Homemade Potato Rolls are sure to please! These soft, fluffy rolls are impossibly light and buttery, perfect for any occasion.
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The Softest, Tastiest Dinner Rolls Ever!
Anyone who loves baking bread, serving bread, and eating bread (raises hand) has got to love potato bread! Potato bread recipes like this one are famous for their light, fluffy texture – somewhat like challah or brioche, but without the eggs. If you are looking for a truly soft, meltingly delicious dinner roll, this is it!
Feeling hungry? I hope so! Seriously, if you try this recipe, you will want to make it again and again. Homemade potato rolls are easy to make, and they are a true crowdpleaser as well. Let’s get started!
If you are looking for classic dinner rolls, try out my favorite Soft Dinner Roll recipe! Or, if you want something a little more unique, we love this copycat recipe for Texas Roadhouse Rolls!
(Looking for more dinner roll recipes? These Soft Dinner Rolls, Hawaiian Rolls, and Texas Roadhouse Rolls are calling your name!)
Do Potato Buns Taste Like Potato?
You might be wondering if these rolls actually taste like potatoes. But they don’t – they just taste like a normal dinner roll, but lighter, fluffier, and a bit more buttery. Adding mashed potato to the dough creates a special softness due to a chemical reaction between the starches. Delicious, delicious science, my friends. Along with plenty of butter, that makes these rolls a real delicacy!
What Is a Potato Roll Made Of?
The ingredients for potato rolls are similar to other yeast roll recipes, but with added mashed potato, and some of the water from cooking the potatoes. Here’s a list of what you need:
- Potatoes: Peel and dice the potatoes before cooking them.
- Cooking Water: From boiling the potatoes.
- Milk: Warm it up to just above body temperature, so that it will dissolve the yeast without heating it too much.
- Yeast: I use active dry yeast for this recipe.
- Sugar: Regular granulated sugar is fine. Honey and maple syrup are good substitutes.
- Flour: A combination of bread flour and all-purpose flour creates that stretchy, moist crumb we’re looking for. If you do not have bread flour, you can use only all purpose flour.
- Salt
- Shortening and Butter: You can use just butter if you prefer, but shortening is a little baking trick that really gives them a bakery-style softness.
How to Make Homemade Potato Rolls
Making homemade potato rolls is very similar to making other types of yeast rolls, and any baker can do it – even a beginner! These easy step-by-step instructions and photos will give you all the deets.
- First, Make the Mashed Potatoes. Take your diced potatoes and place them in a small saucepan. Fill it with enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring them to a boil over medium-high heat, and let ’em cook until the potatoes are fork-tender. Drain out the water, reserving half a cup for your dough, and then mash the potatoes.
- Proof the Yeast. While the mashed potatoes and reserved cooking water cool off, combine the warm milk, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Lightly whisk together, and then let the yeast proof for 5 minutes. It should be bubbly at that point. (If it isn’t, that means your yeast was old or maybe your liquids were the wrong temperature – either way, you’ll need to prove a new batch of yeast, milk, and sugar to get a good, bubbly mixture.)
- Make the Dough. Swap the whisk attachment to a dough hook, and add the bread flour, all-purpose flour, and salt to the yeast mixture. Mix until combined – the texture will be clumpy and sandy. Next, mix in the potato water, followed by the mashed potatoes, shortening, and butter. Mix until the dough comes together – the texture will seem dry, but just trust the process!
- Finish Kneading. Continue kneading the dough with the dough hook on medium speed, for about 10 – 15 minutes. The dough will be ready when it is able to be stretched out without breaking.
- First Rise. Form the dough into a ball, and plop it into a large greased bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and let it rise for about one hour, or until doubled in size.
- Cut the Rolls. Once the dough has risen, punch it down to deflate it. Then turn it out onto a clean, lightly-floured work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large, even rectangle, and cut the rectangle into 16 squares.
- Shape the Rolls. Roll each dough piece, and pinch it together. Roll until you have a smooth dinner roll shape. Place the rolled dough pieces into a greased 9×13 baking dish.
- Second Rise. Lightly cover the rolls, and let them rise for 45 minutes to an hour. Towards the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake! Place the risen rolls into the preheated oven on the center rack, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until they are golden brown and baked through.
- Enjoy! Take the rolls out of the oven and serve warm, with melted butter brushed on top if you like.
Baking Tips
Need baking tips? I’ve got them! These helpful tips and tricks will ensure that your potato rolls turn out perfectly, every time. Here we go:
- Temperature: For best results, make sure you use the correct temperature milk. If the milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast. If it is too cold, the yeast won’t activate and the rolls won’t rise properly. The ideal temperature is between 105°F and 110°F.
