Irish Potato Yeast Rolls

The Irish love to bake. They bake all kinds of things from breads to cakes to fruit loaves. There is always something baking in all the cottages and small farmhouses across the Emerald Isle. Sometimes things are made in a skillet, or in a pot, or even an open hearth, but there is always something good cooking in Irish kitchens across the land.

Baking the simple things is something almost everyone in Ireland does, but it is considered a gift if you can make yeast breads. “These bakers are much admired, for they have a talent that goes to the heart of skillful cooking and can recognize the warm, pleasant feel of the kneaded dough when it is ready for proofing”. (p. xii – The Little Irish Baking Book, by Ruth Isabel Ross.

I will be making the bulk of my Irish feast today. I’ll be starting it all in just a bit. I decided on only making one dessert though, the Cherry Chocolate Madeline Fingers Chocolate Cherry Florentine Fingers since Priscilla is making a chocolate Guinness cake, and this will only be a small Irish shindig. But I did make my rolls yesterday. Since they are a yeast roll, I wanted to make sure they had time to rise and to cook without any pressure if they do not. I will heat them up in the oven before we eat. I made some Irish potato yeast rolls.

Irish Potato Yeast Rolls

These rolls are so good, and only require a few simple and basic ingredients.

3/4 cup cooked potatoes

1 1/4 tsp salt

2 TBSP dry activated yeast

2 TBSP sugar

2/3 cup warm water

4 cups flour

1/2 stick butter

2/3 cup warm milk, NOT hot

1 egg, beaten

milk for glazing

Mash the cooked potatoes, adding a little milk if necessary, until they are smooth and creamy.

Mix the yeast and the water, and 1/2 the sugar together and let set for at least about 10 minutes, or until it becomes frothy.

Combine the flour, salt, 1/2 the sugar, butter and mashed potatoes together.

Beat the egg, then mix with the warmed milk. Add the egg and milk mixture to the yeast mixture and combine well.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, then add the yeast and liquid mixture. Stir it all together, from the inside out as much as you can then knead the dough together until it forms into a ball. Knead for about 8-10 minutes. Place in large clean bowl and let rise for about 1 hour or until it doubles in size.

Preheat the oven to 400* F or 200*C.

Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a work surface and roll it into balls. I made mine small, but you can shape the dough balls into any size you like. Place the dough balls onto a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and/or parchment paper, and let rise again for about 20 minutes.

When the dough has risen again, brush the dough balls with the milk and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. I topped mine with a dash of parsley too before baking. Let them cool for a bit, then spread with butter, or even better, Irish butter, and enjoy.

I have lots more Irish food coming your way, so stay tuned. Erin Go Braugh! We will actually be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day twice this year. I am having our Irish shindig today, and then we will celebrate again with Erik and Shannon tomorrow.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.