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My life wouldn’t be complete without dinner rolls, so I made more for you. These Potato Rolls are the fluffiest homemade dinner rolls you’ll ever eat.
These rolls are made with instant potatoes and yeast but they’re EASY, I promise. You can make these even if you’ve never made dinner rolls from scratch before, I promise!
Easy Potato Rolls
They’re so good I dare you to try to eat just one! Ever since I first made homemade dinner rolls (and her sister, small batch dinner rolls), I’ve been dying to make Potato Rolls. One, they just sound cool (potatoes IN BREAD??) and two, potato bread is so darn good that I knew homemade would be even better, and I was right!
Potato rolls are a simple yeasted dinner roll but they also have instant mashed potatoes inside. If you’ve ever had potato bread from the grocery store, you know why these rolls are so good.
Why you’ll love this recipe
There’s something about the potato inside that adds a fluffy texture to any bread or roll. It makes them softer, I think, and adds the teeniest bit of flavor. If you’re on the hunt for a fluffy dinner roll, you’ve found it with this recipe.
What are potato rolls made of?
- Instant potatoes – Some recipes use leftover mashed potatoes, but I like using instant potatoes in my rolls. Other than using instant potatoes, this recipe is very close to my homemade dinner roll recipe.
- Instant Yeast – do not use active dry yeast!
- Flour – All purpose flour is what I used, although you can equally substitute bread flour.
- Sugar – a bit of granulated sugar helps activate the yeast.
- Salt – For flavor
- Milk – Use any fat content
- Water
- Butter – for flavoring and to make soft dinner rolls
- Egg – the fat in the yolk helps keep these nice and fluffy
How to make Potato Rolls
- Whisk your dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Heat your wet ingredients to between 120°F-130°F. Add potato flakes to the measuring cup.
- Add the warm water and liquids and egg to the mixer with the dry ingredients until it forms a soft dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
- Allow to rest for 10 minutes (the magic of instant yeast). Divide into 12 rolls.
- Place in prepared baking dish. Let double in size in a warm place.
- Bake these until they’re nice and golden brown. They’ll get golden like this just in the oven without any special topping. I love to brush them with melted butter after they come out of the oven for a nice flavorful glossy look.
Tips for kneading potato dinner rolls
Yes, whenever you work with yeast you’re probably going to have to knead. I’ve grown to love kneading – it’s cathartic.
A few simple tips will help you knead easier:
- Use a stand mixer if you have one. You can do this by hand but if you have a stand mixer it cuts the kneading time in half.
- The dough will be slightly sticky when you are done mixing it. Be sure to turn it out onto a well-floured surface and dust it with more flour.
- Knead the dough, adding flour as needed if it’s sticky, until the dough forms a ball and bounces back when touched with two fingers.
FAQs
I recommend using an instant read thermometer for best results! If you don’t have a thermometer, think hot bathwater.
When it comes to flour, I love using all-purpose flour in my bread recipes. It’s much handier to use a flour most people already have on hand. The other ingredients in this recipe make the rolls soft and fluffy – you won’t miss the bread flour.
Like any homemade bread or rolls, these will only last about 2-3 days before starting to mold. There aren’t any preservatives so they don’t last as long as store-bought rolls like Martin’s Potato Rolls. It’s best to make and serve these the same day.
If you want to make the dough ahead, you can. Make the recipe up until you place to rolls into the pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to overnight. Let come to room temperature to rise before baking.
Potato rolls have instant mashed potatoes in them, making them softer than regular dinner rolls or buns.
No they don’t have a potato taste – instead they’re much softer because of the mashed potatoes.
Have you made this recipe?
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Fluffy Potato Rolls Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 3 cups (372g) all-purpose flour (up to 3 1/2 cups)
- 1 packet 1 packet Instant Yeast (RapidRise) (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon (13g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (177ml) milk (regular, low or nonfat)
- ½ cup (118ml) water
- 3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup potato flakes
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Combine 1 cup flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Combine water, milk and butter in a microwave safe measuring cup. Heat to between 120°-130°F (about 1 minute in my microwave). It’s best if you can use an instant read thermometer, but if you don't have one, heat your water to very hot bathwater temperature. Stir in potato flakes.
- Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with the dough hook for 1 minute on medium speed. Add egg and 1 cup flour and mix another 1 minute. Add a third cup of flour and mix until your dough comes together to a soft dough. It will be slightly sticky to the touch. If needed, add up to 1/4 cup more flour.
- Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and dust it with flour. Knead until the dough comes together in a ball and the dough bounces back when pressed with two fingers. This will take about 4-6 minutes (longer if you've done this process by hand). Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each into a ball and place into a 9×13-inch pan that's been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake for 20-28 minutes, or until rolls are golden. Be sure to rotate the pan if needed partway through baking to ensure the rolls get evenly golden.
- Brush hot rolls with melted butter, if desired. Enjoy within 2 days.
Recipe Nutrition
Other fabulous dinner rolls and bread recipes:
- Buttery Homemade Rolls
- Small Batch Dinner Rolls
- 45 Minute Dinner Rolls
- Easy White Bread
- Cinnamon Swirl Bread
- Cheesy Ranch Breadsticks
- All of my bread recipes!
- Homemade monkey bread!
Serve these with:
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- 5-minute Gravy
- Chicken Mushroom Soup
- Panera Apple Salad
- Instant Pot Potato Soup
These are the very best soft and fluffy dinner rolls! Potato Rolls with instant potaotes are easy to make and you can make them even if you’re not used to working with yeast.
Do you have a recipe for making sweet potatoes?
I do not – try GrandbabyCakes.com
With butter, WOW.
Novice roll maker here. Could I let the mixer do all the kneading using the dough hook? If so, how long would you recommend for that?
You can yes – once it comes together in the bowl and forms a ball – it shouldn’t be too sticky, as in you should be able to touch it with minimal transfer. Time wise would really depend on the mixer; as I’ve done this more and more not all two are quite the same. But probably at least 4-5 minutes depending on speed.
These were really easy to make, even by hand as my stand mixer is not working. They are yummy!! Thanks for sharing!
The best.soft delicious, love them. Making them for the second time in a couple of days
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