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World’s Best Potato Rolls

Featured, Lizzy's Favorite Dinners, Lizzy's Favorite Thanksgiving, Pasta, savory, Thanksgiving, Yeast Breads • • 56 Comments

The World’s Best Potato Rolls will ruin you.  You’ll never want to make frozen rolls again after having these buttery, delicious, pillowy soft dinner rolls. 

The Recipe for the World’s Best Potato Rolls

You think I’m kidding.  I dare you to find a better recipe!  Every time I make these people beg for the recipe and say, “These are the best rolls I’ve ever had.”  I made them for my husband the first time last week and when he bit into one his eyes lit up like a little kid at Christmas! He was in love! They’re just so unbelievably soft it’s like a cloud! A warm, buttery cloud.  Cloud Rolls.  I don’t think I’ll be able to handle Thanksgiving this year with these rolls and my Ultimate Pecan Pie Bars.

What is a Potato Roll?

Potato rolls have potato flakes in them! I use the Bob’s Red Mill brand of potato flakes because that’s the one I can easily find at Walmart’s and other grocery stores.  I just get a bag and it lasts me for several batches of these rolls.  Plus, if you’re ever in a pinch the potato flakes make great instant mashed potatoes! But will these rolls taste like potatoes?  No.  They just make the texture extra soft and pillowy.  They really are dreamy and the perfect dinner roll for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any occasion.

This is what your workout was for.  Lather on that butter! Okay, they’re great even without the added butter out of the oven but I just prefer it because then I don’t add any butter when I eat them.  These with jam is heavenly!

How to make Potato Rolls

The dough is quite loose, but don’t fret! If it’s too sticky when you start to roll it out later, just add flour then!  Oh, and you do not need a bread hook!  I don’t even know why I used it this time because I usually just use my normal paddle.  But you can also mix by hand!

After the dough rises you’ll separate the dough into 3 parts and roll each one out into a circle like a pizza.  Try to get it somewhat thin so your crescents will have more layers.

Then cut it like a pizza and roll each “slice” from the long end (where the crust of the pizza would be) to the tip to form your crescents.  I’m obsessed with this pizza/dough cutter.  It comes with a covering for the blade so I don’t risk cutting myself in the drawer!

Then place on a greased baking sheet and let rise again.  This photo is from after the second rise.

I wish you could taste these through the screen.  We make these for Thanksgiving and we always run out! Each batch makes more than 30 rolls but somehow they just disappear! Enjoy the World’s Best Potato Rolls!

4.92 from 25 votes
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World’s Best Potato Rolls

Servings 36 rolls

Ingredients

  • 3 C. milk
  • 3/4 C. sugar
  • 3/4 C. butter
  • 1 C. potato flakes
  • 1 Tbsp. salt
  • 4 eggs room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp. instant yeast
  • 7-8 C. flour
  • 1/2 C. butter very soft

Instructions

  1. In a small sauce pan add milk over medium heat. You want to scald the milk, not boil it. So when little bubbles and foam begins to form around the edge of the pan (a "skin" might also form on the top) then remove from heat.

  2. In a stand mixer or large bowl. Add sugar, butter, potato flakes and salt. Add scalded milk once removed from heat and stir well. Let cool to luke warm, about 120-125 degrees if you have a candy thermometer. You don't want this to be too hot when you add your yeast!

  3. Add yeast and then eggs and stir again. Add in flour a little at a time, only add as much flour as you need! Different brands of flour make it so the amount will vary. The dough will be very loose and may look shaggy, this is okay! My batter is still fairly sticky at this stage. I add more flour later if I need to.

  4. Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise for 1 hour.

  5. Push down and divide into 3 sections. (See photos above.) One section at a time, roll out into a circle like a pizza on a floured surface. Try to get your dough fairly thin like 1/4 of an inch. Slather on some of the super soft butter on top! This will help make the layers even more delicious. Cut like a pizza into 12 pieces and then roll up each slice starting at the wide end (where the crust of the pizza would be) to ward the point to form your crescent. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Continue until all three sections of dough have been formed. I used about 1 1/2 cookie sheets!

  6. Let rise again until doubled in size (about an hour). Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. I butter my rolls with about 5 minutes left of baking!

Recipe Notes

Adapted from Oh Sweet Basil who introduced me to this incredible, to die for recipe.

