Wednesday, December 2, 2009

REFRIGERATOR POTATO ROLLS

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This recipe, from a cookbook that I bought as a young bride almost 50 years ago, is still one of my favorites. In the 60’s, I made it by hand, but now I have a Cuisinart to do the hard work. The ingredients mix up quickly in the food processor and do a slow rise in the fridge. When I take the dough out and shape it, they do their second rise and then go into a hot oven to produce the fluffiest, moistest, absolutely best rolls you could ever eat. I’ve made this recipe using instant mashed potato flakes, also, but I prefer using fresh potatoes. Either way, these rolls belong on your holiday table.

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Refrigerator yeast dough is a little different from a regular yeast dough, in that you don’t mix the yeast with warm ingredients. You start out with lukewarm water to just soften the yeast. It won’t bubble up. The goal is to gently wake the yeast up, but not to get it going on all engines, because you want it to slowly rise in the cold refrigerator. The food processor and the fridge are the workers here, and I guarantee they’ll make you look like a star if you make these rolls.

Refrigerator Potato Rolls
Adapted from Meta Given’s Encyclopedia of Cooking
Rating: 10 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS: 1/2 pkg. (1-1/8 tsp.) Active Dry Yeast
2 Tbsp. lukewarm water (not hot, not cold)
3 Tbsp. sugar, divided use
1-1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup milk, sour cream, yogurt or buttermilk
1/2 cup cooked potatoes, mashed, riced or grated
1 large egg
1/3 cup melted butter or margarine + 1 Tbsp. to brush tops of rolls
up to 3-1/8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

In work bowl of 11-cup or larger food processor, dissolve yeast in 2 Tbsp. lukewarm water. Add 1/2 tsp. of the sugar and pulse once; let soften 10 minutes. Add remaining sugar, salt, milk, and potatoes; process till smooth. Add egg and butter; process again till smooth. (Don’t be afraid to process – yeast likes to be worked, so go ahead and hit that pulse button!) Add flour, about 1 cup, or a little less, at a time and process till smooth after each addition. Only add enough flour to make a soft, almost sticky dough that just comes together, and aim for about 3 cups or a little less. Feel it with your fingers. It should almost stick to your fingers, but not quite.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead it for about 5-10 minutes, till it’s soft and supple, adding flour only if the dough is sticking to your fingers. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning it once to bring the greased side up.

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Grease the inside of a lid that fits the bowl; place lid on top, then wrap in a damp cloth and place in fridge overnight, or up to 48 hours, no longer.

When ready to make rolls, take all or part of dough from fridge. Let rest 15 minutes on a floured board, then roll dough out in a squarish shape, about 1/2” thick. Divide into 16 equal pieces.
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Roll each piece in your hands to make a ball. Place in a greased 9x9” pan.

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Brush tops with 1 Tbsp. melted butter. Cover with damp towel and let rise in warm place about 1 hour or till light (when the tips of your fingers make a dent that remains). (I usually put rolls in the microwave and shut the door, because it’s free of drafts and usually a little warmer there. Top of refrigerator works too.) In the meantime, heat the oven to 400F for shiny or glass pans, 375F for dark or coated pans. Bake rolls 12-15 minutes, till tops are nicely browned. Turn out immediately onto wire rack, or place in bread basket and serve. (If you leave them in the pan, they’ll get soggy.)

Yield: 16 dinner-size rolls

15 comments:

Lea Ann said...

Well I'm going to have to give this one a try. What a special recipe. I love those old ones that have served us well over the years.

Linda said...

Sounds scrumptious! I love to bake bread and will have to try this!

Fresh Local and Best said...

These rolls look so warm, flaky and soft! Like you, I prefer the refrigerated slow rise method.

Katrina said...

What a great looking roll. I've heard of potato in rolls, but I've never tried baking bread with it.

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Lovely rolls Judy. The Cuisinart has certainly made life easy. I don't know what I would do without my now.
Sam

George Gaston said...

Judy, these rolls bring back so many wonderful childhood memories. There is nothing better than a fresh baked roll. I definitely will have to try them and believe me; I will be following your incredible illustrated steps. Many thanks...

Reeni said...

I'm convinced that these are winners! They look so fluffy and buttery and so very delicious! An oldie but a goodie.

Lyndas recipe box said...

These look wonderful, Judy! There's nothing better than good old fashioned, homemade rolls.I don't have a potato roll recipe like this one, so I'll be trying these.

teresa said...

mmmm, these look so good! i love a good soft roll!

Valerie Gamine said...

These do look delicious! I can almost taste the buttery layers melting in my mouth...Very hunger inducing. :)

Mona said...

oh wow, they looks so fantastic!

Deanne said...

I wanted to tell you I made these rolls but adapted them to mix in the bread machine (cause I don't have a food processor or a KitchenAid). These were lovely - and inspired me to buy the Meta Given's EOC. And those books are wonderful, too.

Judy said...

Deanne, I used to make these in my bread machine and then I would take the dough out after it was mixed and proceed with refrigerating and shaping. I sold my bread machine when I got the KA. I alternate between the FP and the KA for bread doughs. So glad the recipe worked for you and thanks for your feedback. I didn't know that Meta Given's EOC was still for sale. Interesting.

Dea said...

Thank you for this delicious recipe. I made it in my bread machine (dough setting -1 rise only)...
i shaped the rolls quickly and refrigerated the dough for the second rise (about 11 h) and baked in the morning for breakfast. They turned out beautifully :)

Judy said...

Dea, thanks so much for your feedback, glad this worked for you.