These perfectly soft potato rolls are the stuff of legends. With a convenient make-ahead option, they’re perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just your every-day meal. 

It’s been awhile since I shared a recipe with you all, but this one cannot be contained. You need these rolls in your life. They are my family’s go-to recipe for dinner rolls. We make them every year for Thanksgiving, usually for Christmas as well, and whenever else we feel like it the rest of the year.

My parents, siblings, and I don’t often get to gather all together around a table together for holidays (we’re spread across the country from California to New Hampshire), we still find ways–sometimes a little unique–to celebrate together. Like last Thanksgiving, when we had a running group text of us all making our own batches of these potato rolls.

“Have you started yours?” came the message, along with a picture of silky dough sitting in a mustard yellow bowl that I recognize as having belonged to my grandmother.

I smiled over the next several hours as my phone continued to ding with pictures of potato rolls in various stages of completion. It’s how we roll. (Feel free to groan. I blame my father.)

Needless to say, these rolls are legendary. really. We still talk about the year that my friend Dustin ate NINE of these when our families had Thanksgiving together. They are that good. I love them so much that when I go to other people’s houses for Thanksgiving, I offer to bring the rolls. I just can’t live without them.

Have I built up the hype enough? I hope so. Because I know these beauties will live up to whatever expectations I just created. Make them, share them, give thanks for them, and ENJOY!

Refrigerator Potato Rolls

Notes: This recipe is pretty much the ONLY time I use instant mashed potatoes. If you have  leftover real mashed potatoes, those work great, too. However, I usually don’t, so I just make “fake” ones from the box, and they are just as good in this recipe with much less work.

Yield: About 40 medium rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (ideal temp for water is 110-120 degrees, but I usually wing it)
• 1 package dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup lukewarm mashed potatoes (*see note)
• 6-7 cups flour

Directions:

1. Place warm water in a liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and stir to dissolve. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until you can see the yeast growing.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and potatoes. Stir well. Add yeast mixture and mix.
3. Add flour two cups at a time until a soft dough is formed. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic.
4. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. At this point, you can place the dough in the refrigerator overnight.
5. If refrigerating, remove the dough from the fridge about two hours before baking and shape the dough into balls the size of a small egg. Place on greased pans about an inch apart (I do 20 rolls per pan (4×5) on my large cookie sheets).
6. Let rise until double, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
7. Bake at 375 degrees for about 12-15 minutes, or until light golden brown on top.

NOTE:  You can skip the refrigeration stage and just let the dough rise on the counter for an hour. Then shape, rise again for 30-60 minutes and bake as directed.

Source: My mom, who learned to make them from my grandmother (my dad’s mom)

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