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Comments

  2. magali says

    3 C. milk
    3/4 C. sugar
    3/4 C. butter
    1 C. potato flakes
    1 Tbsp. salt
    4 eggs, room temperature
    1 Tbsp. instant yeast
    7-8 C. flour
    1/2 C. butter, very soft

    Hello could you please tell me what C. stands for, since I am from Brazil and the measures are different,

    Reply

  7. April says

    5 stars
    As I type this, I am currently baking my second batch of these rolls. Wow! Just —- WOW!!! Pillowy, tender, TASTY, and easy, as well! I am enjoying baking now that the weather has turned and this recipe is easy enough for even my compromised health (back surgery in two weeks). This time I decided to form one-third of the dough into a 9 x 5 loaf pan and cannot wait to see how it turns out. Half of the last batch went into the freezer after baking, wrapped in foil and portioned for mealtimes. It was very easy to go to the freezer, grab a small foil packet with four rolls in it and toss it in the oven to heat along with dinner. I have passed this site and recipe to both my daughter and sister – these are a keeper!

    Reply

  11. Michele says

    5 stars
    Second time baking these. A very easy roll to make. The taste is so good. I was looking to replace a recipe I have used for twenty years. This will be the one.

    Reply

    • Dawn Clark says

      Yes you can shap any roll recipe into whatever shapes you want. I have had this recipe for years and another like it that uses a cup of unseasoned mashed potatoes. This recipe I shape into balls when I’m in a hurry and can’t take the time to do the crescent shape.

      Reply

  13. Maggie says

    5 stars
    Happy dance, happy dance, I’m so happy with the results of this recipe, at 76 yes young I’ll admit it took me all day, weighed my 3 sections of dough and used a baking mat to get each section the same size. The results were amazing ! I have a little bit of bread making under my belt, these have just raised me up a lot ! I’m baking and preparing for Christmas dinner at my daughter s and I’m so pleased with the results, thankyou, thankyou, thankyou. 10 stars !!

    Reply

  15. Maggie says

    5 stars
    Wow !!! I made these rolls for our Christmas meal, my family is still saying how great they were. My new go to recipe for all occasions. They look so professional, thankyou for a fantastic recipe. 5 big stars *****

    Reply

  17. Zosia says

    Hi:))

    Can I make the dough a day before and put it in the fridge? Usually I cook when my Kids go to sleep, so it will be the best sollution for me 🙂
    Cheers,
    Zosia

    Reply

  19. Wendy Rojas says

    5 stars
    Very easy to make and delicious results. I made a batch today for a luncheon and will repeat next week for a Holiday dinner. Everybody raved about them. Very fluffy and delicious. My only observation is that top to bottom this baking process took me about 3 1/2 hours, so make sure you start with enough time. Highly recommended !

    Reply

    • Lindsey V. says

      You absolutely can, that is how I grew up making them with my grandma. Last year for Christmas I didn’t have potato flakes on hand and just cooked and mashed a couple russet potatoes ( just like Grandma and I did) with this recipe and they turned out lovely just as pillowy as the flakes do.

      Reply

  25. Kathryn says

    I made these for dinner tonight and the were wonderful, I used a portion and made the best cinnamon rolls ever with cream cheese frosting that I added fresh orange juice and orange rind. That you for sharing. I’m going Make the again for our family Sunday dinner.

    Reply

  28. Linda says

    When freezing and then baking do you let the rolls set out and rise then bake or do uou bake them frozen! I know you replied to bake them longer is that because they ate to be baked frozen? Linda

    Reply

  30. Kris says

    Can I make the rolls and put them in the refrigerator after the first rise? I’d like to make the night before but don’t necessarily want to freeze them.

    Reply

  39. Kara Swisher says

    5 stars
    I baked these for a Christmas cookie exchange yesterday and they were a big hit! The blog post was very beneficial. Thank you very much for sharing this recipe with us!

    Reply

  40. Cynthia says

    5 stars
    I made these today and they are amazing (bakery quality) I used 7 c. of flour in the dough and used some of the 8th. cup when rolling the dough out. A very easy recipe to make with a big pay off! Thank you for sharing! One con for me that’s a personal note is they could be a little less on the sweet side so next time I’ll cut back on the sugar.

    Reply
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