is soft enough to mash. The potatoes give it a softer texture and slightly sweeter taste than a standard roll. You can also make them a little bit bigger and use them as a bun for sandwiches.
Carlee’s Tips and Tricks
For a pull-apart rolls with softer sides, space the balls of dough closer together on the baking sheet.
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For rounded, brown all-over, crustier rolls, keep more space the dough balls. That way they won’t touch while they are baking and they will maintain a more round shape.
If your kitchen is cool, there are ways to wake your yeast up and help your dough to proof. The easiest is to preheat your oven to 200°F then turn it off.
Cover the sheet pan of rolls with a damp tea towel. Stick it in the oven and allow it to proof for about 10 minutes.
They will continue to rise a bit as you preheat the oven. The warm pan will help keep them from getting too cold.
When forming the dough balls, place them seam-side down so that they rise with a smooth top.
I have not made these rolls using whole wheat flour. If you want to give it a go, I would start by replacing 1 cup of the all-purpose flour with an equal amount of white whole wheat flour.
Prep ahead
If you want to make the dough ahead of time, go ahead and mix it but instead of proofing it, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to bake. Pull the dough out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you want to form and bake the rolls.
What effect does adding potato to the dough have?
The starch in the potatoes contributes to the structure of the dough and holds more moisture than just wheat flour. Plus, it works without developing more gluten. So the end product turns out nice and light and tender. It’s the same principle that keeps our potato dough cinnamon rolls so soft and delicious. That’s another recipe that you should definitely try.
Buttery Potato Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 medium potatoes
- 1 cup milk
- 1½ Tablespoons dry active yeast
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons butter softened
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 large egg beaten
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
For Finishing
- 3 Tablespoons melted butter
- salt
Instructions
- Bake your 2 medium potatoes by your favorite method, I just pierced mine with a fork and cooked them until tender in the microwave. Once they are cool enough to handle, scoop out the insides and mash slightly.
- Warm the 1 cup milk to lukewarm, about 90°F. It doesn’t have to me exact. It should be warm to the touch, but not so warm that you couldn’t leave a finger in it for a minute or two. Stir in the 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar and sprinkle the 1½ Tablespoons dry active yeast over the top to activate it.
- Place mashed potatoes, 2 Tablespoons butter, 1½ teaspoons salt and 1 large egg in your mixer bowl and mix to combine.
- Add the milk and yeast mixture, again mixing to combine.
- Add the 3 cups all-purpose flour, one cup at a time, and mix until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should be slightly tacky. You can adjust with a bit more flour or a small splash of milk until you get the desired consistency.
- Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until elastic. Divide the dough into 16 portions and roll each into a ball. Place prepared balls onto a greased baking sheet, leaving plenty of room between them.
- Cover with a towel and allow to rise for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Remove towel and brush rolls generously with 3 Tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
Notes
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Leftover mashed potatoes is an almost daily thing in my kitchen – I'll definitely try this recipe because my menfolk are bread lovers too!
I came to visit you from Happiness is Homemade bloghop – hope you’ll make time to someday stop by my place & let me know you were there.
http://www.lifeatthe4shoes.blogspot.ca
Thank you from Mrs Shoes
Oooh, then this is perfect for you!! I hope you love it!
Yum! These rolls look delicious. Who doesn't love soft warm rolls? Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday.
Thank you! They are so quick and delicious!
It's just about time for my husband to be asking for homemade bread again. I think these will make him a happy man 🙂
These are so fast and good! I hope you love them!
These sound tasty! I adore fresh potatoes rolls. Pinned maybe for this weekend. Thanks.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda
Ooooh, yay! I hope you love them!
I agree with you about the smell of fresh baked bread, amazing. I love the short rise time on these, they sound pretty easy to make! Definitely tucking this one away to try 😃
Isn't it amazing? They come together so quickly!
These rolls sound so fun – 15 minute rise?!! Love it! A perfect thing to make on a cold, snowy winter day!! Oh, and mashed potatoes with butter and milk should be just fine – it will just make the rolls a little richer.
Mollie
I didn't believe it either when I saw the rise time, but it really worked! You'll have to give them a try, Mollie!
You know what, I have a tub of left over mashed potato in the fridge and just this morning I was thinking that I must do something with it today. I'm not sure if it will work as it does have some butter and a tiny splash of milk in there already but I'm thinking if I just adjust a tiny bit it should be ok.
I'll pop back later and let you know how it went!
I can't see why that wouldn't work. I can't wait to hear how it goes!
Hi Carlee, It worked great. They came out perfectly and everyone loved them. Thanks, we'll definitely be making these again. So quick and delicious.
Hooray! I am so glad to hear you liked them!!
They really are, thank you so much!
Hi Carlee, there aren't enough baking hours in the day! My fav type of baking is with yeast. I learned to make bread and buns before I did cakes. I have never made potato bread before. Would bread flour be too strong for this recipe?
xx
There really aren't enough hours to get it all in there, are there? I have never tried it with bread flour, but it would be interesting. It is meant to be a really soft bread though, so it might be more protein than is necessary. Now I'd like to give it a try and see how it goes! You'll have to let me know what you think if you do it too.
Soft buttery rolls just make me happy!!!! You know from my past posts that my mom would want to throw these to her guests, lol! Do get over to The Blended Blog and link up these mounds of deliciousness!!!!
Me too! I'd happily let your mom throw them at me!! Thanks, Andrea!