Potato Rolls

Since having Isaac, I haven't cooked a whole lot. It is so hard to do it when baby boy wants to be held all.the.time. Or when he thinks the second he wakes up, it's feeding time. Or when you only have 5 minutes in between feeding Isaac, laundry, showering, breathing, and feeding Isaac. It has been simple meals like grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup or chicken strips. I am hoping as he gets older, it will get easier.  But when I saw these rolls on a local tv show called Studio 5, I had to try them.

Oh.You.Guys.

I know everyone has their favorite recipe for rolls and they think it is the best ever.

These rolls kick those rolls' trash. No offense.

They are the best rolls ever. 

I have yet to make a delicious bread that actually turns out soft and fluffy and if you threw it at a window, it wouldn't break said window.

You must try them. Sweet Basil, how I love you.

I halved the recipe and got 12 big rolls. Next time, I am making Cinnamon Rolls out of this recipe. It will be divine. 

Just be sure to use potato flakes or potato pearls and not mashed potatoes. They won't turn out right.

Ingredients

3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter or shortening (I used butter)

3 c. scalded milk* instructions below

1 c. potato flakes

1 Tbsp. salt

4 eggs

1 Tbsp. SAF Instant Yeast or 2 Tb Fleishmann's yeast (I used SAF)

7 c. flour

*1/3 c. additional butter, softened

Directions

• Heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat and add the milk. Cook until the edges begin to foam and froth, but do not allow it to boil. There will be a little layer of the milk "skin" on top.
•  Remove from heat and add the sugar, shortening or butter, potato flakes and salt. 
• Stir thoroughly and allow to cool to lukewarm.
•  Add the yeast, stir and then add the eggs, stirring until they are mixed in. 
• Place the flour in a large bowl. 
• Pour the milk mixture in and stir until the dough has come together, but is still soft. Sometimes I only use like 6- 6 1/2 cups of flour. This is not like bread dough. It is slightly sticky dough. 
• Cover the bowl with a towel or saran wrap. 
• Let dough rise for one hour.
•  Push down and divide dough into 3 parts. 
• Roll out one portion at a time to 1/2" thick and butter 1/2 of dough with a few pats of butter.
•  Fold the unbuttered dough over the buttered dough and press to seal. 
• Cut into 1" wide strips. 
• Pick up one strip at a time and tie into knots.
•  Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and cover with a towel.
•  Let rise for 1-2 hours more or until doubled in size. 
• Bake at 350 until golden brown, 14-20 min. 

Printable Version

Sweet Basil's Notes:

Butter can be replaced by butter flavored shortening if you're ever in a pinch.

Scalding milk does not have to be scary. Just heat on med-low heat, watch for the foamy bubbles around the sides of the pan and use a wooden spoon to occasionally touch the top of the milk to see if a slight skin has formed.

Bread making just takes practice. You may be unsure of yourself the first time or two, but this is one of those things that the more you do it the better you get.

The dough will look shaggy. Don't worry. Just place the towel over the bowl and let it rise anyway.

These can be made a day ahead, let the dough rest in the fridge, bring it back to room temp, roll it out and proceed as normal.