Amish Potato Rolls

Amish potato rolls are the best homemade dinner roll recipe you will ever make! These Amish dinner rolls turn out dense and stay super soft for days. I think they are actually better on day two. This Amish potato roll recipe is everything you want from a nice, big, fluffy dinner roll slathered with butter. This is my kid’s favorite recipe for homemade rolls on Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner but you won’t believe the story behind this recipe.

A Funny History with This Recipe for Potato Rolls

My KitchenAid 6 qt mixer is 15 years old and had been struggling for over a year now. While I was making these amazing Amish Potato Rolls, it decided it was done limping along and died. It made the worst sound I’ve ever heard come out of a mechanical tool.

Even though I saw it coming, I was still shocked when it failed to mix this potato roll recipe. I just wasn’t ready to give up on my dear friend. After some research online, I decided to try my hand at being a mechanic with some replacement parts but in the end, was unsuccessful at bringing my beloved back to life. I guess there is a reason I wasn’t a mechanic.

I’ll be honest. My mourning phase lasted about 5 minutes before I jumped in front of my computer and started shopping for my new mixer. Two days later, this gorgeous KitchenAid 8 qt Commercial mixer arrived on my front porch. She is amazing! Quiet as a mouse, huge bowl capacity, and a motor that doesn’t even blink at my double batch of potato roll dough.

Why I Love These Potato Rolls

Even though these Amish potato rolls were the death of my mixer, they were soooo worth it. These are now part of our Sunday dinner roll rotation because we love them so much. Before now, the rotation only consisted of Lion House rolls and Oatmeal rolls but these will definitely be worked into the new “roll rotation schedule.” They turn out dense, moist, and amazing from that addition of potato! For our bread-loving family, I make a double recipe and use a half-sheet pan to bake them in. I also think these potato rolls are just a bit better after they sit overnight in an airtight container.

What are Potato Rolls

Potato rolls are an egg-based dinner roll recipe that uses potatoes to enhance both the texture and the flavor of the roll. Either mashed potatoes or instant potato flakes are used in the dough. Once baked, the addition of potato adds density and hefty texture to the rolls, along with the ability to hold moisture for days after it is baked. Because of this, they are the perfect dinner roll recipe to make the day before you need them. They will actually be better on the second day as long as you store them in an airtight container. 

Amish Potato Dinner Roll Ingredients

This recipe was originally written using leftover mashed potatoes but it took so much extra time to first prepare the potatoes, then turn them into rolls. So, I have transformed the recipe into one using instant potato flakes that get mixed right into the dough. 

• Instant Potato Flakes
• All Purpose Flour
• Granulated Sugar
• Milk
• Eggs
• Salted Butter
• Instant Yeast
• Kosher salt
• Water

Difference Between Potato Rolls and Regular Rolls

Most standard dinner roll recipes use milk, butter, and eggs to create a soft and tender finished roll. Most bakers consider this type of dough a brioche. Potato rolls also use these same fatty ingredients for that soft texture, but the addition of the potato adds more heft to each roll. 

Potato rolls do have a bit of a unique flavor as well, and in a good way. The potato definitely adds a bit of flavor, but because there is a bit more sugar in the dough, they have a hint of sweetness. They aren’t super sweet. Just a bit more than a classic dinner roll, creating a well balanced flavor profile.

What Makes This an Amish Dinner Roll Recipe?

There is no such thing as “Amish food.” There are only recipes that reflect the qualities of classic Amish meals. When I think of Amish cooking, the words rich, sweet, hearty, homemade, and comfort food come to mind. Many Amish recipes are very filling and high in carbs. Milk and eggs are also a huge part of their diet. So, many of their dishes are super-rich and creamy. And we are all blessed that they share their amazing recipes with us!

These amazing Amish Potato Rolls definitely have all of those classic qualities you would expect to find. The use of butter, milk, and eggs creates a higher than normal fat content. The use of both potato and flour brings in that expected higher level of carbs. And of course, the extra sugar in the dough results in a sweeter than usual dinner roll. 

How to Make Potato Rolls Recipe

Potato Roll Recipe Variations

Being a home cook provides endless opportunities to experiment with recipes, personalizing them to your tastes and creativity. Any of the following variations would be great spin-offs of this potato roll recipe:

• Add cheese to the dough right before the kneading begins. Pick a cheese with a distinct flavor so it can stand out against the flavor of the potato roll. Parmesan, sharp cheddar, gorgonzola, and feta cheese would all work quite well in this recipe.
• Add cinnamon and raisins for a sweeter potato roll experience. It will provide a similar flavor profile as cinnamon rolls but without all the hard work! Add the cinnamon with the dry ingredients and the raisins right before the kneading begins.
• Add sundried tomatoes and garlic to the dough for a very savory roll. Be sure the sundried tomatoes have been blotted dry and chopped fine, as should the fresh garlic. Add them into the dough right before the kneading begins.
• Add olives and herbs to the dough right before the kneading begins. Specifically chopped Kalamata olives and fresh thyme, oregano, and rosemary would give a great Mediterranean flavor to these yummy rolls.

Amish Potato Rolls Video

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Amish Potato Rolls

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This is the dinner roll recipe you have been looking for!  Super soft, dense and stay that way for days.

• Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes
• Yield: 16 large rolls 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 1/4 C warm water
• 1/4 C milk
• 1 package yeast
• 1/3 C sugar
• 2 eggs
• 6 Tb softened butter
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 C potato flakes
• 4 1/4 C flour

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Instructions

1. In the bowl of your mixer, combine the warm water, milk, yeast and sugar. Allow yeast to proof.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix on low until the dough forms and is well kneaded, about 5 minutes. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
3. Divide the dough into 16 equal portions and roll them into tight balls. Place them on a lightly greased 9×13 inch glass pan, cover and allow them to rise until doubled, about 90 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes, until light brown. Leftover rolls can be stored in an airtight container for several days.

Notes

You can double the recipe and bake them on a half sheet pan.

• Author: Carole Jones
• Prep Time: 180 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Bread
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 roll
• Calories: 194
• Sugar: 4 g
• Sodium: 243 mg
• Fat: 1 g
• Saturated Fat: 0 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 33 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 6 g
• Cholesterol: 23 mg