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Soaring but not out of control, a bread baker’s dream dough is made of cooked and riced potatoes, though you would never figure that out by its flavor. The moist, nearly fluffy texture of the baked rolls is the giveaway.
Once either of the doughs (the gossamer potato rolls or the butter-striated potato rolls) is formed into linked pan rolls, the rolls really take off, sailing high to plumpness due to the addition of silky riced mashed potatoes, a little of the potato cooking water (in one of the recipes), buttermilk or evaporated milk, and enough butter to enrich it all. The creamy-textured potatoes generate a fine, silky grain and, at the same time, lightness. Butter appears in the two recipes, but the recipe for butter-striated potato rolls has you layering the once-risen, rolled-out dough with more butter and a good sprinkle of sea salt. (Sea salt is a natural enhancement for potato bread.) The result? Another wallop of flavor.
A puffy, high-rise potato dough turns into wonderfully curvaceous rolls that fill up deep baking pans—so very generously—becoming a perfect addition to that fine, plump chicken you’ll have to roast in their honor.
gossamer potato rolls
serving: 32 rolls
ahead: best on baking day; or freeze for 3 weeks, defrost, bundle in aluminum foil, and reheat in a preheated 300 degrees F oven for 10 minutes
buttermilk potato dough
41/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
6 tablespoons warm (105 to 110 degrees F) water
11/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size chunks
two 6-ounce russet potatoes (peeled, chunked, boiled until fork-tender, drained, and riced), to yield about 11/4 cups riced potatoes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 cups unsifted unbleached all-purpose flour, plus an additional 2/3 cup, for kneading
11/4 teaspoons salt
butter and salt finish
about 3 tablespoons butter (preferably clarified butter), melted and still warm
coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
For the dough, stir together the yeast, the 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and the warm water in a heatproof measuring cup. Allow the mixture to stand until swollen, 6 to 7 minutes.
Place the buttermilk and the 1/2 cup sugar in a medium-size saucepan and set over moderate heat to warm the buttermilk and begin to dissolve the sugar, 6 to 7 minutes. The buttermilk will appear slightly separated, and this is to be expected. Pour and scrape the buttermilk mixture into a medium-size heatproof mixing bowl. Stir in the chunks of butter and the riced potatoes. Let stand until lukewarm, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the yeast mixture, the beaten eggs, and baking soda, and mix well.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk 6 cups of the flour and salt. Add the potato-yeast-buttermilk mixture and stir to combine, using a wooden spoon or flat wooden paddle. The dough will be moist in sections and scraggly in other parts, and will smooth out during the kneading process. Flour a work surface with the additional 2/3 cup flour. Knead the dough on the work surface, incorporating the flour to create a soft, cushy dough. The dough should be bouncy and resilient.
Turn the dough into a bowl heavily coated with softened unsalted butter, lightly turn to coat all sides in a film of butter, make several cuts in the dough with a pair of kitchen scissors, cover tightly with a sheet of food-safe plastic wrap, and let rise at cool room temperature for 2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.
Uncover the dough and discard the plastic wrap.
Butter the inside of two round 10-inch cake pans (3 inches deep).
To form the rolls, place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough in half, then cut each half into 16 even-size pieces, creating 32 pieces in total. Smooth each piece into a plump ball by rolling it on the work surface briskly under the cupped palm of your hand. Place 16 balls of dough in each of the prepared baking pans, assembling them in an outer round of 10 balls, in an inner ring of 5 balls, and, finally, 1 in the center.
Cover each pan of rolls loosely with a sheet of food-safe plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise at cool room temperature for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. The rolls will merge as they rise.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F in advance of baking.
Remove and discard the sheets of plastic wrap covering the rolls.
Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until set and a golden color on top. The rolls will rise nicely, filling the pan completely.
Place the pans on cooling racks and let stand for 15 minutes. Carefully and gently (the rolls are quite tender now), invert the breads onto other cooling racks. Lift off each pan, then invert the breads again to stand right side up. For the butter and salt finish, brush the tops of the breads with the melted butter and top with a few sprinklings of coarse sea salt. Detach the rolls at their natural seams and serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container.
