08 July 2021

Pull-Apart Potato Dinner Rolls

Pull-Apart Potato Dinner Rolls / www.delightfulrepast.com

My recipe for pull-apart potato rolls makes 30 rolls! Yes, I know that's a lot of rolls. But I'm thinking ahead to when we can start having big gatherings. Also, these freeze well and can be enjoyed on multiple occasions with all the work being done just one time! Part of my streamlined cooking style.

Another time when a double batch of rolls makes sense is when you're delivering meals to people, as I've had occasion to do during the pandemic and for special occasions. It's nice to make enough to keep some for yourself as well!

Homemade dinner rolls simply "make" a comfort food meal. Back in the day, when I was better at multi-tasking, I baked my dinner rolls at the last minute. But these days I bake them as much as a month ahead and freeze them until 2 1/2 hours before serving time. Of course, you can just go ahead and serve these the day you bake them; but I've included instructions for freezing, thawing and reheating.

Yes, I have a big heavy-duty stand mixer, but I make all my bread by hand. You can do this in your mixer if you want to, but this lovely soft dough is so easy to handle, you might just want to go "unplugged" on this one.

Pull-Apart Potato Dinner Rolls (this photo, rolls hot and packed for delivery with a meal) / www.delightfulrepast.com

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Pull-Apart Potato Rolls


(Makes 30 rolls)

1 cup (8 fluid ounces/237 ml) milk
1 stick (4 ounces/113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 packed cup (7 ounces/198 grams) cooked and well mashed russet potato (from a medium, 8- or 9-ounce, potato)
1 cup (8 fluid ounces/237 ml) water
5 1/2 dip-and-sweep cups (27.5 ounces/780 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 dip-and-sweep cup (5 ounces/142 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (2.33 ounces/66 grams) sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs

1 Grease a 5-quart bowl* with 1 tablespoon of softened butter (for first rise). Grease two 13x9x2-inch baking dishes with 1 tablespoon of softened butter.

* Or two 2- to 2.5-quart bowls if you would like to let each half of the dough rise in separate bowls as I do when I don't want to get the huge bowl out of the highest cupboard!

2 Put milk and butter in a 1-quart glass measure. Microwave on high power until butter is melted and milk is close to a simmer. Stir until all the butter is melted. Stir in the mashed potato, then the water.

Tip: If you're having mashed potatoes for dinner, you can take out a cup of mashed-up potato and freeze it in a glass storage container for the next time you're making potato rolls. Then move from freezer to refrigerator the morning before the day you're making the rolls.

3 In a 4-quart bowl, whisk together 5 1/2 dip-and-sweep cups (27.5 ounces/780 grams) of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour, then add potato mixture and egg to the well. With dough whisk or large wooden spoon, slowly stir until soft, shaggy dough comes together.

4 Spread 1/2 cup of flour onto work surface, and reserve 1/2 cup to use as needed. Turn the dough out onto floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, adding more flour if needed, until the dough forms a smooth ball. Place smooth ball of dough in buttered bowl and turn to coat all sides of dough. Cover bowl with buttered lid or plastic wrap and let rise until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

5 Punch dough down (by pressing down in center and folding in edges), turn out on lightly floured surface. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough in half, working on one pan of rolls at a time. Divide one of the two halves into 15 equal pieces by first dividing it into 3 equal pieces then rolling each piece into a thick log and cutting each log into 5 equal pieces. Keep dough pieces covered with plastic wrap or overturned bowl as you shape each piece into a ball, pulling edges under and pinching them together on the bottom. I also give them a little roll on the unfloured counter, a motion sort of like moving a computer mouse around. Place in 3 rows of 5 in buttered baking dish. Spray the same piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray, cover dish lightly. Repeat with second half of dough. Let rise until rolls have doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Note: I can be pretty persnickety about getting my rolls all exactly the same size, so I actually weigh the dough in grams and divide that number by 30, which this time came out to 58 grams (or just slightly over 2 ounces) each.

6 About 10 or 15 minutes ahead, preheat oven to 375F/190C/Gas5. Uncover rolls and bake for 25 minutes, or until well browned. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a center roll should read about 200 to 205F/93 to 96C. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Keeping rolls together, remove rolls from baking dish and cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Double-wrap with foil (probably one layer of heavy-duty would be sufficient); freeze for up to 1 month.

To serve after freezing: Remove from freezer 2 1/2 hours before serving time. Defrost, wrapped, at room temperature for 2 hours. During last 15 minutes, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place foil-wrapped rolls on a cookie sheet and bake about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support.

Jean

46 comments:

Angie's Recipes said...

These are some fine bakery soft dinner buns! Excellent!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Angie! I love all kinds of bread!

Denise at Forest Manor said...

Oh Jean, these look, and sound, just delicious!!! I love, love potato bread/rolls. My husband's great-aunt used to make the most delicious potato rolls, and it was a real treat when she brought those to a family meal. Thank you for sharing this recipe, and have a great weekend! :)

Hugs,

Denise

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Denise, thanks so much. I love when people share a grandmother/great-aunt story with me!

Thomas "Sully" Sullivan said...

Thank you for putting a dent in my ignorance today. Never heard them called “potato” rolls before. Also, had not thought about freezing homemade dough. I mean, what do I know about freezing dough? I put some fives and tens in the freezer to save for cold cash and nada. (Oh, shoot me now!) As I’m not much of a bread eater, when I do consume same, it has to be special, i.e. customized to one’s own tastes and flourishes. I’m thinking cinnamon rolls, which never seem to measure up when bought frozen in the store.

Lynn and Precious said...

