Recipe: Potato Dough Rolls

I had to ask my mother for permission to post this recipe. These are her famous potato dough rolls, the ones the relatives insist we bring to every holiday meal. "Is Sandy bringing her rolls?" is all they want to know. As soon as we arrive plates of rolls get squirreled away for cousins who haven't shown up yet, or for "later." And that's before the meal even starts.

But this Thanksgiving the task of making these fell to me. I had never realized how easy they are. They are always rich and soft, with the moist density that potato water or flakes give, and their sweetness complements leftover ham or turkey wonderfully; just remember to hide a few!

Potato water, by the way, is just water that you've boiled potatoes in. If you aren't making mashed potatoes at the same time as these rolls, just add instant potato flakes to the boiling water.

Easy Potato Dough Rolls
about 15-20 rolls

1 cup boiling potato water OR 1 cup boiling water with 1 tablespoon potato flakes
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest (optional)
2 tablespoons warm water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 package dry yeast
2 eggs, beaten
4 to 4 1/2 cups flour
Milk, cream, or egg yolk, to glaze (optional)

Mix the boiling water, potato flakes (if using), 1/2 cup sugar, salt, butter and zest (if using) and let cool until tepid and just warm to the touch. In a small separate bowl mix the warm water, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and yeast and let sit for about 10 minutes or until foamy.

In a large bowl combine the potato water mixture and the yeast mixture. Add the eggs and 2 cups of the flour. Stir well, then beat in 2 more cups of flour. Beat well and don't knead - it will be very sticky. Cover and refrigerate, up to several days.

When you want to bake them, shape into balls and place side by side in a greased 9x13-inch pan. (If you are baking these immediately after making the dough, you may need to add 1/2 cup more flour to get the dough thick enough to handle. But don't add too much; the dough is extremely sticky and should be.) Coat hands lightly with flour to roll, or use a spoon to roll lumps of dough. Let rise covered until doubled. You may want to brush with milk or cream before baking, or a mixture of egg yolk and milk or water to create a shiny roll.

Bake at 375°F for about 20 minutes, depending on size of rolls.

This recipe multiplies well; we usually triple it for holiday meals.

(Image: Faith Durand)

Comments (10)

i am definitely trying this. I have been itching to make some "pull-apart" kind of bread or fluffy bread like brioche. Thank you Faith!

a total hit at Thanksgiving...but beware some people get mad at you because they eat too many rolls and are full before the rest....messy to make but easy

If using sweet potatoes instead of regular, would you recommend any other adjustments to the recipe?

Great family tradition to hand down through the generations.. can't wait to try

I made these for Thanksgiving the other day, and they were awesome! I was worried that the dough would be too sticky, but trust the recipe--it worked great! Egg/milk wash is a must as well. Thanks for the easy recipe.

These dinner rolls are to die for. I made a double batch of the dough and used half for rolls, and half for a batch of cinnamon buns. Of the many dough recipes I've tried, this dough made the best cinnamon buns I've had yet. Awesome! I know this post is from 3 years ago, but Faith, if you come across this comment, please thank your mom for us!
:-)

Excellent recipe! I'm not sure about the amount of sugar, but the texture is wonderful. And they're so easy to make!

OK, I know this is an old recipe, but I still wanted to put my two-cents in for future bakers. The rolls turned out delicious. The initial dough turned out WAY too sticky. It was literally un-rollable in my attempts to form the dough balls. We added lots more flour, which probably overworked the dough too much because, after two hours, the dough hardly rose at all. With Easter dinner just minutes away, we baked them anyway and they actually turned out quite good. I was expecting a really fluffy, yeasty type roll, and they were not quite there, but everyone commented on how they were actually pretty tasty. Would try again, but will probably add much more flour at the onset. Good luck!

These were SO good. I used my KitchenAid and did add more flour as the dough was just too sticky to form into rolls right away. I think however, that if they were going to go in the fridge for a few days as stated, the recipe is great as written. Please thank your Mom for allowing you to share a great recipe!

I absolutely loved this recipe. I used my trusty KitchenAid, followed the recipe to the letter (actually tripled it) and left it to rise in the fridge for a few hours before using. I used parchment paper and butter to grease and did what my grandmother did; I used two spoons to place my dough balls in pan. My fingers never touched the sticky dough. I leave the dough in the fridge and whip up rolls whenever I feel like it. I brush with milk before baking because there is already so much yummy butter. It lasts for more than a week. I hope that helps.
Thank you Faith for such a virtually idiot-proof fab recipe.