notes
• a few (and no more than 2 or 3) unpeeled sections from one potato can be boiled with their skin on, then riced as usual; if you use organic russet potatoes (well-scrubbed, in any case), flecks of the skin will add great flavor and mottle the tops of the rolls here and there—lovely
• the dough can be made with whole milk in place of the buttermilk, and to do so, simply omit the baking soda from the list of ingredients
• the secret to the great, fine-grained crumb of the baked rolls is allowing the dough to rise (both times) at cool room temperature; hastening the rise in a warmer location will cause the rolls to be denser and more compressed in texture
• this fine, soft dough can also be divided, formed, and baked as individual rolls, yielding a big batch, suitable for the holidays; butter the inside of 4 dozen muffin/cupcake cups (12 cups to a pan, each cup measuring 23/4 inches in diameter and 1D⁄i inches deep, with a capacity of 1/2 cup) and place a plump ball in each cup, cover each pan with a sheet of food-safe plastic wrap, let rise for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until doubled in bulk, remove and discard the sheets of plastic wrap covering the rolls, and bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for 15 minutes, or until set and a golden color on top
gossamer potato rolls
butter-striated potato rolls
serving: 11/2 dozen rolls
ahead: best on baking day; or freeze for 3 weeks, defrost, bundle in aluminum foil, and reheat in a preheated 300 degrees F oven for 10 minutes
potato yeast dough
one 9 to 10-ounce russet potato
41/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup warm (105 to 110 degrees F) water
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup potato cooking water
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size chunks
2 large eggs
31/4 cups unsifted unbleached all-purpose flour
22/3 cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
butter and salt filling
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
cream wash
3 tablespoons heavy cream
For the dough, peel the potato and cut it into large chunks. Place the potato chunks in a large saucepan, cover with cold water by 2 inches, and bring to the boil. Boil at a moderate pace until the chunks of potato are fork-tender and falling apart, about 15 minutes. Drain the chunks well, reserving 1/3 cup of the potato cooking water. Put the potato chunks through a ricer fitted with the fine-hole disk. There should be a scant 1 cup of riced potatoes.
Stir together the yeast, the 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, and the warm water in a heatproof measuring cup. Allow the mixture to stand until swollen, 6 to 7 minutes.
In the meantime, place the evaporated milk, the 1/2 cup sugar, and the potato cooking water in a small-to-medium-size saucepan. Place over moderate heat to warm the milk, about 5 minutes (the sugar will not dissolve completely). Pour and scrape the milk mixture into a medium-size heatproof mixing bowl. Stir in the chunks of butter and the riced potatoes. Let stand until lukewarm, 8 to 10 minutes. Blend in the yeast mixture and the eggs, mixing well.
Place 2 cups of the unbleached flour, 1 cup of the bleached flour, and the salt in the bowl of a heavy-duty freestanding electric mixer; whisk well to combine. Pour in the potato-yeast mixture and mix well, using a wooden spoon or flat wooden paddle. The dough will be wet, like a very thick batter. Stir in another 1 cup of the unbleached flour; the dough will be slightly shaggy at this point. Let stand for 10 minutes. Sprinkle over the remaining 1/4 cup unbleached flour. Set the bowl in place and attach the dough hook. Mix on moderately low speed until the mixture is combined and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add another 1 cup of the bleached flour, 1/4 cup at a time, mixing on moderately low speed to combine. Stop the machine from time to time to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and the dough hook. Add the remaining 2/3 cup bleached flour and beat on moderately low speed for 5 minutes. The dough should be plush, smooth, resilient, and almost clean the sides of the mixing bowl, leaving a slight film.
Scrape the dough into a bowl heavily coated with softened unsalted butter, lightly turn to coat all sides in a film of butter, cover tightly with a sheet of food-safe plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
Remove the plastic wrap. Lightly compress the dough with your fingertips or a rubber spatula, cover with the plastic wrap, and let stand for 10 minutes.
Film the inside of two 9 by 9 by 3-inch baking pans with nonstick flour-and-oil spray.
To form the rolls, remove and discard the plastic wrap. Roll out the dough on a work surface to a sheet measuring 15 by 17 inches. Using the filling ingredients, dot the surface with the softened butter and spread it evenly over the dough, using an offset palette knife and light, agile strokes. Sprinkle on the sea salt. Fold the dough into thirds as you would a business letter, then extend the dough into a thick slab about 18 inches long, using a heavy rolling pin. Beginning at the short end, roll up the dough into a thick and plump jellyroll. Divide the roll in half, then cut each half into 9 even-size pieces; these will end up to be big, bosomy rolls. Form the pieces into smooth balls and assemble them in the prepared baking pans, arranging three rows of 3 dough balls each.
Cover each pan of rolls loosely with a buttered sheet of food-safe plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise at cool room temperature for 2 hours, or until almost doubled in bulk.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F in advance of baking.
Remove and discard the plastic wrap covering the rolls.
Brush the tops of the rolls with the heavy cream, using a soft pastry brush and light, sensitive strokes.
Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until set and a golden brown color on top. The baked rolls will pull away slightly from the sides of the baking pan. Place the pans on cooling racks and let stand for 10 minutes. Invert each block of rolls onto another cooling rack, remove the pan, then invert again to cool right side up. Serve the rolls very fresh, gently and casually detaching them from one another where they have joined during rising and baking.
notes
• for the most supple dough, the well-cooked potato chunks should be riced, not merely mashed
• the rolls are assembled and baked in two 9 by 9 by 3-inch baking pans; one 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan may be substituted, creating smaller rolls and a larger yield (divide the dough into 24 pieces, form into smooth rolls, and assemble in four rows of 6 rolls each), reducing the baking time by 5 to 7 minutes