Mashed Potato Dinner Rolls Recipe

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Hi Bold Bakers!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe: These Mashed Potato Dinner Rolls are insanely fluffy and have everything you need in a holiday roll: irresistibly soft, golden brown, and perfect for any gathering. The addition of mashed potatoes makes them extra light, squishy, and flavorful.

• Unique Ingredient for Fluffiness: Mashed potatoes add a pillowy texture you won’t find in typical dinner rolls.
• Perfect for Any Occasion: These rolls are great with any meal, whether it’s a holiday feast or a simple dinner.
• Ideal for Leftovers: This recipe is a fantastic way to use up leftover mashed potatoes from holiday meals.
• Irresistible on Their Own or With Butter: Delicious enough to enjoy plain, or slathered with butter, these rolls elevate sandwiches or pair beautifully with holiday favorites.

Even though lots of thought goes into the main dishes and desserts at the holidays, what will actually get the most love and attention? Homemade rolls! The aroma of baking bread sets the tone for the Christmas or Thanksgiving menu, and a basket of these puffy rolls with their beautifully shiny tops simply makes dinner happier. With our Homemade Sage Sausage Stuffing and Easy Sweet Potato Soufflé, you have an eye-catching and mouthwatering Thanksgiving feast to look forward to!

Bold Bakers Loved This

“I made these for Thanksgiving and they were a hit! I doubled the batch because of the number of people and everyone wanted the leftover rolls. Thanks for the recipe!” — Judy

“Absolutely the best dinner rolls on earth. Made them for Thanksgiving, gave some away and them made more on Black Friday! Raves from everyone. Super fluffy. soft, moist and delicious!” — Lyn

IMPORTANT NOTE: This recipe was improved and updated on 11/14/2024, to include a NEW STEP-BY-STEP tutorial video, make-ahead and storage instructions, and Pro Chef Tips.

Table of Contents

• What Are Insanely Fluffy Mashed Potato Dinner Rolls?
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients and Why
• How to Make Insanely Fluffy Mashed Potato Dinner Rolls
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
• FAQs
• More Roll and Biscuit Recipes

What Are Insanely Fluffy Mashed Potato Dinner Rolls?

• Insanely-Fluffy Mashed Potato Rolls are made from yeast dough. The starch in the potatoes provides extra moisture, making these rolls exceptionally soft and puffy. They also have a subtle, pleasant potato taste.
• Rolls made with mashed potatoes have an airier texture than bread or rolls without potatoes, which are generally heartier or with a more pronounced crust.
• Potatoes traditionally grew well in Ireland, and because they were readily available, they were used in many recipes, including bread made with mashed or grated potatoes. Early versions were made with baking soda and were dense and hearty. Now, potato is often added to a yeasted dough to add a unique texture and flavor.

Tools You Need for Mashed Potato Dinner Rolls

• Stand mixer (optional)
• Mixing bowl
• Measuring cups and measuring spoons
• 9×13-inch pan
• Pastry brush

Key Ingredients for Mashed Potato Dinner Rolls and Why

• Leftover mashed potatoes

  • This recipe is flexible, and any leftover mashed potatoes will work in this recipe.

• Eggs

  • Using eggs in a bread dough recipe yields plush, rich rolls.
  • Eggs give the dough moisture and structure, making the flavor richer.

• Butter

  • Melted butter permeates the rolls with savory flavor and unbeatable texture.
  • Did you know it’s easy to make your own butter? How to Make Homemade Butter guides you through the process.

• Milk and water

  • Milk gives bread dough a softer texture and a richer flavor.
  • Warm water helps activate the yeast, making the dough rise effectively.

• All-purpose flour

All-purpose flour has a 9-11% protein content, perfect for this recipe for soft rolls with a touch of lovely chewiness.

• Instant Yeast

  • Instant yeast does not require sponging and gives a quicker, more efficient rise than active dry yeast.
  • Mix instant yeast with flour first to avoid direct contact with salt so the yeast won’t get deactivated.
  • If you use active dry yeast: for every teaspoon of instant yeast, use 1 ¼ teaspoons of active dry yeast. Bring the liquid in your recipe to blood temperature and mix in active dry yeast. Let it sit at room temperature for roughly 5 minutes until foam forms on top.

• Granulated sugar

  • Sugar feeds yeast, converting it into gas, making the dough rise and making the rolls light and airy.
  • Sugar helps to retain moisture in the dough, ensuring a tender crumb.

