If you love homemade rolls, try this recipe! These rolls are soft, fluffy, and absolutely delicious. They almost melt in your mouth.
The recipe was inspired by one in a small handwritten Amish cookbook. I am thankful it was preserved and shared. The aroma of fresh bread baking in the kitchen is one of my favorites, especially in the winter.
My sister, Angela, made these for our Christmas dinner and we all loved them. She actually made two pans of them ahead of time and froze them. They were so fresh and did I mention delicious! I would make them again in a heartbeat. Other than the rising times, the recipe is easy.
Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup unseasoned mashed potatoes, lightly packed*
- 2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
- 3/4 cup water, lukewarm (water in which the potatoes were boiled, if possible)
- 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Instructions:
- To make the dough, mix and knead all of the ingredients together — by hand, mixer, or bread machine set on the dough cycle — to make a smooth, soft dough.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise until it’s doubled in bulk, about 90 minutes. If you’re using a bread machine, allow the machine to complete its cycle, then leave the dough in the machine until it’s doubled in bulk, perhaps an additional 30 minutes or so.
- Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 16 large balls, or 24 smaller balls. Round each ball into a smooth roll.
- Place the rolls in a lightly greased 9″ x 13″ pan.
Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let them rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until they’re quite puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F. - Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Brush rolls with melted butter.
These rolls will remain moist and fresh-tasting at room temperature for several days, if they last that long.
