Seldom do you consider the Potato as an ingredient for baking. You probably think of Potato salad, baked Potatoes or some savory side dish. However, a Potato Roll is about as good as it gets when you are talking about bread. Cooking up a basic Idaho or Yellow Potato and using the water and smashed Potato in your dough will create a dough that is softer, smoother than ever, easier to handle and it will also rise more quickly. So easy and satisfying to make, even if you aren’t a big baker or are new at baking bread, this is the perfect starting point for you with full proof results and is a real confidence builder. Don’t forget to get the kids involved in smashing and mashing the Potatoes up. You are creating a versatile bread with more structure by using the Potato it makes the most delicious soft roll for any sandwich.
Potato Rolls
(8) 5 inch rolls or one large loaf
Ingredients
1 large potato (peeled and chopped)
2 Tablespoons Yeast
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 cup Buttermilk
2 Tablespoons Butter
5-6 cups Bread Flour
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Egg
Everything Seed mix
1 Tablespoon Oil
Instructions
Place the Potato in a pot and cover it with water. Bring it to a boil, then cover the pot and turn down the heat. Cook for about 15-20 min until the Potato is soft. Set aside too cool. Reserve 1 cup of the Potato water.
Place the Potato water in a mixer bowl with the Yeast and a pinch of the Sugar. Let it proof for 5-8 min until it begins to bubble.
While the Yeast is proofing, place the Buttermilk, Butter and remaining Sugar in a pot. Warm over low heat until the Butter has fully melted. Set aside too cool slightly for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, mash the cooked Potato chunks until they are smooth and there aren’t any lumps. Use a ricer if you have one or a fork to mash them into a smooth paste.
Pour the warmed Buttermilk mixture into the mixing bowl with the proofed Yeast mixture. Using a bread hook attachment, turn on the mixer to low speed and add the mashed Potatoes. Mix for a minute to incorporate all of the ingredients. Then add 2 cups of Bread Flour to the bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 min until smooth.
Continue adding Bread Flour a cup at a time taking care to check the consistency of your dough. You may not need all of the Bread Flour. Continue to mix the dough until the flour is fully incorporated. Add the Salt to the dough and continue to mix. The dough may look dry, just keep mixing it for another 7-10 minutes until a nice smooth dough forms.
Sprinkle a countertop with a light dusting of Flour. Remove the dough from the mixer and place it on the counter. Hand knead the dough for a minute or two. Oil the bottom of a bowl and place the dough soft side down, swirl it to coat the dough then turn it back over. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
After the dough has risen, turn it out on a lightly dusted counter again and just briefly knead it to reshape it. Decide if you want to make rolls or a loaf of bread and shape even amounts of dough either large or small rolls or a loaf of bread. For 5 inch rolls you should have equal sized dough pieces. You can shape the bread into a rectangular loaf pan or make a free form shape on a parchment lined sheet pan.
Crack the Egg in a small bowl and whisk it until well blended. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of your dough shape and then sprinkle with the Seed mix. Lightly dust the top of the bread with Flour using just a little bit of Flour. Cover the bread with a Flour dusted cloth and let proof until the bread has doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 ° Bake the Rolls for 35 minutes or until they are very rich and golden brown.
Notes
This is adapted from a very old recipe I had from the days of working as a chef on private yachts. We didn’t always have bread available so this was a very good sandwich bread that always cooked up nicely. The Potato keeps the dough soft and adds more structure to the bread without being overly heavy. The yeast also will rise faster when using Potatoes so you don’t have to wait so long to make fresh homemade bread. These rolls are soft and make for a very nice dinner roll or toasted for breakfast with some jam.