Amish Dinner Rolls

1 cup unseasoned mashed potatoes, lightly packed (about 1 large or 2 medium baking potatoes)

3/4 cup lukewarm water (water in which the potatoes were boiled, if possible)

2 large eggs

4 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

6 tablespoons softened butter

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast or active dry yeast

To make the dough: Mix and knead all of the ingredients together — by hand, mixer, or bread machine set on the dough cycle — to make a smooth, soft dough.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise until it's doubled in bulk, about 90 minutes.  (If you're using a bread machine, allow the machine to complete its cycle, then leave the dough in the machine until it's doubled in bulk, perhaps an additional 30 minutes or so.)

Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 16 large balls or 24 smaller balls.  Round each ball into a smooth roll.

Place the rolls in a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan. (Rather tightly spaced, in a 9" x 13" pan, the rolls crowd each other and become pull-apart rolls, with unbrowned sides.  For round rolls that are browned all over, place them in a larger pan, farther apart, so that they won't touch one another while they're baking.)

Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let them rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until they're quite puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until they're golden brown and feel set. Remove them from the oven, and turn them out of the pan onto a rack. Brush with melted butter, if desired.  Serve rolls warm, or at room temperature. Store rolls, well wrapped in plastic, for several days at room temperature; freeze for longer storage.

Makes 16 to 24 rolls.

From King Arthur Flour