High altitude tested soft and fluffy potato rolls, also known as Amish dinner rolls. These easy and simple yeasted dinner rolls are made with mashed potatoes for a melt-in-your mouth texture that stays soft for days after baking. Serve them warm for a special holiday dinner, or split them and use them for sandwiches or burgers.
You might also love these high altitude bread recipes for homemade soft pretzel rolls, brioche buns for hamburgers and hot dogs, and honey poppy seed dinner rolls.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Soft for Days. Potato dinner rolls are incredibly soft, pillowy and fluffy, even days after baking. So while it may seem strange to add mashed potatoes to yeast dough, they serve an important role. The starch in the potatoes absorbs moisture, keeping the rolls softer for much longer than most yeast rolls.
Great for Holidays and Summer Barbecues. This potato roll recipe is such a versatile bread recipe that makes both the most wonderfully soft pull apart dinner rolls and sandwich buns. Slather the rolls with butter and jam, and serve them warm for Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter, or just with a Sunday dinner of roast beef and carrots. Then use the leftover rolls over the next few days for the most delicious sandwiches or burgers. And if you can’t use up the whole batch of rolls, just freeze them for later – they’ll be just as soft after thawing out.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude. That said, most of my yeast dough recipes for rolls, buns and bread can be made at any altitude without adjusting the ingredients. The main difference will simply be on how long it takes your dough to rise, since dough tends to rise faster at higher elevations.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Mashed Potatoes. While you could use instant mashed potatoes, it’s quick and easy enough to just boil and mash fresh potatoes. I used Yukon Gold potatoes, which are soft, buttery and flavorful.
- Water. You’ll need warm water to moisten the dough. For more potato flavor, use the starchy boiling liquid from cooking the potatoes.
- Flour. Use bread flour, not all purpose flour. Bread flour has a higher percentage of protein, giving a chewier texture to these potato rolls.
- Sugar. Adds just a touch of sweetness. You can also use honey, or any other sweetener of your choice.
- Yeast. The yeast is what leavens the dough and makes it rise. I love this Red Star Platinum Instant Yeast with dough enhancers.
- Salt. Enhances the flavors.
- Butter. Adds richness, flavor and moisture.
- Eggs. Gives the dough structure, strength and richness.
Instructions
Make the Mashed Potatoes
- You can use any type of potato you like, including instant mashed potatoes. Do not use prepared mashed potatoes from your grocery store deli, since those will contain other ingredients such as butter, milk and salt. I used mini Yukon gold potatoes, and I needed around 9 of them to get 1 cup of mashed potatoes.
- Peel the potatoes, place them in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer the potatoes over medium heat until fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the potato water to use in the dough. Mash the potatoes with a fork, potato masher or ricer, and set aside to cool slightly until no longer piping hot. Let the potato water cool to between 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit.
- You can also make the mashed potatoes a day or two in advance, then warm up the potatoes and potato water before making the dough.
Make the Dough.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, butter, eggs and mashed potatoes. Add the warm potato water, and stir into a shaggy dough.
- With the dough hook attachment, knead the dough on medium low speed for 10 minutes. The dough will be much smoother now, but will still be soft, sticky and loose, and will not form a firm dough ball.
- Scrape the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size. If your oven has a “bread proof” setting, you can use that to let your dough rise. This should take anywhere from 45-90 minutes, depending on the brand and freshness of your yeast, and the temperature of your kitchen.
Shape the Rolls.
- Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, sprinkle the top of the dough with a little more flour, and gently press the air out of the dough.
- Use a bench scraper or sharp chef’s knife to cut the dough into 12 equal sections.
- Shape each section of dough into a ball by pinching the dough together on one side, so that the dough cupped against your hand is smooth and taut.
- Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with butter, and arrange the rolls smooth side up in the dish. Set aside for about 30-60 minutes, until the rolls are puffy, filling the dish, and starting to puff above the pan.
