Been a whirlwind since we got to Seattle. Got down to the locks today with my mother in law for a cup of chowder and a view of the bay. Went to a Sounders game last night and a podcast where I met the infamous (though I had never heard of him until a minute before I met him) Alexi Lalas in South Downtown. Had a chance to use the potatoes I brought on the roadtrip, because, you know, who doesn’t bring potatoes in their carry-on?, in this recipe, which I pulled at random from the shelves at my inlaw’s house in Seattle: 
Potato Refrigerator Rolls
Adapted from The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery
c/o Capt. Ralph, father-in-law extraordinaire
1 cup warm mashed potatoes
1 1/2 cups warm water 105-115F
1 package active dry yeast (
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup of shortening
6 1/2 cups all purpose flour
melted butter or 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water for glaze
poppy seeds, sesame seeds optional
Add eggs, shortening, sugar, salt, mashed potatoes. Beat with an electric mixer on high until all of the ingredients are combined and the mixture is smooth. Add water, milk, yeast mixture (or starter) and 2 cups of flour and stir with a wooden spoon until completely incorporated and smooth. Add the remaining flour mixing with your hands until smooth and stiff enough not to stick to the side of the bowl. Brush the top of the dough with 1 tbsp melted butter, cover with a piece of waxed paper and a dish towel and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in bulk.
Remove from refrigerator and punch down with your fist. Cover and refrigerate. The dough can be refrigerated for 1-3 days punching it down once a day.
2 hours before you are ready to serve , remove the dough from the refrigerator and shape. These make great crescents, figure 8s, snails, or plain rolls. After shaping the dough, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place (85F) until double in bulk, 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400F. Brush rolls with butter or with egg and seeds if you are using. Bake 12 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.
Me and some random, apparently famous, soccer player KP made me stand with. The rolls were superb, especially when hot.
Oh, I love seeing and hearing about you two in your native habitat, and with family! The rolls look amazing, and the trip sounds like it’s already been full of wonderful encounters and experiences. Hooray!
Great recipe. I added mashed sweet potato to the bread I made yesterday and it’s a nice touch. I love how soft potato makes bread, and apparently it’s supposed to keep your bread fresh for longer.
Yes, and in Baking Illustrated once I read it jump starts the yeast, kind of like using barley malt, and it sustains the fermentation for a much longer period of time, leaving the end result a little sweeter. I use it in my Deep Dish Pizza recipe too– the best.
Oh cool!! I never knew it had an effect on the yeast, it makes sense though! I’m going to have to check out your Deep Dish Pizza recipe now… My dad just LOVES deep dish pizza, and It would be awesome to make it for him when I see him again.
https://bakethisday.com////////////////////2013/04/02/deep-dish-pizza/ Please do! It was soooo good.