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Soft Potato Rolls

Pillowy, slightly sweet, sturdy burger-style buns — the right roll for pulled meat that won't fall apart under the sauce

8 · 25 min

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  • 1 cup plain mashed potato (~1 medium potato), cooled — no leftovers? cook it fresh, step 1
  • 3½–4 cups all-purpose or bread flour
  • 2¼ tsp instant yeast (1 packet)
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1¼ tsp salt
  • ¾ cup warm milk, ~110°F
  • 1 egg
  • 4 Tbsp butter, soft · plus more to brush
  • egg wash: 1 egg + splash of water · sesame seeds (optional)
What you need
  1. Prep the potato (from fresh). No leftover mash? Peel 1 medium potato (russet is ideal — fluffiest), cut into chunks, and boil in salted water ~15 min until fork-tender. Drain, saving ¾ cup of the potato water to use warm in place of the milk if you like (it makes them even softer). Mash smooth with nothing added — no butter, milk, or salt — and let it cool to just-warm before it goes near the yeast. Measure 1 cup, packed.
  2. Mix. Combine the mashed potato, 3½ cups flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add the warm milk (or the reserved potato water), egg, and butter; stir to a shaggy, soft dough.
  3. Knead. Knead 8 min to a smooth, soft, slightly tacky ball; add flour only a spoonful at a time. The potato makes it a touch stickier than usual — that's the moisture you want.
  4. First rise. Cover and rise in a warm spot 1–1½ hr, until doubled.
  5. Shape as buns. Divide into 8, round each tight, then press flat into 4″ discs on a lined sheet — flattening now is what makes them bun-shaped, not balls. Leave room to spread.
  6. Proof. Cover and proof 45–60 min, until puffy and pillowy.
  7. Bake. Heat the oven to 375°F. Egg-wash, scatter sesame if you like, and bake 16–20 min to deep golden. Brush the tops with butter straight out of the oven for that soft, glossy finish.
Steps — tap one to keep your place

✨ Untested — Claude drafted this one from scratch; it hasn't been cooked and amended in our kitchen yet, so treat the amounts as a starting point. Low salt — salt at the end and taste as you go; broth, cheese, and canned goods already bring salt.

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