• Salt

  • Salt enhances the flavor of the rolls and strengthens the gluten, giving the rolls the perfect crumb.
  • Salt also relaxes the dough so that it’s easier to shape.

How to Make Insanely Fluffy Mashed Potato Dinner Rolls

Make the dough

1. Mix the wet ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (please see notes if kneading by hand) mix the potatoes, eggs, butter, milk and water together on medium-low speed until blended.
2. Mix dry ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk the flour, yeast, sugar and salt together, then mix into the potato mixture on medium-low speed until moistened.
3. Knead the dough: Switch to a dough hook and knead the mixture for 10 minutes, until a soft dough has formed. It should be fairly sticky but still clear the sides of the bowl.
4. Bulk fermentation: Place the dough in a large lightly greased bowl, turning the dough in the bowl to coat all sides with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the mixture has doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.
5. Butter a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) baking dish and set aside.
6. Shape the dough: On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into 12 equal portions (4 oz/115 g), then roll each piece into a smooth ball. Arrange 4 rows of 3 balls each seam side down in the prepared baking pan.
7. Final proofing: Cover again tightly and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 – 60 minutes.

Bake the potato buns

8. Prepare to bake: Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
9. Bake the rolls: Brush the proofed rolls with the egg wash, then bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
10. Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve while still warm or at room temperature.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• You can use any mashed potatoes for this roll recipe. It is fine if there is already milk and butter mixed into them.
• For the best-textured rolls, be sure that your dough is a bit soft and sticky. Too much flour will toughen the rolls.
• Make leftover Thanksgiving sandwiches by splitting these rolls in half, spreading them with cranberry sauce, and filling them with turkey and the leftover veggies of your choice. Serve it with a side of leftover gravy for dipping.
• Try these served with Chipotle Lime or Roasted Garlic and Herb Compound Butter.
• If you are feeding a big crowd for the holidays, feel free to double the recipe.
• FYI, these make great sliders or burger buns.
• More tasty used for leftover mashed potatoes are Authentic Irish Potato Farls, Potato Rosemary Soufflé, Loaded Mashed Potato Bread, and Homemade Krispy Kreme Donuts Recipe.

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

Make Ahead Instructions:

• Refrigerate Overnight: After the first rise, shape the dough into rolls and place them in the prepared baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Before baking, remove from the fridge and allow the rolls to come to room temperature, letting them rise until doubled in size (about 60-90 minutes), then proceed with the baking instructions.
• Freeze Unbaked Dough: After shaping the rolls, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze until firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 1 month. To bake, let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let them rise at room temperature before baking.
• Freeze Baked Rolls: Let the baked rolls cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 8 weeks. To reheat, thaw at room temperature and warm in the oven at 300°F (150°C) for 10-15 minutes.

Storage Instructions:

• At Room Temperature: Store baked rolls in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the microwave or oven if desired.
• In the Freezer: Freeze leftover rolls in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving, or warm in the oven if preferred.

FAQs

• Can I knead this mashed potato dinner roll dough by hand?

  • If kneading by hand, first whisk the potatoes, water, milk, and eggs in a large bowl.
  • Next, whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the potato mixture until moistened.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes until you have a soft, smooth, slightly sticky dough. Use a touch more flour or milk as needed.
  • Continue following the directions as written above, starting with Step 4.

• What do I do if my dough is too wet or too dry?

  • The dough should be fairly sticky,  but it should still clear the sides of the bowl.
  • If your dough is wet, add a bit more flour, one tablespoon at a time, until it’s the correct consistency.
  • If the dough is stiff or dry, add one tablespoon of milk at a time until the dough is soft.

• How do I make sure my mashed potato dinner rolls aren’t dense?

  • Dense dinner rolls typically occur if you don’t let your dough proof for enough time or you add too much flour to your dough. In the latter case, you may have over-floured your work surface.
  • Use the bare minimum of extra flour to keep your dough from sticking to your work surface and hands. Add in little by little, making sure not to add too much, or else it will make the dough more difficult to shape later on and lose its fluffy texture.

More Roll and Biscuit Recipes

• How To Make Waterford Blaas (Authentic Irish Rolls Recipe)
• Buttery Crescent Rolls
• Gemma’s Best-Ever Buttermilk Biscuits
• Soft and Fluffy Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
• Sage and Cheddar Biscuits (No Yeast)

IMPORTANT NOTE: This recipe was improved and updated on 11/14/2024, to include a NEW STEP-BY-STEP tutorial video, make-ahead and storage instructions, and Pro Chef Tips.

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