You know those cheap dinner rolls you eat at your grandma’s house on Sunday nights? The supersoft, semiattached kind you buy in plastic bags? These are those dinner rolls. The base of the recipe is mashed potato, so it’s important to start this recipe as soon as you’ve just finished making mashed potatoes. These are perfect to serve with a pulled pork sandwich or on porchetta.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 12 rolls

　　2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast

　　1 tablespoon sugar

　　6 tablespoons (90 ml) lukewarm water

　　1 egg

　　2/3 cup (160 ml) milk, at room temperature

　　1/2 cup (100 g) warm mashed potatoes

　　3 1/2 cups (510 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

　　1 tablespoon salt

　　1/3 cup (75 ml) rendered bacon fat, melted and cooled to room temperature

　　

Step 1

In a small bowl, combine the yeast and sugar with the water and let sit for 15 minutes, until frothy.

　　

Step 2

Using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, knead together the egg, milk, mashed potatoes, and the yeast mixture on low speed. Add the flour and salt and knead for 4 minutes. Add the bacon fat by the spoonful and mix until the dough is homogenous. You want to have a smooth dough consistency. It should taste like raw mashed-potato bread dough—in other words, not very good.

　　

Step 3

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and set it in a warm place. Let the dough rise for an hour, or until doubled in size. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, punch it down, and knead it for a minute. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (2 1/2 to 2 3/4 ounces/ 70 to 75 g each; remember to use your scale!). Roll each piece between the palm of your hand and the floured work surface, pressing down gently. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and oil the sides. Place the dough balls, seamside down, on the baking sheet 1/4 inch (6 mm) apart, so when they rise they attach to one another. Let rise for 45 minutes in a warm place, or until doubled in size. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

　　

Step 4

Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, or until very lightly browned. They should not turn golden brown, but instead look like the cheap grocery-store doughy rolls that your grandma serves. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for 15 minutes before tearing apart and serving.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Art of Living According to Joe Beef by Frédéric Morin, David McMillan & Meredith Erickson, copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.