Potato Rolls

Growing up, these were the only homemade rolls I ever knew.  My mother made them for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Though they have wonderful flavor, they tended to be a dense roll.  Well, after 40 years of making them, I finally realized that they could be made light and fluffy.  I made these yesterday and they are truly the best dinner roll.  You can teach old dogs new tricks!

How could I have never thought of this before?  All I needed to do was increase the amount of yeast!  I added 1 tablespoon instead of the 2-1/4 teaspoons it called for.

 Potato Rolls

1-1/2cups warm water
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 tablespoon rapid rise yeast
2/3 c. shortening
1 c. mashed potatoes ( I make instant ones for this recipe because homemade is too heavy)
7-7 1/2 cups flour

Mix everything together and knead.  Place the dough in a buttered bowl, cover and let it rise.  The potatoes make this dough heavy so it takes longer to rise.  Mine took about 2 hours.

 I formed mine into crescents but you can form them any way you want. Brush them with butter before you cut them.

 Brush them with butter again before you cover them.  Let them rise again for an hour.

 They should be nice and fluffy before you bake them.  Bake them at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.

 Have your Blog Tech brush them with butter when they come out of the oven.  Hey...might as well pass down the tradition!

Cool them on a rack.  These freeze very well.  Just reheat them before serving.