Soft herbed potato rolls served fresh from a cozy hobbit kitchen pair perfectly with homemade garlic scape butter from the stores of a hobbit pantry!
Garlic Scape Potato Rolls
Through the long, hot summer months, the hobbits of the Shire are busy tending their gardens, harvesting their crops and preserving fresh seasonal produce in their well-stocked pantries. Garlic scapes are a late spring delicacy, which we have plucked from the bulb to prepare a creamy Garlic Scape Butter. But before we store away our garlic scape butter for the longer fall and winter days, these soft herbed potato rolls are the perfect way to enjoy this compound butter in the last days of spring!
Brushed with butter, packed with fresh herbs, and baked until golden, these potato dinner rolls would certainly be a delight for Samwise Gamgee. Fresh herbs plucked from his well-tended garden add a delicate aroma and flavour to these soft pan rolls. Incredibly soft and fluffy, these rolls get their pillowy texture from the addition of mashed potatoes in the dough. Baked in a cast iron skillet, the potato rolls are brushed with the melted garlic scape butter right after baking and served warm and fresh.
Ingredients
Potato: I typically use a large russet potato for this recipe, but you could use any kind you prefer. You can also use left over mashed potatoes, but I would make sure they aren’t too heavily seasoned as it will affect the overall taste of the rolls. Be sure to save the potato water to use as the liquid in these rolls.
Fresh herbs: You can use whatever blend of fresh herbs you prefer, such as chives, thyme, sage, rosemary, and parsley.
Garlic scape butter: These dinner rolls are delightful brushed with homemade garlic scape butter right after baking. However, if you don't have that, a simple garlic butter, or even plain butter, will work just as well.
Yeast: This recipe uses traditional active dry yeast.
How to Make Herbed Potato Rolls
Cook the potato
Peel and dice the potato. Add the potato to a saucepan and cover with a couple inches of water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. Drain the potato but save the potato water. Mash the potatoes and set aside.
Activate the yeast
In a small bowl combine ¼ cup of the warm potato water (105 - 115°F) with the sugar and the active dry yeast. Stir briefly and then set aside for the yeast to activate.
When the yeast is bubbly and risen, after about 5 minutes, proceed with the recipe. If the yeast has not activated and isn’t bubbly, then the yeast is no longer alive and needs to be discarded.
Make the dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the remaining ½ cup of warm potato water, the mashed potatoes, the beaten egg, melted butter, honey, chopped herbs, and the yeast mixture. Add the flour and salt and attach the dough hook.
Mix, using the dough hook, until the dough starts to come together. Scrape down the sides occasionally to encourage the dough to come together. This is a soft and sticky dough so you will likely need to add extra flour, a tablespoon at a time, to prevent the dough from sticking to the bowl.
Continue mixing with a dough hook for about 5 minutes until the dough is soft and stretchy. Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and knead to bring it together into a smooth ball. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. Drizzle a little more oil on top of the dough and rub it all over. Cover with cling film or a tea towel and then set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
Shape the rolls
After the dough has risen for 1 hour, punch it down to deflate completely. Lightly knead the dough to remove any air bubbles. The dough will be soft and very sticky - add flour as needed while shaping the rolls.
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball. Spray a 10-inch cast iron pan with non-stick spray. Arrange the rolls in the pan. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
Bake the soft potato rolls
While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and cooked all the way through. Rotate the pan in the oven after 15 minutes to encourage even browning.
Serve the Herbed Potato Rolls
If desired, the rolls can be brushed with a flavoured butter after baking, such as garlic scape butter. Brush the rolls immediately after removing from the oven so that they absorb the butter. Enjoy!
