Traditionally, the Amish bake their own bread as part of their self-sufficient and community-oriented way of life.

The Amish are known for their traditional way of living, which includes simple living, plain dress, and a strong emphasis on family, community, and hard work. And part of this ethos is baking bread! Of course the Amish are known for their wonderful loaves of homemade bread, but they are also can make a pretty good dinner roll.
Bread is an essential staple in the Amish diet, and many Amish families still bake their bread at home using traditional methods. The bread is usually made with simple ingredients like flour, yeast, salt, and water, and may be baked in a wood-fired oven or a regular oven.
Holiday meals, like Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas will not be especially ornate, but homemade dinner rolls are one exception. These taste amazing. The instructions have been adapted for the non-Amish kitchen (get out those dough hooks!), but, of course, most Amish would do this recipe totally by hand.
🥄 Why is Potato Bread So Popular?
Potatoes can add moisture and tenderness to bread, and they can also help to extend the shelf life of the bread. Potatoes can be used in different forms such as mashed, boiled or dehydrated potato flakes and they can be incorporated into the dough in different ways depending on the recipe.
In some bread recipes, mashed or boiled potatoes are added directly to the dough, replacing some of the flour and adding moisture to the bread. In other recipes, dehydrated potato flakes are used as a flour substitute, adding a potato flavor to the bread.
Potato bread is a popular type of bread that is made with potatoes, among its points of popularity:
- and it is often denser and moister than other types of bread.
- It can be made with white or sweet potatoes
- can be flavored with different herbs and spices, such as rosemary or garlic.
- using potatoes in bread can be a great way to add flavor and texture to your baked goods.
Many Amish grow their own potatoes so they'll have plenty of hand to go in loaves of bread. I am always amazed at the beautiful potatoes found in Amish gardens.
🍞 On a Roll!
These rolls follow the typical style of Amish baking, which is back-to-basics: flour, sugar, salt, eggs, and a few other items.
Get all your ingredients organized and measured out prior to assembling the recipe, and it will go much more smoothly.
Most Amish cooks would use a wooden spoon and spend a lot of time getting the dough perfect. You can save time by using a mixer and dough hook!
This recipe makes 15 to 16 rolls, depending on the size you want.
These Amish Puffy Potato Dinner Rolls go amazingly with butter, honey, or jam, a perfect roll to have with a holiday meal or other special occasion.
🫓 Amish Puffy Potato Dinner Rolls
2 eggs
⅓ cup (2 ½ ounces) sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter
1 cup (7 ¼ ounces) unseasoned mashed potatoes, lightly packed*
2 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
¾ cup water (potato water, if possible)
4 ¼ cups (18 ounces) unbleached All-Purpose Flour
📋 Instructions
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients, and mix until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased or floured surface, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it's smooth and shiny.
- Or knead it in a mixer, using the dough hook. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or rising bucket, turn to coat, cover the container with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise till it's doubled in bulk, about 90 minutes.
- To make rolls, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces.
- Place the 16 dough balls onto a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet or sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them.
- Or place the dough balls into a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch pan, spacing them evenly in five rolls of three balls each.
- Cover the pan(s) with a proof cover or lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the rolls to rise for about 2 hours, till they're quite puffy; the rolls in the 9 x 13-inch pan should be touching (or almost touching) one another.
- Bake the rolls in a preheated 350°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, till they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, carefully turn them out of the pan -- the pull-apart rolls will come out all in one piece -- and brush them with melted butter, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 15 or 16 rolls.
🍞 More Amish Bread Recipes
Basic Amish white bread, this is a good one too.
Cinnamon Raisin Bread: perfect!
Strawberry Bread: So good!
🖨️ Full Recipe
Amish Puffy Potato Rolls
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter
- 1 cup unseasoned mashed potatoes, lightly packed
- 2 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
- ¾ cup water (potato water, if possible)
- 4 ¼ cups unbleached All-Purpose Flour
Instructions
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients, and mix until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased or floured surface, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it's smooth and shiny.
- Or knead it in a mixer, using the dough hook.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or rising bucket, turn to coat, cover the container with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise till it's doubled in bulk, about 90 minutes.
- To make rolls, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces.
- Place the 16 dough balls onto a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet or sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them. Or place the dough balls into a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch pan, spacing them evenly in five rolls of three balls each.
- Cover the pan(s) with a proof cover or lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the rolls to rise for about 2 hours, till they're quite puffy; the rolls in the 9 x 13-inch pan should be touching (or almost touching) one another.
- Bake the rolls in a preheated 350°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, till they're golden brown. .
- Remove them from the oven, carefully turn them out of the pan -- the pull-apart rolls will come out all in one piece -- and brush them with melted butter, if desired.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 15 or 16 rolls
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