Martha Washington’s Potato Rolls
Many recipes are attributed to the nation’s first First Lady, but it’s unlikely that she was making devil’s food cake and chocolate-covered cherries in the 1700s. She was, however, in possession of a manuscript of old family memories that had been handed down from one generation to the next and eventually came to be published […]
Many recipes are attributed to the nation’s first First Lady, but it’s unlikely that she was making devil’s food cake and chocolate-covered cherries in the 1700s. She was, however, in possession of a manuscript of old family memories that had been handed down from one generation to the next and eventually came to be published under the name Martha Washington’s Book of Cookery and Book of Sweetmeats. This recipe doesn’t appear in that manuscript; still, the name remains, if only to honor a woman who added much to our nation’s culinary heritage.
Yield:
48 small rollsIngredients
2 large russet potatoes
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons salted butter, plus more for baking sheets
1 package yeast
5-7 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
Peel the potatoes; cut into large chunks. Put potatoes in a medium pot and cover with water. Set over high heat, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer; cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, put milk in a small pan and bring to a simmer over high heat. Remove from heat.
When potatoes are tender, drain, reserving the cooking water.
Mash the hot potatoes. Add the salt, sugar, and butter and beat well; stir in 1-1/2 cups of the reserved potato water and hot milk, then cool until lukewarm.
Add the yeast and stir in 4 cups of the flour, beating well; then add enough of the remaining flour to make a dough stiff enough to knead (the exact amount will depend on how moist the potato mixture is). Knead on a floured board until smooth and elastic.
Brush a large bowl with the vegetable oil, then transfer the dough to the bowl. Turn to coat, then cover and let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in bulk, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400° and grease two large rimmed baking sheets. Punch down the dough and turn it out on a floured board, then pat out to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. Divide the dough into 48 balls and shape them into rolls. Arrange on greased pans and let rise until very light and more than doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Bake until nicely browned, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.