Baker’s Tip: If you don’t want to make soft sided potato rolls, you can bake the rolls separately as sandwich buns, spacing the rolls 3 inches apart on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (See these brioche hamburger buns for an example.) You may need to bake them for 5 minutes less – be sure to check their internal temperature for doneness.
Bake the Rolls.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Bake the rolls for about 30 minutes, until golden brown on top, and a digital instant read thermometer inserted into the center reads 195 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If you like, brush the tops of the hot rolls with a little more butter. Let them cool for about 15 minutes, then pull the rolls apart and serve warm for dinner rolls. Or let them cool completely, then split the rolls with a knife if using them for sandwiches or burgers.
- Let the rolls cool completely before storing in an airtight container or freezer bag at room temperature for up to 3-5 days.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Will any type of potatoes work in this recipe?
Yes, you can use red potatoes, russet, yukon gold, etc. You could probably even use sweet potatoes. Even if the peel is tender, like on yukon gold potatoes, I recommend peeling your potatoes first.
Do I need to brush the rolls with an egg wash before baking?
Usually, I brush my rolls and buns with egg wash to promote browning as they bake. I found it wasn’t necessary with today’s recipe, though, and the rolls will brown just fine without the egg wash. If you want a shiny finish on the rolls, though, you can still use an egg wash.
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High Altitude Potato Rolls (Amish Dinner Rolls)
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Dough Hook
- 9×13 Baking Dish
- Saucepan and Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup (about 9 ounces) plain mashed potatoes (no added butter, milk or salt)
- 4 ½ cups bread flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar or honey
- 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) instant or rapid-rise yeast
- 1 ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, very soft
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup potato water, between 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit
Instructions
Make the Mashed Potatoes
- You can use any type of potato you like, including instant mashed potatoes. Do not use prepared mashed potatoes from your grocery store deli, since those will contain other ingredients such as butter, milk and salt. I used mini Yukon gold potatoes, and I needed around 9 of them to get 1 cup of mashed potatoes.
- Peel the potatoes, place them in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer the potatoes over medium heat until fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the potato water to use in the dough. Mash the potatoes with a fork, potato masher or ricer, and set aside to cool slightly until no longer piping hot. Let the potato water cool to between 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit.
- You can also make the mashed potatoes a day or two in advance, then warm up the potatoes and potato water before making the dough.
Make the Dough.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, butter, eggs and mashed potatoes. Add the warm potato water, and stir into a shaggy dough.
- With the dough hook attachment, knead the dough on medium low speed for 10 minutes. The dough will be much smoother now, but will still be soft, sticky and loose, and will not form a firm dough ball.
- Scrape the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size. If your oven has a "bread proof" setting, you can use that to let your dough rise. This should take anywhere from 45-90 minutes, depending on the brand and freshness of your yeast, and the temperature of your kitchen.
Shape the Rolls.
- Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, sprinkle the top of the dough with a little more flour, and gently press the air out of the dough.
- Use a bench scraper or sharp chef's knife to cut the dough into 12 equal sections.
- Shape each section of dough into a ball by pinching the dough together on one side, so that the dough cupped against your hand is smooth and taut.
- Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with butter, and arrange the rolls smooth side up in the dish. Set aside for about 30-60 minutes, until the rolls are puffy, filling the dish, and starting to puff above the pan.
Bake the Rolls.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Bake the rolls for about 30 minutes, until golden brown on top, and a digital instant read thermometer inserted into the center reads 195 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If you like, brush the tops of the hot rolls with a little more butter. Let them cool for about 15 minutes, then pull the rolls apart and serve warm for dinner rolls. Or let them cool completely, then split the rolls with a knife if using them for sandwiches or burgers.
- Let the rolls cool completely before storing in an airtight container or freezer bag at room temperature for up to 3-5 days.
Can I make these potato rolls with non dairy butter substitute such as earth balance or country crock plant butter? Thank you.
I haven’t tested them that way, but it would probably work just fine.
Can you freeze them and bake them later?
Yes, you can freeze the shaped/unbaked rolls. Thaw them completely then let them warm up at room temperature until they start to puff and fill the pan before baking.