Potato Rolls, Part 1

When I saw this recipe on Annie's Eats I thought this looked like something even I could do. Her pictures are beautiful, but the clincher is that she said these potato rolls freeze and thaw well. Hello! That is perfect for me. I will simply make these one weekend, freeze them and thaw one at at time for Jim to eat with his dinner. There is something about that homemade bread smell. It fills the house with warmth and Jim comes crawling to the kitchen as soon as I pulled them out of the oven.

Potato Rolls
Yield: 16 rolls

Ingredients:
1 russet potato (big enough to make 1/2 cup mashed potato), peeled and chopped
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk, warmed
1 1/8 tsp. instant yeast
1/4 cup reserved potato water, lukewarm, with 1 teaspoon sugar added to it
2 1/2 – 3 cups flour (I used bread flour)

Begin by boiling the potatoes until tender. Drain cooking water, reserving 1/4 cup for use in the rolls. Finely mash the potato and measure out 1/2 cup. Let cool to nearly room temperature.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter,

honey, salt, potatoes, sugar and egg.

Combine the yeast with the warm milk and reserved potato water, and pour into the mixer bowl.

Mix on low speed until incorporated.

Gradually add the flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms.

Switch to the dough hook attachment on knead on low speed for 5 minutes, adding more flour if necessary to achieve a soft dough that is slightly tacky but not sticky.

Dough formed a ball in the mixer. Time to pull it out.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 60-90 minutes.







Part 2 will fill you in on what to do once the dough rises.... stay tuned!

Source: adapted from The Boastful Baker