Potato Rolls
Soft and fluffy these homemade Potato Rolls are made with leftover mashed potatoes to create a perfectly tender roll with a buttery finish!
A TENDER HOMEMADE ROLL RECIPE
These fluffy Potato Rolls are where it’s at! I don’t know why but I love recipes that use leftovers to create a whole new recipe! I almost always have leftover Mashed Potatoes, so making homemade Potato Rolls was a no brainer. I have a great recipe for Mashed Potato Soup that uses leftover mashed potatoes too. You might think mashed potatoes might make them heavy and dense but it’s the opposite! If you are staring at a bowl of leftover mashed potatoes figuring out what do with them, then this recipe is for you!
These are so good. You would have no idea they were made from leftover mashed potatoes!
– Benji
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
If you use active dry yeast, increase amount to 2 ½ teaspoons and let it sit in just the warm milk for 10-15 minutes before starting the recipe.
I know I gave a varying amount, but there’s a reason. Flour in yeast dough depends a lot on things like how humid your kitchen is and other factors so start with a lower amount and gradually add until the dough is slightly tacky still but not overly-sticky.
If your bowl is too small to let the dough double in size, spray a large enough bowl with cooking spray and gently transfer the dough from your stand mixer bowl to that bowl before rising.
The warmer the kitchen, the faster your dough will rise. If I’m making any yeast dough when it’s the colder months, sometimes I’ll move the dough into a warmer room in my house. If you don’t have a warmer area, you could preheat the oven on the lowest temperature your oven will go and then turn the oven off and let the dough rise in the oven (the residual heat from preheating the oven will help the dough rise).
The proper way to measure flour is by using the spoon and level method to ensure accuracy and avoid dense, dry baked goods. Here’s how:
Fluff the Flour – Use a spoon to stir the flour in its container or bag to loosen it.
Spoon the Flour – Gently scoop flour into a dry measuring cup without packing it down.
Level it Off – Use a flat edge (like the backside of a knife) to sweep off the excess flour for an even measurement.
Avoid scooping directly with the measuring cup, as it compacts the flour, leading to too much flour and dry, dense rolls. Using a kitchen scale can also be helpful.
If you knead this dough by hand I’d suggest kneading for at least 15 minutes. Enriched doughs like this one require a lot more kneading than doughs without eggs and milk. I prefer using a stand mixer with a dough attachment.
I am thinking it could be done in a bread maker, just take the dough out before it starts to bake and shape the dough into rolls.
Store leftover rolls in an airtight container or zipper bag for up to 4 days at room temperature or up to 6 days in the fridge. Do not store until rolls are completely cooled. Trapping a roll in an airtight environment that’s warm still will make them go soggy.
Freeze rolls in a freezer bag or freezer safe container for up to 2 months.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- mashed potatoes– room temperature. Don’t tightly pack the mashed potatoes when measuring. It should be about 7-8 ounces. You can use leftover mashed potatoes or simply bake a large russet potato and mash it with a fork. You do not want to use hot or cold potatoes. Room temperature works the best.
- large eggs – let these come to room temperature if you have time. This helps them incorporate into the dough much easier.
- salted butter– melted and cooled slightly. If you use unsalted butter, add an additional ¼ teaspoon salt.
- milk– warm milk. If you want a less rich roll, you can use warm water instead of warm milk. You may need to increase your flour slightly if you do so.
- instant yeast– if you want to use active day yeast, check the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section for my tips.
- sugar
- all-purpose flour– I love White Lily flour for breads (if you can find it). It’s just the absolute best but I know it can be hard to find in a lot of places outside the South.
- salt
- water
HOW TO MAKE POTATO ROLLS:
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the mashed potatoes, eggs, butter, and milk. Mix slightly with a spoon. Add the yeast, sugar, 2 cups of flour, and salt and mix with a dough hook attachment until the flour is incorporated. Add more flour until the dough has cleared the sides of the bowl. You should end up using between 3 ¾- 4 ½ cups of flour.
Knead for about 7-10 minutes. The dough will be sticky still but should stick to itself more than the sides of the bowl or your fingers when touching it. Remove the dough to hold in your hands for a second while you spray the bowl with cooking spray. Return the dough to your bowl and cover with plastic wrap. (*see note) Let rise until the dough is doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
Once the dough has doubled in size, spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Lightly flour a counter and tip the dough out. Divide the dough into 12 equal size pieces and roll into balls. Place each ball in the baking dish 3 columns of 4 rolls. Place each dough ball ugliest side down.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap, not letting it touch the tops of the rolls so they have room to grow. Let the rolls double in size again, about 45-60 minutes. During the last 20 minutes of the second rise, preheat your oven to 350F degrees. Make the egg wash right before placing the rolls in the oven by whisking the egg and water together. Brush the tops of the rolls evenly and bake the rolls. Bake for about 28-32 minutes until the tops are a nice golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing. Serve warm, smothered in butter and honey, if desired.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Potato Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed potatoes room temperature (see notes below)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup salted butter melted and cooled slightly (see notes below)
- ¾ cup milk warm
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast see notes below
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 3 ¾- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour see notes
- 2 teaspoons salt
Egg wash-
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tablespoons water
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add the mashed potatoes, eggs, butter, and milk. Mix slightly with a spoon. Add the yeast, sugar, 2 cups of flour, and salt and mix with a dough hook attachment until the flour is incorporated. Add more flour until the dough has cleared the sides of the bowl. You should end up using between 3 ¾- 4 ½ cups of flour.
- Knead for about 7-10 minutes. The dough will be sticky still but should stick to itself more than the sides of the bowl or your fingers when touching it.
- Remove the dough to hold in your hands for a second while you spray the bowl with cooking spray. Return the dough to your bowl and cover with plastic wrap. (*see note) Let rise until the dough is doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Lightly flour a counter and tip the dough out. Divide the dough into 12 equal size pieces and roll into balls. Place each ball in the baking dish 3 columns of 4 rolls. Place each dough ball ugliest side down.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap, not letting it touch the tops of the rolls so they have room to grow. Let the rolls double in size again, about 45-60 minutes.
- During the last 20 minutes of the second rise, preheat your oven to 350F degrees.
- Make the egg wash right before placing the rolls in the oven by whisking the egg and water together. Brush the tops of the rolls evenly and bake the rolls. Bake for about 28-32 minutes until the tops are a nice golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing. Serve warm, smothered in butter and honey, if desired.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- Don’t tightly pack the mashed potatoes when measuring. It should be about 7-8 oz. You can use leftover mashed potatoes or simply bake a large russet potato and mash it with a fork. You do not want to use hot or cold potatoes. Room temperature works the best.
- If you use active dry yeast increase to 2 ½ teaspoons and let it sit in just the warm milk for 10-15 minutes before starting the recipe.
- If your bowl is too small to let the dough double in size, spray a large enough bowl with cooking spray and transfer the dough from your stand mixer bowl to that bowl before rising.
- If you want a less rich roll, you can use warm water instead of warm milk. You may need to increase your flour slightly if you do so.
- Flour in yeast dough depends a lot on things like how humid your kitchen is and other things so start with a lower amount and gradually add until the dough is slightly tacky still but not overly-sticky.
- The warmer the kitchen, the faster your dough will rise.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Followed recipe exactly. And had amazing results. Baked a russet potato and it was 7 ounces exact. Used King Arthur AP flour – weighed to 380 grams and followed the recipe. Awesome recipe, simple to follow and well worth the time and effort amazing results.
These are so good. You would have no idea they were made from leftover mashed potatoes.