- Baking Dish: In my experience, fitting all 16 rolls into one pan caused a bit of a squish. It definitely works, but if you want your rolls a little neater and less squished, bake 15 in the baking dish and bake the last one in a separate dish (like a custard cup or ramekin).
- Extra Butter: Brush the baked rolls with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven, if desired. This makes them extra pretty and even tastier!
- Warm Milk: Warm water may be used instead, but milk will give the bread a richer texture and flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: Although I like the blend of bread flour and all-purpose flour, you can use just all purpose flour if you prefer.
Yummy Serving Suggestions
Potato rolls are the king of side dishes! They go wonderfully with almost any main course. Try these soft, scrumptious dinner rolls with your favorite weeknight meals, or as part of a bigger holiday spread. Here are some of our favorite dinners:
- Chicken Stew: A warm bowl of creamy Crockpot Chicken Stew just needs your favorite bread for sopping up the broth – these rolls would be just the thing. Or if you are craving a good beef dinner, try out my very favorite Crockpot Pot Roast!
- Pork Loin: You can make pork loin so many ways – one of the prettiest has to be this classic Stuffed Pork Loin, with its festive spiral!
- Savory Salmon: Can’t forget seafood! Try pairing warm potato rolls with a fresh green Greek Salad and perfectly-cooked Air Fryer Salmon. Your family will beg for this dinner every week!
Storing Potato Rolls
I like to store these rules at room temperature, in an airtight container, or just in a baggie. They will keep for about three days. You can also store them in the fridge, which may help them to last a little bit longer. If you want to warm them up, throw them in your toaster oven, or zap them in the microwave for a few seconds.
Do Potato Rolls Freeze Well?
Like most breads and rolls, these potato rolls can definitely be frozen for another time. If you find that you have leftovers, or you just want to make extras for another occasion, cool down the ones you want to freeze until they are room temperature.
Next, wrap them tightly in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of foil, or slip them into a freezer bag. Either way, leave as little air as possible in the package (this prevents freezer burn). Stick them in your freezer, and they’ll keep for up to three months. To serve, just set them out on the counter and let them come to room temperature.
Dinner Potato Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup peeled and diced potatoes
- ½ cup potato water, reserved from boiling potatoes
- ½ cup warm whole milk
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 3 ½ cup bread flour
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons shortening
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, room temp
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Instructions
- Add potatoes to a small saucepan and fill with enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Once cooked, remove from the heat and drain, reserving 1⁄2 cup of the potato water. Mash the potatoes, then set aside to cool.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment combine warm milk, yeast and sugar. Lightly whisk together, then let proof for 5 minutes, until bubbly.
- Once proofed, swap the attachment to a dough hook and add in bread flour, all purpose flour and salt. Mix until combined – the texture will be clumpy and sandy.
- Add in potato water and mix, then add in potatoes, shortening and butter. Knead until the mixture comes together – the texture will seem dry, but just trust the process! Continue kneading the dough on medium speed for about 10-15 minutes. The dough will be ready when it is able to be stretched out without breaking.
- Form the dough into a ball, then place into a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Once risen, punch down the dough, then turn out onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Press the dough out into a rectangle, as even as possible. Cut into 16 even squares. Roll each dough piece and pinch together and roll until smooth.
- Place the rolled dough pieces into a greased 9×13” baking dish. Lightly cover, then let rise for 45 minutes – 1 hour. Towards the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Once risen, place the rolls into the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and baked through.
- Once baked, remove from the oven. Serve while warm. Can brush tops with butter if desired.
Notes
- Storage: I like to store these rules at room temperature, in an airtight container, or just in a baggie. They will keep for about three days. You can also store them in the fridge, which may help them to last a little bit longer.
- Milk Temperature: For best results, make sure you use the correct temperature milk. If the milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast. If it is too cold, the yeast won’t activate and the rolls won’t rise properly. The ideal temperature is between 105°F – 110°F.
- Spacing: You can place all of the rolls into the baking dish, or bake 15 in the baking dish and bake the last one separately. If you bake all of them at once, you will just have to push them together a bit more to make room for the 16th roll.
- Brush With Butter: Brush the baked rolls with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven if desired.
- Water vs Milk: Warm water may be used instead of milk, but milk will give the bread a great texture and flavor.
- Flour Mixture: Although I like the blend of bread flour and all-purpose flour, additional bread flour may be used instead. All bread flour will make these rolls less soft.
Nutrition
Categories:
More Great Bread Recipes
- Brioche Buns
- Easy Mexican Bolillos
- Easy Beer Bread
- Hawaiian Rolls
- Homemade Crescent Rolls
- Easy Homemade Bread
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Exellent ! First time ever making potato rolls but it will not be my last.