Potato rolls! So soft and fluffy. These are THE BEST dinner rolls ever. Perfect for Thanksgiving dinner or for sandwich sliders.
Mine is a family of carb lovers, and the dinner rolls are always the first thing to go at any meal, holiday or otherwise.
This is especially true when these potato rolls are on the menu. Mashed potatoes make the rolls extra-soft and fluffy. I top them with some honey butter and they disappear like magic.
A Flexible Side Dish
Since I’m often already making mashed potatoes for big family dinners, I just make a little extra to use in these dinner rolls. They’re also great with sweet potatoes if you feel like switching things up!
If you are new to bread baking or don’t bake very often, this is a good recipe to have in your back pocket. The mashed potatoes make the dough very forgiving even if you over-knead or under-knead the dough a little.
If you don’t have leftover mashed potatoes for this recipe, check out these recipes:
- Perfect Mashed Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
- Pressure Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes — just leave out the garlic if you’d prefer not to have that flavor in your dinner rolls
What to Do with Leftover Rolls
In the unlikely event that you have leftover rolls after your holiday meal, put them to good use as mini-sandwich sliders the next day! You can also use them to make croutons, French Toast Casserole, or a warming bowl of panade (bread soup!).
You can also freeze the leftover rolls for up to a month. Just wrap them tightly in a double layer of foil and slide them into a freezer zip-lock bag. Let them thaw on the counter and then warm in a low oven.
More Ideas for the Bread Basket
- Make-Ahead Dinner Rolls
- Parker House Rolls
- Cheese Biscuits
- Irish Soda Bread
- Homemade Light Rye Bread
Dinner Potato Rolls {Buttery & Fluffy Recipe
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: 25 minutes
- Inactive rising time: 2 hours
- Yield: 16 to 20 rolls
If you’re not already making mashed potatoes for your meal, roast or boil one large (12 ounce) russet potato to use in this recipe.
I usually make this recipe with unseasoned mashed potatoes that haven’t been mixed with butter or dairy, but have also made them with leftover seasoned mashed potatoes. With seasoned mashed potatoes, you may end up needing to use a little extra flour.
Ingredients
For the rolls:
- 1/2 cup water, room temperature
- 2 1/4 teaspoon (1 packet) active-dry or instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon plus 1/3 cup sugar, divided
- 1 cup mashed potatoes
- 1/4 cup milk
- 6 tablespoons regular salted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
For honey butter topping:
- 1/4 cup regular salted butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoon honey
Method
1 Proof the yeast: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, the yeast, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Set aside for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture looks bubbly. If the mixture doesn’t start to bubble, then your yeast has likely expired and it’s best to start over with new yeast.
2 Mix the dough: Add the remaining sugar, mashed potatoes, milk, butter, eggs, rosemary, and salt to the bowl with the yeast mixture and stir with a spatula until smooth. Add 4 1/2 cups of the flour and mix until you form a shaggy dough.
3 Knead the dough: With a dough hook attachment (or on the counter, if kneading by hand) knead on medium-low for 5 to 7 minutes until the dough is smooth, forms a ball around the dough hook, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl (it’s fine if the dough sticks to the bottom of the bowl). If the dough is still sticking to the sides after few minutes of kneading, add in a little more flour 2 tablespoons at a time.
4 Let the dough rise: Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place somewhere warm for about 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size.
5 Shape the dough into rolls: Line a 13×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease. Turn the dough the out onto lightly floured surface and cut into 16 to 20 equal pieces. Roll the dough into small balls, and place seam side down in the baking dish.
6 Cover and let the rolls rise until puffed and nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour. About 15 minutes before the rolls are ready, heat the oven to 350F.
7 Bake for the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown on top and register 200F on the inside when tested with an instant-read thermometer.
8 Brush the rolls with honey butter: In a small dish, mix together 1/4 cup room temperature butter and 2 tablespoons honey until smooth. Brush tops of baked rolls with mixture, then sprinkle with salt. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
