Thursday, January 19, 2012

Mother's Potato Rolls


2 ¼ C. barely warm water
2 T. yeast
1/3 C. shortening
½ cup prepared mashed potatoes
1 T. salt
3 T. dehydrated eggs
2/3 C. powdered milk
1/3 C. sugar
5-5 ½ C. flour

Mix first four ingredients together in a large bowl or kitchenaid. Allow the yeast to begin to bubble. Meanwhile, sift together the remaining ingredients by running it all through a fine strainer. (I do this because the eggs and milk are sometimes lumpy). Add the dry ingredients. Use the lesser amount of flour and then another 1/2 c. if you need more to make a soft dough. Knead for 5 minutes. Allow to rise for about an hour. Dough should double in size.

Form rolls by rolling out dough into a circle about a ½ inch in thickness. Spread entire circle with butter, margarine, shortening or oil. Cut dough into triangles. I usually do this by sectioning dough into fourths and then cutting each fourth into 12 irregular triangles. Starting with large end, roll up triangles and place on a greased cookie sheet. The rolls will need plenty of room to rise so don’t place more than 12-15 rolls on each cookie sheet. Allow to rise one hour or until double in size. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 10-12 minutes (more if you like them browner). Brush tops with melted butter or oil if desired. Makes 4 dozen rolls. Yum!

Note: This recipe can also be used for cinnamon rolls. Another variation is to replace 2 cups of the flour with whole wheat flour so you have a more nutty whole grain taste. Also, you may replace the dehydrated eggs with 1 fresh egg.