As much as I love Asian food, I can also survive, alone, on bread and butter. Homemade bread is such a lost art these days; if you want to impress anyone, then this recipe is the way to go! It's perfect for a big family dinner, church potluck, or plain JUST BECAUSE. Even for a novice baker, this recipe is pretty fool-proof. Try it out, and see for yourself! :)
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
1/4 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of lukewarm WHOLE milk
4 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
8 ounces of mashed potato (about 1 large russet potato)
2 teaspoons of salt
6 Tablespoons of softened unsalted butter
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
FOR THE EGG WASH:
1 egg plus 1 Tablespoon of water
YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
some vegetable oil
cooking spray
foil
13x9 inch (preferably aluminum) pan
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Wash and scrub your potato. Pat it dry. Using a fork, poke holes all over the potato. Place your potato into a microwave-safe dish, and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Flip your potato over, and microwave the other side for 3 more minutes. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before touching. Once cooled, remove all of the skin. Mash up your potatoes using a fork, and then using a kitchen scale, weigh out 8 ounces of mashed potatoes. If you don't have a kitchen scale, then measure out 1 cup of lightly packed mashed potato.
2. Heat up your milk in the microwave until lukewarm. (In my microwave, it only takes about 30-40 seconds) Make sure it isn't too hot, or else you'll kill the yeast! Sprinkle in your yeast and sugar. Mix well and set aside until foamy (about 5 minutes).
3. Into your stand mixer (or by hand), add in your all purpose flour, salt, mashed potatoes, butter, and eggs. Once your yeast mixture has bloomed, at that in as well. Using your dough hook attachment, turn mixer to "stir." Mix until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 4 minutes.
4. Dump your dough onto a clean work surface. Knead with your hands until you've formed a smooth ball. Place dough into a lightly oiled bowl, toss to coat, cover with saran wrap, and allow for it to double in size. Could take you anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hour.
5. Fit your baking pan with some aluminum foil. Spray generously with some cooking spray. Set aside.
6. Once your dough has doubled in size, place it onto your clean work surface, gently deflate it, and begin to roll it out into an 18 inch long log. Cut out your dough into 18 equal pieces (cutting them 1 inch apart).
7. Roll out each dough, one at time, into a nice smooth ball. Cover any pieces that aren't being used, with a clean towel, to prevent drying. Place your rolls into your greased pan, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and allow for them to rise until doubled in size.
PREHEAT YOUR OVEN TO 350 DEGREES F.
8. Coat each roll with your egg wash and bake for about 15 minutes. Rotate your pan, and bake for an additional 7-10 minutes, or until golden brown on the top.
9. Remove your dinner rolls from the oven, and then turn them out onto a wire rack.
10. Serve immediately!
NOTES:
-This recipe makes 18 large dinner rolls. Feel free to make the rolls smaller to feed little mouths.
-Freeze any freshly made dinner rolls to enjoy later. I wrap each dinner roll, individually, in saran wrap and then just thaw them out on the counter before eating.
-Aluminum baking pans bake your dinner rolls more evenly, but you are free to use whichever kind of pan you have on hand.