So delicious looking, I can almost smell the warm yeast aroma. I have made bread using a
heavy duty mixer for years. So many easy to do recipes. And I do hope you do have some
fun family gatherings soon. Lynn and Precious

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Sully. Yes, there is such a thing as potato rolls and potato bread! So named because they contain a bit of potato, unlike most rolls and bread. You should try my cinnamon roll recipe some time, since that is a form of bread you enjoy.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Lynn. You could easily do this in your heavy-duty mixer. I just happen to love kneading dough; it is soooo therapeutic! :-) Hope you and Precious are staying cool this summer!

ellen b. said...

Perfection!

Pauline Wiles said...

Oh yes please. 30 does seem a lot, but I'm sure they'd disappear fast here... I agree, what wonderful comfort food. And let's hope "gatherings" can happen again soon!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Love potato rolls, breads, buns, whatever. This looks like a terrific recipe -- must make! And I'm all for making larger batches than I need, and freezing the rest -- allows one to enjoy something on the spur of the moment. Well, after it thaws. :-) And bread freezes well, which is a bonus. Thanks!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Ellen, thank you.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Pauline. I'm afraid I'm a breadaholic!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, John. Yes, my freezer is my best friend. Love making big batches of things and freezing them in meal size portions.

Cocoa and Lavender said...

Oh, this would be perfect for a mini version of my upcoming crab rolls post. I’ll have to try and make them… Potato rolls are one of my favorites! I love that you want to do a side-by-side comparison of the schnitzel. I think you’ll find that chilling it really makes it so much better… Not only crisper, but the filling tends to stay on the protein better. Have a wonderful weekend, Jean.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks so much, David. Looking forward to testing it. I love making a mini version of these, 24 per half batch in 13x9x2, for "sliders" or, in this case, crab rolls.

Lorrie said...

Dinner rolls are such a temptation! I do love them. These look delicious, Jean.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Lorrie! A temptation I give in to every chance I get!

Quinn said...

I agree - these rolls would be perfect for sharing in a food delivery!
(Address available upon request.)
Q

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Q. And I'd be happy to put you on my delivery route!

Marilyn Miller said...

Rolls like this are my weakness. I could eat them all.
Thus said, I think I will just imagine and enjoy your picture.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Marilyn. They are my weakness as well. I usually eat 4 a day until they are gone!

Phil in the Kitchen said...

What a classic! They do look good. I must admit that it's the sort of bread that I just don't make these days and there's no good reason for that. Although there's not enough space in my freezer for too many so I suppose I'd just have to eat them quickly.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Phil. I'm always willing to help people eat up their excess homemade bread! 😁

Jeanie said...

I adore dinner rolls -- good ones can be the best part of the meal!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Jeanie, that's exactly how I feel about them!

Dee | GrammysGrid.com said...

YUM!! Thanks so much for linking up with me at the Unlimited Link Party 29. Pinned!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank YOU, Dee!

Miz Helen said...

Your Potato Dinner Rolls look amazing, wish I had one right now! Your awesome post is featured on Full Plate Thursday,545 this week and I have just pinned it to our features board. Thanks so much for sharing with us and come back soon!
Miz Helen

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Miz Helen, thank you soooo much! See you soon!

Michele Somerville said...

I looked at this yesterday but wanted to come back to comment. The recipe and the pictures look great, I cannot wait to try this! I have been experimenting with making bread, although I have made rolls and home made pizza dough for years. But I am working on different bread recipees and sharing with friends and neighbors who are interested in having some home made bread. I will have to slow down, because I am in no danger of having flour left past the use by date. At any rate I liked your suggestion about sharing the rolls. Church suppers are another good place, you could make this recipe and not have to worry about leftovers! Thanks and blessigns, Michele

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Yes, Michele, that's a perfect place for this big batch of rolls! I have developed many bread recipes over the decades. If you would like to make sourdough, I recommend you check out my Sourdough Simplified post. https://www.delightfulrepast.com/2021/02/sourdough-simplified-tutorial.html It goes contrary to everything you've ever heard about sourdough!

Sherry's Pickings said...

dip and sweep? How lyrical :-)

Dee | GrammysGrid.com said...

CONGRATS! Your post is FEATURED at my Unlimited Link Party 30!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Oh, Sherry, that made me smile!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Dee, thanks so much!

Shelbee on the Edge said...

Jean, these look so wonderful! I am bookmarking to give it a try when the weather cools down a bit! Thanks for sharing and linking with me.

Shelbee
www.shelbeeontheedge.com

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks so much, Shelbee. Yes, I'm going to be doing a lot of baking on the next cool day!

SImple and Serene Living said...

These look delicious, Jean. xo Laura

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Jean, your rolls look delicious and I love a good dinner roll! I like that the recipe makes so many too. Please excuse me for not getting in touch with you concerning the feedburner thing. I have been under the weather and wasn't up to blogging or anything thing else for about six weeks. I am finally on the mend and it's nice to stop by and see your featured recipe today. Have a lovely summer, my friend!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Laura!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Sandi. Sorry you've been under the weather. Hope you can enjoy the rest of your beautiful island summer!

Gerlinde de Broekert said...

I am always interested in new recipes for dinner rolls. Years ago I made the perfect dinner rolls for the holidays , I lost the recipe and was never able to reproduce them. I saved your in Pinterest to make them later. Maybe this is it!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Gerlinde! I hope it is! But, if not, you will find many of my various dinner roll recipes on the blog. Just look on the Recipes page under Breads.

Ellen Hawley said...

I've never made potato bread. This looks like a good place to jump in.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Ellen. Do let me know how they turned out for you.